“Let Me Be Nice (feat. Angélique Kidjo)”
Sampa the Great is a songwriter, rapper, and singer from Zambia. She was based mostly in Australia for years, however got here again to Zambia in 2020, shortly earlier than the pandemic hit. When she couldn’t journey, she determined to make her subsequent album there in Lusaka. The album known as As Above, So Below, and it was produced by Mag44. On this episode, Sampa the Nice and Mag44 break down the closing tune ““Let Me Be Great,” which options vocals from legendary West African singer Angélique Kidjo, winner of 5 Grammys and one in all TIME‘s Most Influential People. I obtained to talk to Angélique Kidjo in her studio in Paris, and I spoke to Sampa the Nice and Mag44 in Lusaka. Collectively, the three of them inform the story of how they made “Let Me Be Nice.”
You should buy or stream “Let Me Be Nice” here.
Illustration by Carlos Lerma.
For a transcript of this episode, click here.
NPR Tiny Desk Concerts
Watch Angélique Kidjo’s 2022 NPR Tiny Desk Live performance, with a visitor look from Sampa the Nice, here
Fela Kuti
Kalindula
Lozi people
Afro-pop
Afrofuturism
Yoruba language
