Meet Sammy, the Nigerian-Origin Hindi Rapper with Big Plans in Indian Hip-Hop

On a road trip with his family, Sammy aka Samuel Lloyds heard Yo Yo Honey Singh’s “Brown Rang” and felt overwhelmed. “It was something special for me, to hear rhyming words in Hindi,” he says over a call.

The Nigerian-born, New Delhi-raised rapper says that’s when he knew he wanted to make music in Hindi. The son of a priest who was posted to India, there’s an unmistakable sense that Noida-based Sammy is integrated not just into Indian hip-hop, but specifically Delhi culture. He uses interjections like “theek hai” and explains things with a well-drawn-out cadence that gives the impression that Hindi might even be his first language. Of course, the real convincing happens in his tracks released so far, “Moved On,” “Hennessy,” “Shaant,” and “Dubai” where Sammy collaborates with artists like BBB and MC Static and throws in his shoutout, “Sammy on the track!”

He may not be the most verbose Hindi rapper, but Sammy certainly sounds natural, bringing a baritone-like heaviness to his flow. Writing and releasing music for the last six years, he’s aware of his USP – that he can surprise and shock people by rapping in Hindi. “I believe my accent in Hindi is exactly the same as someone who was born in India. I feel that’s unique and it will take me places,” he adds. He credits finding supportive rappers like BBB, Urban Poet, Flyboy and Whyyou and learning a lot from them.

Sammy counts drill as his strength but doesn’t shy away from commercial tunes that mingle Afrobeats and Hindi lyrics. “It has a great scope in India,” the rapper says. So far, he’s taken to a few stages including The Grub Fest and on the same lineup as Nigerian star Rema on the latter’s India shows in Delhi NCR. “Rema has been taking African culture and musical touch, along with Burna Boy and so many more, to the world. I feel Burna Boy will come to India soon,” Sammy adds. He name-checks Nigerian artists like Davido, Nasty C, Runtown and more in the same breath as DIVINE, Seedhe Maut, RAGA and Urban Poet, saying there’s lots to learn from both sides.

His next single is “4×4” with Urban Poet, and Sammy says there are more collaborations coming up as well within his circle of rapper friends in Noida. There have been a few brand projects as well, including a jingle for an automobile company, but Sammy says he’s learning hard truths about the music industry in India, especially within hip-hop. “To be very honest, even after this USP [of being a Nigerian Hindi rapper], there’ll be people you have to prove yourself to because I’ve seen a lot of opportunities which I feel I deserve, just slip because you have to know a lot of people to get it,” he says. He recalls how pitching to labels felt very unwelcoming. “I feel there are people who don’t care about talent, only about numbers,” the rapper adds.

The audiences, though, are more than welcoming at gigs, according to Sammy, as he represents something wholly new in Indian hip-hop. Closer home, though, he says his parents weren’t the most supportive in the beginning. “My father is a priest, you know, so he doesn’t really believe in all this. When you say you’re a rapper, a lot of assumptions fill people’s heads,” he says. In a true testament to turning his parents into allies in his vision to be a full-time musician, it was when Sammy began getting paid for his rap shows and brand deals that they were convinced. “People started speaking to my parents and telling them I was good at this. Compared to a year back, the support level has really changed now. They’re really supporting me now. They ask me now, ‘When’s your next show?’” Sammy says with a laugh.