Sampa The Great is probably one of the most internationally well-known African artists in the world. She is an artist from Zambia but based in Australia. Her distinct color of music and her rap style gain worldwide attention that even I also knew about her before taking this class. She can be considered as a musician, who raps at the global stages, and most of her music, lyrics, beats, fashions, music videos represent both her African originality and the Diaspora.
‘Energy’ is one of her most popular songs, and this song mainly talks about the ‘female energy’ that the Mama God is sacred and should be sympathized: “Please sympathize all the lives we raising, please realize all the time Female Energy. In delivering her message, it is important to notice that her music and artistic works contain numerous minor and major points that represents her African originality and the Diaspora. And, you should all listen to this song and also other songs like Black girl Magik, because these songs are well-made.
First, we can see the beats of her music. While I am no expert on traditional African beats, but I am pretty confident that the beat from the music is part of her African identity. True, we have already discussed the link between hip hop and African drum beats. Still, I believe this song, as it starts with the religiously sounded acapella, has a greater link to traditional African beats, and presents her African identity to the listeners.
Second, her music video put another emphasis to represents Africa as well as her Diaspora. As can be seen from the videos, she wears traditional African clothes along with other African women, and she dances and rhythms with other women in the video. This is one of the biggest representations of her identity as an African girl. Moreover, the music video during the second verse of the song shows the African couple is carrying the basket of flowers to the sea. I view this part as her Diaspora about her nation that she is portrayed herself as a basket of flower shipping away her country.
Lastly, her lyrics have a deeper meaning as the song progresses that the ‘female energy,’ which she raps about, has a greater significance than just a woman’s power. In the second verse of the music, the man with a strong African accent does a monologue. When you listen to this monologue with the music video, it is presumable to see that the Female, represented in the music, has a far bigger meaning than a female. I believe that ‘female’ in this song means the ‘motherland’ representing Africa. And frankly, the lyrics also make sense if we the female and feminine energy as Africa and African energy. Therefore, it can be viewed as this song represents Sampa the great’s African identity, her love toward her motherland, and her Diaspora as well.