It didn’t take long for me to like Seafood Sam. His 2018 single, “Ramsey,” pushed my understanding of what rap can be with a creative sample from Japanese artist Makoto Matsushita.
Seafood Sam compliments the unrushed beat with a conversational delivery. Lyrically he is flexible, casually rapping about basketball and fashion, all while comically dissing his contemporaries. “Acting hard, knowing you soft, you the dude in the crew who run errands for the boss,” he smoothly says on “Ramsey.”
Too often, a lackadaisical delivery leaves rappers vulnerable to a disinterested audience. Seafood Sam avoids this pitfall through his unique ear for beats. He has a knack for finding instrumental loops from eighties R&B, jazz, and yacht-rock groups. He keeps the samples as they are, only adjusting the pitch and tempo.
On his 2021 track, “Cuban Linx,” he uses the unaltered sample to add a musical feel to his artistry. He works in unison with the instrumental, balancing making his presence felt with preserving the texture of the sample.
Lyrically, Seafood Sam delights with a combination of satire and wit. He’s always the central figure, unabashedly proclaiming his superiority to anyone who will listen. He adds moments of humor in this respect to keep things lighthearted. Yet, mixed with his bars about basketball and fashion are vivid moments of madness.
Seafood Sam is similar to fellow Long Beach rapper Vince Staples, whose occasional displays of violence are a means to an end. “I’m Andre Talley with the straps, fuck an online threat, show me where you at,” he says on “Roscoe’s After Church.” For Seafood Sam, brutality is not preferred but is always within reach when pushed.
His craft as a lyricist is in his ability to balance these opposing topics. He quickly pivots from one thing to the next, keeping the listener engaged while letting his creativity shine. “I can see his brain ooze everywhere like we in Baltimore,” he says on “Angels on the Atlantic.”
Seafood Sam’s latest project, Something for the Sunrise, only adds to his distinct artistry. His braggadocios style and imaginative ear for beats showcase a daringness that is increasingly rare in rappers today. Seafood Sam continues to find comfort in his individuality and is a gem worth checking out.
