Having captivated global audiences with performances at NPR\u2019s Tiny Desk series and AFROPUNK, Sampa The Great, the internationally acclaimed musician and rapper, is now poised to make her mark in South Africa with her brand-new single,\u00a0\u201cCan\u2019t Hold Us\u201d\u00a0featuring Mwanje. Released via Loma Vista Recordings, the track signals the launch of a new era for Sampa, introducing her signature sound: Nu Zamrock\u2014a fearless fusion of rock, hip-hop, soul, and African rhythm that is both ancestral and futuristic.<\/p>\n
The single is accompanied by a striking visualiser directed by Iggy London, capturing the energy and confidence of Sampa as she steps fully into her artistic power. First teased during a live performance in Brixton alongside legendary streamer DJ AG,\u00a0\u201cCan\u2019t Hold Us\u201d\u00a0is a declaration of purpose, heritage, and creative freedom.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the declaration track. I\u2019ve stepped into my power, into my sound, into my purpose. I\u2019ve claimed this thing\u2014Nu Zamrock\u2014as something of my own, something I\u2019m shaping in real time. And in this new form, with this much clarity and drive? You can\u2019t hold us. You can\u2019t stop us. Not anymore,\u201d says Sampa.<\/p>\n
Sampa reinvents Zamrock\u2014the genre-defying 1970s fusion of rock, funk, and African rhythm\u2014through her own lens, blending it seamlessly with poetry, hip-hop, and soul. The result is a sound that resonates across generations, rooted in heritage but boldly looking forward.\u00a0\u201cZamrock is my sound. It\u2019s my voice. Being defiant, being fearless\u2014that\u2019s what Zamrock is,\u201d\u00a0she explains.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan\u2019t Hold Us\u201d\u00a0is the first taste of Sampa\u2019s forthcoming third album, following her critically acclaimed releases\u00a0As Above, So Below\u00a0(2022) and her debut\u00a0The Return\u00a0(2019). Over the years, she has earned global recognition with multiple ARIA Awards, Bandcamp\u2019s Album of the Year, and the Australian Music Prize, while performing on stages worldwide. Now, Sampa is ready to cement her presence in South Africa, bringing her bold, genre-defying sound to local audiences.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Having captivated global audiences with performances at NPR\u2019s Tiny Desk series and AFROPUNK, Sampa The Great, the internationally…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22439,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[63],"class_list":{"0":"post-22438","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-africa","8":"tag-africa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22438"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22438\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}