Watch Sampa The Great's Video For 'Time's Up' Feat. Krown

Anyone who attended Sampa The Great's North Island headline shows late last year was blown away by both the Zambian-born / Melbourne-based artist's commanding on-stage presence and incredible funk / fusion chops of her live band. Reminding us of what frustratingly now seems like a golden age for international touring artists visiting Aotearoa, Sampa The Great's new video for 'Time’s Up' from her latest album The Return, featuring Melbourne rapper Krown and directed by Sanjay de Silva, draws on '90s fisheye lens hip hop / funk imagery (including at least one "how did they did that?" moment at 1:15) to raise awareness for the wellbeing of black artists working in Australia's music industry – rapping "I seen the industry scheme / And it’s a killer / It’s a master plan to break you".

Sampa The Great explained: "Time’s Up” is a track that was made to reflect a conversation between two young African artists working in the Australian music industry... An industry that has often been careless in protecting the wellbeing of Black Artists. The labour put on marginalised people to have to address systemic racism every day means more trauma and pressure on our mental health and emotional state.

I’m partnering with Pola Psychology a Naarm (Melbourne) based therapy practice to make sure African youth/musicians can access culturally appropriate mental health care in their own community, by their own community. At a time like this, it’s important to let my friends and the wider African community know that this support exists and our health matters.”

Director Sanjay de Silva opened up about drawing on the famously head-spinning imagery of '90s hip hop / funk clips for 'Time’s Up': "We're playing with the tongue in cheek aspect to the song and dialling it way up by incorporating metaphors like the padded room—to represent the way the industry sees black artists—to the imagery of the industry literally shaking Sampa's culture out of her for their profit. We referenced some very specific 90's music videos throughout, from Tupac's 'hit Em Up', to videos from Busta, Da Bush Babees, Jamiroquai, and De La Soul—each one is utilized to convey a powerful message about how the music industry has treated and continues to treat and exploit black artists."

'The Return' is out now via Ninja Tune.