SoloSam - Principles To Die By (Album)

Songsandsamples came in clutch at the top of the week, with them sharing a few cover arts to some familiar and unfamiliar artists with high recommendations to check out their music. Baby Keem, TEMS & Bairi we’re among those we were familiar with but the cover for Chicago native SoloSam’s “Principles To Die By” album was not known to me but definitely intrigued my musical curiosity. It was mainly attached to some of my favorite projects and record, so we knew we had to at least give it a chance. Off the playthrough of the album, I was mesmerized with the wonderment of the project since it provides an excellent pristine listening experience to having such radiant melody mixed with a series of raps that construct the soul of the album to being a virtuoso release. 

Take the intro record, “Roses,” for example; it starts with a hook that Sam explains of keeping people by your side has its ups and downs. You have an assortment of people that plan to ride with you while among your flock; there are some wolves plotting on your downfall. Yet he doesn’t fret shit and keeps it real until it’s necessary to drop the roses either where you lay 6ft or when he’s gone and heading to the heavens. The track then builds some suspense by quickly going quiet to rile back up with intensity back on the hook and entering a vigorous flow. The boastful energy he brings in the record gives you a glimpse of where his headspace is at when addressing the crookedness of how people react to your come-up. It’s a great take to help you get introduced to his style, which you're going to see others surface throughout the remainder of the project. The following ballad titled “Addictions” speaks on the thrill of being high on a substance to the point where you need more. Now, this doesn’t mean just drugs, but it could be mean other vices such as heartbreak, destruction, and even love. His words are open to interpretation, especially the first half while he croons about the wicked ways of being in this vicious cycle to the point where you want a way out, but at the same time, you want more of it to be hooked on and hope it makes you forget the pain it’s causing on you. The second half provides more raps but a grittier delivery than what we heard from his first joint. It’s more of the concretes slumbers of the street life seeping into his personal restrain of seeing people turn into lifeless zombies from their own addiction. Such a powerful single that showcases his versatile range of being an artist who can you multiple views on the same subject. Production is critical throughout these 8-tracks, especially when diving headfirst into tracks like the S-O-S-assisted record “Tree” & “Traffic Jam,” which I feel is a perfect balance between his rap stature and vocal presence like he’s two separate entities free-flowing on the track. Other conquering takeaways from the album can be his pernicious effort on “Motorbike Freestyle” & the chronic-induced single “Hotbox” featuring Michael Christmas that will keep your room looking smoky and feeling fine. The outro titled “WISL” is Sam wearing his heart on his sleeve and talking about the fears of falling in love. It’s a genuine feeling since you don’t want to sink deep into something to have it turn to heartbreak in the end. It’s a scary feeling, and he speaks on these emotions that he is yours and your his; he will do what he needs to show you how important you are and hopes you will stay forever. It’s a great way to end this project and a worthy example of hearing his artistry shine in all parameters. He is definitely a shining example of how an artist should be and one of the finest out here doing it by creating a lane that only he can embark on in life.

I’m excited to see what is next for SoloSam; he’s someone we’ll keep close onto our radar moving forward. If you are unfamiliar with SoloSam, get started with knowing more about his work by checking out his latest album here and sharing it around on all social media avenues.