In the midst of some festival appearances, Zambia-born, Australia-based rapper Sampa the Great came to NYC to headline a free SummerStage show in Bed-Stuy's Herbert Von King Park on Saturday (7/23) with support from Pink Siifu and DJ AQ. She mentioned on stage that she spent the pandemic in Zambia and made an album (the upcoming As Above, So Below) in the country she was born for the first time, and she also mentioned that she and her band were the first Zambian band to play Coachella, Sydney Opera House, and Glastonbury, and possibly the first to play SummerStage too. She did a mix of old songs and new, including "Let Me Be Great," the Angélique Kidjo collaboration from her upcoming album. She also spoke about appearing on Angélique's 2021 album Mother Nature and then asking Angélique to appear on her own LP.

Pink Siifu played backed by his band Tha Folks and used the opportunity to show off tracks from his recent album GUMBO'!. In between DJ AQ and Siifu, there were speeches from NY State Senator Jabari Brisport, who represents Bed-Stuy and other Brooklyn neighborhoods in the NY State Senate, and New York City Council Member Chi Ossé, who represents Bed-Stuy and North Crown Heights in City Council.

More photos by Edwina Hay, and some fan-shot videos of Sampa's set below…