Staff Picks: Sampa The Great - The Return

For fans of: Ambitious globally-minded rap music.

What they're saying: “Flowing between funk, soul, R&B, hip-hop and spoken word, traditional folk chants and singing, and including guest appearances from her mother and sister, The Return is a portal into the psyche of an African artist who has traveled the world in search of herself.” says an in depth feature at NPR. The Guardian’s review sees The Return as a promising landmark in the genre of rap’s expanding sound and definition, it’s “relaxing of borders.”

What we say: Fans of Kendrick Lamar’s last couple records need to sit up and take notice of Sampa The Great. The African born Australian rapper seems due to to blow-up stateside any day. The Return is all over the place in the best ambitious genre-blurring ways.