Yung Sammy is an artist who draws inspiration from his unique multicultural background, with roots in Nigeria (his birthplace) and in India, where he was raised. He has released music under the label Desi Trill, showcasing his talent for blending diverse sounds and stories, particularly within the Indian rap scene. Yung Sammy is known for seamlessly switching between English and Hindi flows in his music, highlighting his multilingual skills and fluency in languages like English, Punjabi, Yoruba, and more.
The NCR Delhi based rapper has previously released tracks like 4×4, Mehndi, Shaant, Moved On and Big Man Ting, giving a glimpse of his big plans of dominating the DHH scene. In an exclusive chat, Yung Sammy reflected upon the influence of growing up in India’s capital, his identity, rapping in Hindi and more.
Here are the excerpts:
The Intro with Desi Trill has received great feedback. How did this collaboration come about and what was your experience working with Desi Trill? What message were you trying to convey through it?
I think this song came at the time it was needed, people have so many questions about where I came from and how I can speak these languages so I wanted to address it all. When I first signed to DESI TRILL I played it to Shabz and he loved it – he came up with the name The Intro.
Can you share the story of how listening to Yo Honey Singh’s “Brown Rang” on a road trip inspired you to start making music in Hindi? What was it about that moment that struck a chord with you?
The first time I listened to it was when I was going on a road trip to Jaipur with my family. It was the first ever Hindi rap track I heard and it was exciting to me. That track made me become a big fan of him and eventually, I met him and it motivated me more. I discovered lots of other rappers and that’s when I thought yaar mere ko karna hai. This is what I need to do.
Your journey into the Indian hip-hop scene seems deeply integrated with Delhi culture. How has growing up in New Delhi, your multicultural background influenced your music style and lyrical content?
Growing up in Delhi NCR has had a huge impact in my rap scene because the culture of Delhi especially when I create songs or write songs I try to relate it with the ongoing things and surroundings of the lifestyle. I grew up in Delhi specifically in India and then I shifted to UP which gave the essence of a different culture. The track I made called ‘4×4’ was all about Delhi culture and all about how Delhi moved the Gen Z’s and everything. I would say that growing up in Delhi has given me the essence and also the accent. Delhi has been a vibe and it has been an influential place that plays a role in my creative space
Your accent in Hindi has been highlighted as a unique aspect of your rapping. How do you ensure that authenticity comes through in your music, especially considering Hindi isn’t your native language?
First, when I learned Hindi, I learned it because I love embracing cultures and everything so I was not good with the accent back then, I was only good at pronouncing and understanding but I was not good at the accent. It took time and learning the culture when I understood the difference between the accents of Hurigandwi, Hindi, Punjabi, and everything it was when I understood the language and the difference and the people that is when I started focusing on the accent, and yeah with friends and everything I kept learning and doing things and that’s how the accent slowly came into place.
Collaborations seem to play a significant role in your music career. Could you tell us more about your experiences collaborating with artists like BBB, MC Static, and Urban Poet? How do these collaborations influence your creative process?
This is a great question because yes,collaborations have played a vital role in my creative space. Even the unreleased collaborations ‘Urban Poet’, ‘Flyboy’, and ‘BBB’ for sure, and many more artists around me. Collaborations play an part because you hear different things, different flows, different energies, and different experiences.
These collaborations give and connect with every energy and every different style of rapping. I think collaborations have played a vital role not just in the collaborations but jamming with each other and jamming together has played a vital role in learning more from the other artists as well.
4×4 with Urban Poet one of your most popular track. What led you to creating this track and what was the process behind it and how does working with friends impact the energy of
your music?
Regarding 4×4 featuring Urban Poet the track is almost at half a million now so that’s an independent track that went viral, it has 3 million views on Instagram and almost half a million on Spotify and more on other platforms as well. So that’s a great achievement for me
and that track has been game-changing for my life. 4×4 was the essence and 4×4 was about the Delhi lifestyle and how people move in life, it was a great track.
You’ve mentioned the challenges of navigating the music industry in India, particularly within the hip-hop scene. Could you elaborate on some of these challenges and how you’ve been overcoming them?
There are challenges for every artist but some challenges might not be challenges, some
challenges might be the reason they’re moving forward and some challenges can be negative for some artists as well. I feel it’s a vast industry and everyone has a role to play, it can be artists whether it is from a business perspective or a creative perspective so I feel there are some challenges that you cannot deny, some people overcome them and some people are not able to but for me, for now, I’ve seen challenges but I’ve not been in that space as things have worked more positively well for me because of my USP and the place I am in which is India so I feel things have worked well for me till now and I hope it does for
my future as well so touch wood.
It’s interesting to hear about your family’s journey from skepticism to support regarding your music career. How has their evolving perception of your music impacted your determination and growth as an artist?
About my family not being supportive, I come from a very religious background, as a hip-hop artist they did not really understand what I was doing. It took me time to you know come out and tell them and to explain to them but yeah it was a journey and it was something that I
kept going. This was the challenge that I faced mostly because I was not able to tell my parents what I was doing but at the end of the day, I am proud enough to tell them how things are working well now. This was the challenge that I’ve overcome and with the support, I am going to do great things in life so yeah.
You’ve performed at various events and shared the stage with artists like Rema. How have these experiences shaped your stage presence and performance style?
I’ve shared the stage with artists like ‘Rema’ and many artists in India like ‘Kink’ and ’47 Bali’, many different artists. A stage performance is the best place for an artist. The stage is a very important place for an artist, I feel like I’ve gotten more experience on stage now because I’ve been performing for about 4 years now and have been pitching myself, I am lucky enough to be around people who are doing events and all and I make sure I get myself and my crew pitched so we all get the opportunity to perform and open for different artists. I have had a really great experience with performing on stage, stage plays a vital role.
Could you share with us some of your musical influences and inspirations?
I feel with influences I am mostly talking about my favourite artists which are Central Cee, Pop Smoke for sure, and drill because I’ve been doing drill, it got introduced to Pop Smoke and different variations of drill. Skepta as well as many other artists. Even if I go to India there are many artists and the same with African artists, all these artists have taught me a lot,
As you continue to carve your path in the Indian hip-hop scene, what are some of the messages and themes you hope to convey through your music to your audience?
I would love to convey a message, as I feel as an artist you should keep doing your thing and never lose hope. God is always looking at your hard work and no matter what, don’t lose hope. Whatever you feel you are doing, never feel you are doing it with your skills or talent as it is always God’s creation and God empowering you, that is what I believe and that’s what I feel has been taking me forward. Not everyone will believe or understand what I say but it is always God first. You have to keep doing what you are doing and keep putting in the work but at the same time never lose hope as an artist, ups and downs are always there for sure.
Looking ahead, what are your aspirations and goals for the future of your music career, both in terms of personal growth and the impact you aim to make within the industry?
My own goals are there and I have already hit some goals. I have goals of collaborating with some great artists and I already have done so with some artists with whom I’ve been wanting to collaborate for years and there are many more to come. I have goals for live shows at Madison Square. What I wish for is to bring my parents to my biggest show which is coming soon and many more. And obviously, my goal is to continue making great music.
What are some of your upcoming projects? Will you be releasing an EP or LP anytime soon?
I have many more projects on the plate to serve. My coming EP is on the way with 7 songs and crazy artists collaborating. So stay tuned as there is much more to come on the way, so yeah let’s go.