I am excited to present a new feature this month. We are focused back on the music with this feature. Recently Apple Music put out a curated playlist that takes some of the songs you listen to most, and builds a playlist with similar music. I bring that up to say that 50% of the songs were from local or emerging artists. I really listen to emerging artists. For me that's where all the hunger and grind is. In our moments of struggle and trying to make it, we find ourselves creating some of the best stuff. So whenever we find something or someone dope, we got to share it with the people.
If you are like me, then a lot of your friends have a little playlist going for the car, for the house, for parties, etc. Music can be inspirational, motivational, and a way for people to escape. I feel like music plays a unique roll in all of our lives and finding people that make pretty dope music is always an inspiring feeling. I know that a lot of us take pride in putting our friends on to new music or on to a new artist. Our mission here at I Am Root® is to continue to shine a light on people looking to build their own empires by forging their own paths.
In this feature we tap in with an artist that has been putting in work in the Phoenix area. She's made appearances at the Arizona Hip-Hop Fest, on Power 98.3, and much more. Hopefully, the I Am Root® Brand can book her in the future, because she's only going up from here.
Samara Cyn Bio
Samara Cyn has quickly deviated herself from the average up-and-comer with her gritty yet graceful flow. Breaking into hip hop in 2019, it wasn’t long until Samara Cyn created a lane for herself in Arizona and quickly got support from surrounding artists and locals regarding her artistry.
Born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and moving throughout most of her childhood, various cultures influence her sensuous style and unique rasp. Artists that have influenced her desire to create music include Slick Rick, Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliot, and Noname… among others. From rap to alternative, Cyn has shown her versatility making it hard to cap her sound and always keeping her audience interested.
Although it is still early in her career, Samara Cyn has shown incredible potential from her initial single “D.A.B.” and tremendous growth since then with her more recent single “WTD” which takes a stance on police brutality and racial injustice. Her freestyles have been showcased on local radio stations such as Power 98.3 and on The Dropout Records Cypher 2020. Cyn has been able to take her music to stages around Arizona and has expanded out to Las Vegas as well. Her ability to network brought us well awaited collaborations with AZ local artists best shown through the collab EP “Space Gray Convos” with PK Tha Poet.
Cyn aims to inspire and entertain her audience through lyrical storytelling and word play on classic styles with a modern spin. Her mind and heart are on display through musical expression and it’s something you’ll want to be around for.
Inside the Music:
Before we get into the interview, I'd like to share a few songs that I've heard from this artist that I'd recommend you checkout. So back in November of 2019, I was assisting DJ Domo compiling Samara's songs into one longer 'performance track' for an event. I hadn't heard that much of her music, but after creating the file I was interested in the flow and confidence that she had. The beats were also pretty fire. 'D.A.B,' 24's, 'Back That Ting Up,' 'Fuck Up The Spot,' 'Rock,' and 'Summer R&B' were a few of the ones that I enjoyed. I feel that 'Rock' and 'Fuck Up The Spot' were some of the strongest and really showed her flexibility as an artist.
RM: Rooted Minds
SC: SamaraCyn
Rooted Minds Blog, Interview Questions
RM: Our first look at your music came when a friend of the brand, DJ Domo, posted some clips of you rapping at a pool party and we've been following you ever since. -- What's been your journey to music and when did it start?
SC: My journey is still definitely in the beginning phases. I’ve been into poetry and spoken word since grade school, but something about putting it to music really caught me. I grew up with parents who played R&B and Hip Hop all the time. Bumping Slick Rick in elementary school. I used to write verses to gangster rap instrumentals my pops would play in the car. Of course… they were never heard outside of my sisters’ ears, but they got me here. I wrote my first complete song in January of 2019.
It felt good to create something out of what I was feeling and be proud of that thing that’s now tangible. Writing songs became a passion of mine and grew into recording, distributing, and performing my original songs pretty quickly. The people around me at the time really believed in my music so I’ve been rolling with it, making it my own and further believing in it myself every day.
RM: Where does the name and Inspiration for "Space Gray Convos" come from?
SC: “Space Gray Convos” was inspired by the masculine and feminine perspective on gray area relationships. We all go through cycles of clicking, beginning a journey with someone, rough times, and the end of things. So, this is the clash—the beautiful meet up—of male and female energy traveling and communicating through this undefined cycle. PK Tha Poet and I started with one song and built the rest off trying to channel that back and forth energy. Plus, both of our birthday’s are in September so it was only right to throw astrology in there some type of way… hence ‘Space’ Gray Convos.
RM: What's your dream collaboration?
SC: This is a tough question because I have so many artists on my list. But a dream collab of mine would have to be with Masego. He’s dumb talented and watching him create in person would be a surreal experience. I feel like I could learn a lot from him. Another would be Noname Gypsy. I used to say if I could rap, I’d want to rap like Noname. Her lyricism is crazy, and she’s been an incredible influence on my artistry.
RM: On "WTD" you feature the homie PK Tha Poet, how did you two connect and how has the creative process been working with a dope artist like PK?
SC: Me and PK Tha Poet met at Poetic Soul in Downtown Phoenix through Qosmic Qadence. Shortly after we exchanged verses on a couple tracks which influenced more music collaboration. PK is wildly creative; he’s really good at bringing an energy into the room that everybody can feel. We kicked it once and by the next time we were standing on tables and couches rapping back and forth. The creative process is really just us having fun with music. By the time “WTD” became a thought, I think we were both comfortable enough with each other creatively to really get out what we needed to say and send that message. He’s great and extremely talented so I’m definitely thankful to have worked with him.
RM: What are your favorite things to write about in your music?
SC: I love storytelling. Whatever the topic, I’m really trying to speak out something that people can see. But I probably have three main topics I could write about forever. 1) I love writing about love: self-love, real love, fake love, love lost, love realized. We need it, and we can give it and receive it in any capacity—which makes it powerful. 2) I try to manifest through my music, so I’ve been trying to write about the come-up and better times. 3) Social messages or pointing out where I believe we could improve as humans. This is my favorite topic to plot out a dope storyline and rhyme scheme to.
RM: What's been the toughest part about your journey in the industry?
SC: Honestly, it’s been tough balancing everything. I come from a family of hustlers. I’m familiar with side hustles. I’m a full-time college student and I work multiple jobs. I need my music to get through the day, so I’m always trying my hardest to work it into my schedule. Sometimes it can get tough devoting time to all the areas I’m putting effort into. I just have to be sure I’m staying on top of my priorities and always keeping/finding motivation to knock out tasks and set myself up for success. I knew this wouldn’t be easy. I’m fully prepared to earn it.
RM: What are you looking forward to most in the next 365 days?
SC: I’m looking forward to the end of Covid-19 so I can get out and start performing again! I’ve been missing it a ton since everyone went into quarantine. I’m trying to focus on setting some things up outside of Arizona and expanding my promotion efforts. Along with that, I’m always looking forward to building new relationships, learning, and growing.
RM: What's the biggest misconception about you as an artist or as a person?
SC: Biggest misconception is that I’m a female Hip Hop artist. I’m a creative and I can’t be limited to a title that’s only a fraction of who I am. One of my goals is to stay as genuine as possible while still doing the thing I love. Within that, I refuse to be boxed. I’m trying to venture into different genres of music and create a lane for myself rather than land in one. I don’t exactly want to be comparable. I also truly believe that poetry, music, rap… it comes down to skill and energy, not gender. I’m not shooting for “best female” anything; I’m trying to be the best period.
RM: What's your mission as an artist? (Why do you make music?)
SC: I simply want to inspire and influence. If I can use my voice to share messages or even just spread positive energy… then I feel successful. Regardless, I’m going to do what makes me happy. Hopefully, that same thing makes the people it touches happy too. With space for my voice to be heard and assets to back it up, I ultimately want to encourage social change and aim towards influencing sustainable social practices behind my artist platform.
RM: What's next for Samara Cyn?
SC: I’ve dabbled in plenty of styles and I’ve collaborated with some of AZ’s best this year. Next, I really want to show more of who I am as an individual artist. I have some visuals coming out to close out 2020 and then some of my very own projects following incredibly soon! Stay with me! Continue to check out my most recent projects, and I promise the rest will all be worthwhile. Thanks to everyone who has supported me and this process thus far!
On behalf of the Rooted Minds Blog Family!
Thanks for reading this feature and so many of our others. It's been an amazing journey and we look forward to connecting with more creatives in our community. If you or someone you know would like to be featured, please visit www.iamrootco.com/submissions in order to be considered.
We want to send a big shoutout to Samara Cyn for tapping in with us for this interview. We wish you nothing but success on your journey and if we can be a resource for you along they way, just say the word. The journey for an emerging artist is always one filled with many ups and downs, so if you are reading this and have the ability to support a local artist in your community, DO IT!
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LINKS
Space Gray Convos EP: http://hyperurl.co/8txx4g
Singles:
Don't Wish Me Well:
Playa Ways:
Videos:
WTD - Samara Cyn ft PK Tha Poet
1,240 views • Jun 26, 2020
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Samara Cyn First Ever Power 98.3 Freestyle Experience
219 views • Sep 15, 2019
Photographer/Artwork Instagram:
Isaac Joel @itsisaacjoel
Iryna Glavnyk @iris.gl
Mayra Banks @india33x
shotbyumberto @umberto.luk
Roman Gonzales @romanwasntbuiltinaday
Check out more features at www.iamrootco.com/features
Subscribe to the I Am Root® Youtube Channel www.youtube.com/c/iamrootco1
More about I Am Root®
I Am Root® LLC is a Lifestyle Brand that specializes in events and productions for Local, Underground, and Emerging creative arts. The I Am Root® Collective is made up of 7 independent artists and a blog team whose mission is to inspire and be inspired.
We [typically] curate monthly and quarterly live music showcases, concerts, open-mics, special release events, and various specialty shows across Arizona. We have curated over 150 events here in Phoenix Metro Area. We work with local, emerging, and underground artists, the Maricopa Community College School District, Arizona State University Organizations, Non-Profit organizations and others to help push the culture and create a community for artists and art appreciators.
We are here to inspire and be inspired.
Check out more features at www.iamrootco.com/features
Subscribe to the I Am Root® Youtube Channel www.youtube.com/c/iamrootco1
Peep our last feature with DiVoy'e
More about Dom Root
I am from Inglewood, California, currently working in Phoenix, Arizona as a Sound Engineer (Live, Recording, and Mixing). I am a Music Producer and Creative Artist looking to build portfolio and for live performance opportunities. I graduated from Arizona State University studying Creative Writing and Philosophy. I later studied audio production technologies at Mesa Community College, before taking on more freelance work.
Links:
I Am Root®
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