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

The Delhi NCR-based artist talks about being influenced by music from both countries, finding a community of like-minded musicians and opening for Rema in India

- ANURAG TAGAT

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!"