NEW RELEASES
Sampha made his directorial debut on Thursday (Oct. 19) with the release of his short film, LAHAI: Time Travels Memories.
Written by himself and co-directed by Caleb Femi, the film is the illusive visual companion to his new sophomore album, Lahai. As he encapsulates the essence of “spiritual self-exploration, generational discovery and familial connection,” the South London-bred artist explained, “I always remember when I first heard Worotan by Oumou Sangare and how fresh it sounded to me, and the deep, I could say, transportive spiritual feeling I got from listening to it. It felt like something I’d heard in another lifetime or something. Thinking about that and the thread i feel through to funk, jungle, grime and minimal classical music — all these sounds that have influenced this album.”
The 34-year-old recalled daydreaming about what he calls “a visual poem” in its early conception and noted that at its core, “it is connection to self and beyond” as well as discovery, questioning, memories, relationships, and more.
Lahai — which is Sampha’s middle name passed down from his paternal grandfather — is “an exercise in the radical acceptance and joy in the human condition and the beauty in the journey itself.”The short film follows not only the album’s release, but the premiere of his new radio show, Wave Therapy, on Apple Music 1. Each of the four episodes will provide insight into the making of Lahai and will feature a slew of surprise guests.
Of the series, Sampha shared in a statement, “These shows are going to be part exploration — venturing into subjects, genres of music, ideas and things I’m interested in — and, part documentary, a kind of snapshot of my process in the studio with collaborators, jamming. In fact, some of the songs on my new record, LAHAI, were inspired by the making of these radio sessions. It’s cool to have that recorded and to be able to share a little bit of the vibes I was feeling and the things we were going for at the time.”
The first episode, exploring the album’s themes and ideas, is currently streaming.
NBA YoungBoy has been releasing a large amount of music this year, whether he is rebuilding his post-prison career or shutting down rap beef. His new YouTube diss track and music video, Zero IQ Freestyle, clearly falls into the latter category. Several lines either directly brush off NLE Choppa for his disses or subtly dismiss him as a fake hater. Backed by a loud, hard-hitting beat and his animated vocal delivery, the song feels extremely high-energy.
The lyrics are sharp and cutting, whether they are aimed at someone specific or not, and the track functions as a broad clap-back toward his many haters and personal frustrations. Even if YB chooses not to fully answer NLE The Great any time soon, he definitely made his bold and confrontational point with Zero IQ Freestyle.
Release Date: November 15, 2025
Genre: Hip-Hop
Album: N/A
N***a f**k with something, yеah, drop your nuts, I'll make you do the Tootsie Roll,
B***h, f**k you, you ain't really 5 and hell nah with real gang hoes,
"Respond to him," he ain't never ran nothing down, b***h, I said, "No,"
I was f***ed up and I came up, I don't care about nothing, no
