He moved to India as a 12-year-old. Son of a Nigerian priest, he worked hard to find his footing in a foreign land. His school principal refused his request to exempt him from studying Hindi. He, however, took it in his stride and went to learn not just Hindi, but Gujjari, Haryanvi and Punjabi.

Meet Nigerian-origin rapper – Yung Sammy. The singer, who has been living in India for more than 15 years now, is slowly and gradually creating a loyal fan base for himself. The Delhi-based rapper is out with his latest single “MR. RAMBO”, a powerful, high-energy track from DESI TRILL’s “Brown Is Everywhere”.

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Blending Hindi, Pidgin English and street-savvy lyricism over a hard-hitting beat, ‘MR RAMBO’ is a bold statement of strength and resilience. The accompanying music video transforms the artiste into a modern-day Rambo, navigating gang rivalries with unexpected twists and dramatic storytelling.

In a free-wheeling interaction with The Statesman, the rapper says he feels his work gives a sense of hope, especially to people of his country, Nigeria. He says it is high time people, especially Indians, stop typecasting Africans and associating them with crime. He believes he is charting a new path for his fellow brothers and sisters to dream big and work hard.

So how does it feel when people flood him with compliments whenever they hear him rap in Gujjari, Haryanvi or any other local language or dialect?

“Of course, it has always worked as my USP. But, as an artiste, I would want to do things differently and do better than my previous work. As far as the languages are concerned, I had to learn Hindi in school as my principal refused to exempt me from learning the subject.

“Thanks to my Indian friends from varied backgrounds who taught me their respective languages, I picked up the interest and gradually started rapping in these languages,” the rapper says.

Asked about his influences, he says, “One of my school friends used to rap and I was the only audience of the poor chap. I used to jot down a few lines behind my school register, and later started performing in school. Students liked it and it encouraged me a lot.”

Being the son of a priest, Sammy says he never confided his interest in rapping in his family for fear of reprimand.

“Honey Singh’s ‘Brown Rang’ inspired me, and I started uploading my own songs on YouTube. But they were taken down over rights violations as I was unaware of the nitty-gritty’s of the trade. I then rigorously worked on my writing for three to four years,” he adds.

As an artiste, what are his views on calls for shutting down shows like “India’s Got Latent” or targeting stand-up comics like Kunal Kamra?

“Art should never be banned. Yes, an artist needs to keep in mind certain sensibilities of the society he lives in, but banning him is not the answer. Like a hue and cry is made when expletives are used in music videos, but isn’t it used in common parlance? When life itself is not ‘sanitised’ (or normal), what else do you expect from the musicians to show in their work?” he asks.

The Nigerian rapper also talked about the growing influence of South Asian hip-hop on the global platform.

“India is getting a lot of attention globally when it comes to hip-hop as compared to 10 years ago. Artistes like Hanumankind are bearing the flag of hip-hop internationally. But I am waiting for the time when Indian artists will be played at American clubs as a norm and not just as an exception. I want global artists to take cue from us…that is true global recognition,” he says.

What is his message to artists who wish to get into the hip-hop scene but are clueless about the ways?

“Work hard on your writing. Follow the trend but try to build up your own style and individuality. Most importantly, do not give up because success is just round the corner. Keep chasing your dreams,” he adds.

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