Sammy Sam

By Black Dog Bone

What was the song that really opened up the doors for you?

I think what really blew my name up Down South, remember the incident where they caught all the crooked police in Atlanta? Remember when they had me on the news? I was in prison then and I had wrote that song "Good Cop Bad Cop". The name of it used to be "Zone 3", it was an old song. It was on that same album with "The Hitman". They redid the "Good Cop Bad Cop". When they busted all them cops, the same cop named Pac Man, I had got locked up through him already. I was in prison and I had the long goatee back in them days, all plaited up. You know how Pastor Troy and them have? That's my style. That was my trend. That's what everybody knew me from--my long goatee with that plait on it. What happened, that blew me up so big that they let me out early.

What happened after you got out of jail?

When I got out I got with Tony Mercedes and Vincent Dosier, he's the one that helped me, he dead right now. He was makin a lotta money in the game, and he was helpin me out. We had a Freaknik in '93 and I had just got outta prison. I had a song called "What's Up What's Up". Tony Mercedes didn't wanna pay me for the song. Nobody wanted to buy the song from me. Then Tony Mercedes got the "A-Town Playa" song and then they dropped the song "What's Up What's Up" on the Jermaine Dupri So So Def. Song took off all over the world. But nobody gave me the props for it, they gave it to the 95 South and Diamond D, but I wrote the song. But mine was a little rough, mine like street. They didn't want the street, they wanted radio. I wasn't concerned about radio, cause I was makin money enough. I wasn't thinkin about the radio, long as I could get back to the projects, smoke me one. Then I ended up in a big shoot out, got locked up.

What was that about?

I got into a big shootout with some guys about some cars, you know, who car the best, ornaments. I got shot in the head and I got shot in the mouth. I got in the hospital and I shot one of the guys who shot me. So I went back to prison, that was the third time. I been in prison 5 times. I was like, Damn my career finna jump and I'm back to prison. Every time somebody gonna give me an opportunity I go back to prison, it's bullshit. I went to prison, when I got out it was '94. They were waitin for me to come out with some more street drama, I came out with the song called "You Don’t Know". It did alright. Then Kilo started dissin.

I heard you used to make tapes at home and sell them.

That's how I got started. I used to rap on tapes with a group called DJ 1.5. They used to do parties, so they let me in the group cause I can rap. Rappin for the hood. Makin tapes, sellin tapes, I wasn't real serious with it. It was just little ten dollar tapes.

Where was this?

Zone 3, Mechanicville. ATL's Southside, Atlanta's own.

How old were you when you started?

When I first started rappin? I say I was about 11. I used to freestyle when I was 11, but I wasn't serious about rappin. When I got like 13 or 14 I could freestyle real good. Rap was real hot with Run DMC and LL, they was just comin out. My cousins said, You can rap, and they took me to the Samsuci (a big a club that used to be in Atlanta) down town. I was too young to go in the club, so they dressed me up, put a little mustache, got me in. They used to have a lil' thing on Tuesday nights called The Dog Show, it was on the radio, and I won it. I won the $500 prize. But they found out how old I was and I wasn't supposed to be in the club, so I couldn't get the prize. But the guy who owned the club started helpin me. Then I won a big talent show at the Lakewood Amphitheater, but it was Lakewood Fairground or something then. That's when I made my first record, cause I was really just street.

It sounds like you were rapping in Atlanta way back when Rap first started.

That's when I first started rappin. When I first really considered myself as a rapper was when Run DMC came out with that song "It's Like That…" you remember that song? I was a big Run DMC fan. I was like "Good God, I'm a rapper!" My thing is, I like to rap, but I mostly like to perform, I like to entertain, I like to do the crowd. So I make my songs so when I come on stage I can do the crowd with my songs. I like that hype.

Probably at that time there were no other rappers in Atlanta?

No rappers. Nothing was goin on. First rapper I'd say we had was Mojo. I was goin to Washington High at the time, and Mojo come out with that "Jump Stomp and Twist". He was hot. I was more impressed with the crowd, how you walk out on the stage and the whole crowd go crazy. That's my thing. I'm more like Crunk music. I don't like laid back.

Do you think you influenced the Atlanta scene, because you were into the Crunk music?

Yeah, that tripped 'em out. I had a reputation already, before the Rap game. Sammy Sam, that's been my name. That weren't no Rap name, that was my name. And I already had a reputation--carryin a gun, robbin, shootin, stuff like that. Then when I started tryin to be a rapper, they're like Oh man he's really trippin. Sammy Sam is trippin! But all I was doin was rappin about the stuff that I do and been through, bein shot and all. Like I been shot like 15 times. I got a bullet in my hand, bullet in my head, back of my head and the corner of my head. I got a bullet in my spine. But the point is, every time I done been shot at, least I was shootin back. I ain't really take no back licks. I had to do that, cause if there's an argument it's going to get into a fight. When it turn to a fight, it seems like every time--I never leave the scene. Every time I end up shootin some more people and bein shot some more and getting in worse trouble, but it made my reputation bigger. I got more serious into the Rap, cause I started getting on parole and probation. I started getting serious about the music. Then folks started takin my music serious cause they knew what I was talkin about. I wasn't talkin about the bling bling. I was talkin about survivin and comin up on food stamps.

How did you get the title Hitman Sammy Sam?

The first song I ever made was made in 1988 and it was called "The Hitman". I wrote it, me and a friend of mine named James Perkins (JP). We was stayin with his mama, cause I had got put out from home for not goin to school. There was a big talent contest at the Fairground, so we wrote a song called "The Hitman". We did the song and we won the contest. So they put us in a big contest they was havin in Atlanta with Run and LL was the guests. You get to meet them if you win. I did a song about Martin Luther King, and we won first prize. That's how the name Hitman comes, cause of the song "Hitman". Everybody started callin me the Hitman. When me and JP started performin the song at shows, everybody thought I was a big ol' fat dude cause my voice was so heavy. When we come out there JP would do his verse, then I do my verse, he'll do his verse….before we could get to the end of the song we'd get into a fight or a shoot out or something.

What was going on between you and Kilo?

Kilo was livin in Mechanicville. His brother and them, they with FI Records. We were always friends, but Kilo was never with us. We wanted Gangsta Rap, Kilo wanted that booty shakin Rap. Raheem's the one that started Kilo, he don't get the credit but Raheem started a lotta them--Drama too. Raheem would take Kilo to his show. We have a showdown at the Night Light. We had a show there where me, Raheem, the Hard Boys, all the Atlanta groups were performing. Kilo, he didn't have a slot there that night, so Raheem brought Kilo as his opening act. Kilo came with that "Cocaine" off a "Planet Rock" beat. Nobody knew the song, the crowd loved it, so Raheem, he rocked the show. After the show he and Raheem got into an argument. I started sayin something. Then we got into an argument, we got into a little scuffle right there. I thought it was over that night. But Kilo kept talkin about me. But I'm in prison again in '94, fourth time. Meanwhile Kilo got hot, number one album, "Cocaine" got everybody jumpin.

After '94 when did you get out?

I got out in '96. First day I got out, only thing on my mind I'm not tryin to sell no dope, I ain't tryin do nothing, but make a record to get Kilo back. Kilo done put my name to the ground. Everyone's on Kilo's tip. It was Kilo time. First day I get out, my baby mama, she was stayin at Jonesburg South projects. They were real rough back then, '96. She said I could stay there, but I was doin pretty bad. I said I wanted something to eat, so she gave me a coupla foodstamps so I could get something for her to cook. She told me don't go to the store on the corner, cause she said those boys down there….I said I know about projects. I went there anyway. Ain't been out an hour and I get locked up for a pound of weed that ain't even mine.

You got locked up again?

Yeah, I walk to the store, I go in, they rollin at the store. Police all over the place. They pick me up. They lock me back up with prison clothes on, goin back to jail. Immediately everybody sayin Sam's locked up again. That give me hype right there. I'm locked up really for violating parole. My girl got me out with the help of FI Records, Bill Davis. He's the one who hooked me up with you.

How did you first get with Big Oomp Records?

After that. I'm stayin with my baby mama, she's workin at the bank. Big Oomp, they got these stores, they got a record company, got an album out, they were doin pretty good. I'm tryin to find Big Oomp, cause me and Big Oomp go back from other times and we real close from the OG stuff. I run into him, he tells me come on, clean up--I'm lookin bad, on the streets, tryin to hustle--he throwed me a coupla hundred dollar bills. Says, get yourself together. I tell him, You need to front me some of this dope, let me take over this hood. He tells me, I ain't into dope. I'm into the record business. I tell him, I heard y'all's records, they ain't shit, let's do this dope thing. He tells me, We just ain't made no hits yet, but we doin good. What you doin Sam? You ain't rappin no more? I got them hundreds, I seen he was doin good with that Rap game. So I go down to his studio, I'm just playin around, do a song or two, fuckin around so he'll give me a couple more hundreds so I can get me some more drugs to chop up. Oomp was serious about the record business, but I was bullshittin around. I did a song and he said, I like this song right here "Rollin With The Big Boys". He says, What's it gonna cost for me to sign you Sam? I just say, give me a thousand. He says, A thousand? I'm thinkin maybe that's too much, so I say OK then 800. I don't know nothing about the game. So he hurry up and give me this, get me signed. So he drops the single "Rollin With The Big Boys". The single did alright, it didn't go gold or nothing.

That's how you first got with Big Oomp Records?

That was the beginning. Oomp already had other records out, Major Bank and stuff like that. This is the real deal, this is what really threw the Big Oomp camp off the ground. DJ Jelly was the biggest thing Oomp had. After the single Big Oomp was gonna drop another Major Banks and a local album. I said, let me get on there talkin that thug stuff. So Oomp put it down to where whoever come up with the five songs in the studio for their album come out first. So I beat 'em on it, but they didn't wanna go for that. They liked the album, but I still wasn't gonna get the win. So Major Banks finna drop a new album, so I'm out. How I got to peep them out, I write a song called "Ride With Some Killas". I was sittin in Mechanicville one night and I had did about 4 or 7 grams of that cocaine and I'm writin this song. I went over to Tim at T & S's studio and I record this song. The song was fat, it was like a fast tempo song, like "Planet Rock" tempo, but it was a Gangsta song. So I tell Tim, all I want is $500 and you can have this song. He didn't wanna give me the 500, I'm beggin. The next day I go over to Oomp, I tell him I got a song for you, give me 10,000. Cause I know Oomp'll give me some real money. I rap the song in the studio, Oomp says That's fat! So they record the song and Oomp gave me the 10,000.

Didn’t you record "Ridin With Some Killaz" for Big Oomp?

Oomp put the album out, that was the first album, Ridin With Some Killaz. He let me make a beat to a song on there called "Intoxicated". I was tellin him to call the album Sammy Sam Intoxicated, but he wanted to go with Ridin With Some Killaz. He told me to make a song for the radio, I said I don't make radio songs. The radio make radio songs. He dropped the song. The song took the streets and the clubs, so the radio called us and asked us to make them a radio version, cause the hook was too hardcore. So Oomp had to make a deal with me to make a radio version--money! I went back and made the radio version, called it "Ridin With Some Playaz". Took off! Took me gold!

Are you still working with Big Oomp Records?

We're still cool. We're the camp. We're the Big Oomp Camp. I still got an album comin out on Big Oomp Records. I still do songs with Big Oomp Records. We're like more friendship, more of a family than anything.

I think Big Oomp will do major things. Big Oomp Records is going to be real big in Atlanta.

Me and Big Oomp, we're 100%. What it was with Big Oomp was some personal things about upfront situations. We're still friends. Oomp'll look out for me. It's like FI Records, like today Bill Davis, he's dirty as hell, then tomorrow he'll be my friend. We're all family. That's the kinda people I like to work with.

How many records do you have out on Big Oomp?

I've got two. Let me tell you about the Knuckle Up album. See, I went to prison in 2000, then Oomp said, We gonna drop the Baby D album. I ain't on but one song on Baby D's album. I wrote a song on Baby D, but don't nobody know who wrote the song, they just know who's singin the song. I said, Don’t let my name die. So Oomp said he'd put out some of the stuff I'd been playin around with in the studio and he dropped that Knuckle Up album. It was songs he thought weren't gonna sell. When he dropped Knuckle Up I'm in prison and it surprised a lotta people cause it had no promotions behind it and it sold. When I got out I got a lotta little money, I thought I was rich. I'm from the ghetto, lotta money in the ghetto. $500,000 is a millionaire in the ghetto. I thought I was rich.

You're a legend out there. So many Atlanta rappers were influenced by Sammy Sam. They're all doing Gangsta music with a club appeal, that's what you were doing.

I appreciate what you're saying. The only person I ever heard say my name on BET was Dre from Outkast.

We have interviewed Lil Jon, Raheem, Pastor Troy, they all talk about you. They all give you your props.

I'm gonna give 'em some real hell.

Can you tell me about Charles' Disco? I heard that was a club in a notorious neighborhood in Atlanta.

That was the first crunk club in Atlanta. That was at Simpson and Ashby. That's was Charles' Disco out the Westside. Every dope dealer, everybody who was somebody, when they come to Atlanta, that's where they went. Nothing but money. I played there every night, I fought there, got beat up there, got shot there four times in a row. Love that club! That club made me hard.

Why did you get shot in the clubs?

Because what I see about us real Atlanta folks that's real Down South Atlanta ghetto folks, we like to be crunk. Laid back music don't crank us. But when we get a little alcohol in us and you step on the Reebok classics, there's gonna be a fight in the club. All that talkin, all that arguing don't do nothing, if you gonna fight you got to hit them with a bottle or you gonna get hurt. That's my motto. If I say I'm gonna let it go, then go hit it off. Cause I'm little and a lotta niggaz think I can't fight. But I'll bite, scratch, I'll bite your dick off. My daddy always taught me don't get hit first, always get up from the fight. I always get into it. Folks will see me and they'll be like, That's Sammy Sam. People that don't really know me, but they've seen the album cover and you can't really know how big a nigga is. A lotta niggaz is gangsta who listen to the music, and they wanna test me to see if I'm really that hard

What you're saying is that when you go to clubs people try to check to see if Sammy Sam is real?

Right. Most of my fights don't be with my fans who really know me. You got fans who know Sammy Sam and you got fans who know Sammy Sam.

You're a small person? How tall are you?

I weigh like 160 and I'm 6 feet tall. You can see the bones! You can see them real good. And you need to fight. You need to show your girl you're a good fighter and all that. And I'm good a target--Sammy Sam. I beat him down, I'm in there every night, I get this pussy! That's how the clubs is in Atlanta. Everybody wanna be thugged out. When I go to the store, I get in fights in the store. I go to all the hoods. I get much respects because I do stuff that other rappers don't do. I hang in the hood every day. You don't see the other rappers, and they ain't superstar rappers, they just wanna feel like that. Even if I'm at Michael Jordan status if I feel I wanna go kick it in the hood I'm gonna do it, if I have to take a hundred body guards with 15 AK's. I'ma go to the hood. My baby mamas and my friends tell me, Why you hang over in Mechanicville, you don't got to hang out there. That's where I like to be, that's where I feel comfortable, that's where I feel safe. A nigga can't go there and steal my car.

BG
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