“Delhi has had a huge influence on my music” – Yung Sammy

Samuel Lloyds, known by his stage name Yung Sammy was born in Nigeria and grew up in Delhi. Several years back, when Sammy heard Yo Yo Honey Singh’s music, he felt the urge to do something similar. Steadily, Sammy has made a name for himself as a rapper. ‘4×4’, a track which he released independently a couple of months ago, played an important role in propelling his career forward and helping him reach out to a wider audience. A couple of weeks back, Sammy released ‘The Intro’, an original track, in collaboration with the music label Desi Trill.

‘The Intro’ marked your first collaboration with Desi Trill. How did you end up collaborating with the label?

My track ‘4×4’ got viral on the internet a while back. That is when Shabz Naqvi, the co-founder of Desi Trill, reached out to me. Slowly, things fell into place and I signed up with Desi Trill.

Years ago, you heard Yo Yo Honey Singh’s ‘Brown Rang’ and that led you towards exploring rap and hip-hop. You grew up in Delhi. What kind of musical influences you have had?

I have been in India for more than fifteen years now. While growing up, I heard a lot of music. However, I didn’t know anything about the Hindi rap scene. I heard ‘Brown Rang’ on a trip to Jaipur with my family. That was the first time I heard a Hindi rap song. I wanted to create something like that. At that time, I was in school. Honey paaji’s songs were a rage among people my age. I continue to be a big fan of Honey paaji. I started writing and really enjoyed the process. I met Honey paaji in 2012. After meeting him, I felt even more motivated. I come from a religious background. My dad is a priest. I was not bold enough to tell that that I rap. I was on my own and did all that I could. I was an avid listener of rap. I used to listen to a lot of underground artists. Six or seven years back, I started writing my own stuff. I started recording tracks. Honey paaji was the one who led me in this direction. 4-5 years back, I met my friend and we started making stuff together. Rapping, going to the studio, and recording tracks are the things I love doing. ‘4×4’ was the first proper single I released.

Rappers tend to be influenced by the places they grow up in. Delhi is the city you grew up in. Did it influence you in some way?

Yes! Delhi has had a huge influence on my music. The biggest influence has been the language. I have lived in Delhi for years and have absorbed the culture of the city. ‘4×4’ is about Delhi boys. It is about the way guys in Delhi are. My school was in Delhi and my college was in Noida. A lot of what I write comes from there.

Apart from Hindi and English, you are well-versed in Punjabi as well.

I made a Punjabi song a long time back but it did not come out. When ‘The Intro’ released, I felt it gave a proper start to my journey. I wanted to write something fresh. Often, people ask me how I speak Hindi so well. I made ‘The Intro’ to clear that doubt. It has a mix of Hindi and Haryanvi rap.

What do you think of the Indian hip-hop and rap scene today?

Around 12-14 years back, Honey paaji, Badshah, Bohemia paaji and Raftaar brought it to the forefront. In the last few years, the Indian rap industry and pop industry have grown significantly. Indian artists are making a mark globally. Hip-hop artists and rappers are performing extensively in colleges. Recently, I did a show in London. An underground artist being invited to perform in London is a huge thing.

What are you doing next?

Many tracks are ready. I am planning to release an EP soon. I will release a few singles as well.