9 minute read
SAM'S // Interview
Sam's when it comes to music, Moussa Mansalywhen it comes to movies. But who is really behind this versatile artist from Bordeaux? With this magnificent new album, Sam's once again asserts his reputation as a talented artist. Today for A Rap & A Cup Of Tea, he talks about his determination to always surpass himself in music and especially the genuine desire to address all topics, from joy to melancholy that can overwhelm us.
As he says, "I've been rapping for 15 years", and yet, after 15 years of writing and spending time in the studio, Sam's still finds the right words to amaze us and move our hearts, just like with "Le Fond De La Classe", the incredible outro of his latest album.
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After opening for legendary bands, Sam's found himself playing the lead in the Validé TV show, ranking on the podium, and here, he's in front of us, telling us about his story with his own words. If some people had trouble telling him apart from his character Mastar in Validé, Sam's seems to be the opposite of his character: straightforward, caring and cheerful. No pun intended; Sam's is totally Validé!
What made you want to take up acting?
To be honest, I got into acting by accident. I never said to myself "I have to be an actor", it was not even in my plans. (laughs) But in 2006, during the riots between the youth and the police, there was an organization called "En Attendant Demain", founded by some of the big guys in my neighborhood. They were making short films in which they depicted young people from the neighborhood in real-life situations that could affect everyone, and most importantly, there was a lot of self-mockery in what they were producing, compared to what you could see in TV news reports. And quite simply it started from there. I started with a short film, then 2, then 3, etc. We posted them on YouTube or Dailymotion at the time. (laughs)
Until you play in your first movie...
Exactly! It started creating a lot of hype and from there, Canal + approached me to star in my first movie. One thing leading to another, I found myself playing in a movie where Sabrina Ouazani introduced me to her agent, who later became mine, and thanks to him I started doing castings... You can say that I just went with the flow. (laughs)
You're doing movies, your own videos etc. Have you ever wanted to be on the other side of the camera?
Well, I have so much respect for the profession that I'd rather wait until I have a lot more experience to be able to do it. There's nothing more frustrating than loving something, wanting to do it and not succeeding because you don't have the skills. The day I'm ready to do it, I'll do it my way because I'll have already acquired a lot of knowledge.
Would you say that your career in the cinema industry goes hand in hand with your musical career?
With the ambitions that I have, I would say yes. For example, on the new album I've just made, I take inspiration from what I experience in the cinema so as not to be repetitive in my themes. Even in terms of the emotions I convey through my rap music, I'm not afraid to express myself just like I do in front of a camera.
Speaking of your album, there is a storytelling throughout where we hear scenes from a movie set: where did you get this idea?
I felt it was a good way to show who I am today: an artist with deep roots in the cinema and the music industry. I also wanted to show on a personal level that there was an evolution between the two and it goes back to what I told you before: I take inspiration from both. I wanted to put my cinematographic passion at the profit of my other passion, which is music, because that's who I am.
There's a track that I find remarkable in this album and that really gave me chills: the outro "Fond De La Classe". The production is quite melancholic, and the lyrics are really powerful... You even stop at one point in this song before starting again. It literally felt like a way out...
Do you want to know the story behind this one? Well, when I listened to the Cehashi production, I knew right away what kind of song I wanted to make, except that it took me almost a year to write the lyrics... If I had written this song in a week or even an hour, it would never have had the same feeling because everything I wrote in this song is exactly what I went through during a year. Sometimes, I would spend evenings listening to the instrument on a loop, I'd write 4-5 lines and I'd start again and again... In the end, when I finally got to record the track, I did it in one shot. This song is not even structured, to tell you the truth, I don't even know how many bars I did. (laughs) As you said, this song is definitely a way out, it had to be released
One could say that you have "put your pain on paper"...
That's totally it. In real life I'm always positive, I'm not the type to let myself go. But when it comes to music, it's a bit like cleaning out my life, letting go of everything. It's a kind of therapy you know.
In this song you also talk about your depression. It's a topic that is not really highlighted in Rap music... Even with your writing style, I imagine that it's quite difficult to talk about it?
You know, I knew a lot of artists around me who were battling depression and who were afraid to admit it. There is nothing worse for an artist than to admit it. Sometimes, there are some who don't even realize that they are suffering from depression... I was lucky enough to realize it early on. As I mentioned in the song, at that time in my life I was going through some crazy things career-wise and yet that's when I was at my lowest point. It's kind of insane when you think about that. What I went through helped me appreciate the good times I'm living now. I was able to take a step back from it all to be able to talk about it.
For you, is it also the responsibility of an artist to talk about this kind of "taboo topic" openly?
I think so, it can help. Opening up about depression or whatever brings people together in a way. There are people in the audience who will say "if he can talk about it, I can talk about it too" and that can help you know what I mean? Others might think: "He's got the good life; he can't understand what I'm going through" when it's not true. We can all be moved by this and sometimes we can even find comfort in certain songs.
Storytelling seems to be important for you...
Yes, it is. Albums that affected me the most, whether it be French or American, are the ones that tell a story. Do you want me to tell you the absolute truth? The best albums for me are the ones that I didn't understand at first. (laughs) If I listen to it the first time and I understood it, I easily move on. But when you don't understand it at first, you try to understand it and make sense of it. You ask around, you even watch interviews with the artist where he explains why he made such a choice or why he said things in such a way and you say to yourself "Oh yeah, I understand now". Everything makes more sense.
Have you ever been faced with the writer's block syndrome?
No, not that syndrome, but I suffered from dissatisfaction syndrome... (laughs) Sometimes I'll write entire songs and I'll say to myself "That's cool but...no." I'm a bit of a jigsaw puzzle. (laughs) In a song I never released by the way, I say "3 years of Sacem in my iPhone".
How did you decide which songs you wanted to put on this album?
My main weakness is that I get myself carried away. I say I want to do one thing and I end up doing 50 more, and eventually even my manager couldn't handle it. (laughs) Actually, the album was supposed to be released in June and it ended up being released in November... Can you imagine how many times I said: "No wait, we can add this"? (laughs)
I was very surprised by your feat with Keblack and Naza on "Palace", because when you see their names, you think "it's going to be a big song for a party" and it turned out to be quite the opposite.
You know that originally the song was supposed to be only with Naza? And when we played it to Keblack, he almost threatened us to be on it. (laughs) I like to surprise people, for example when Niro starts my album or like you said, people expecting a big zumba vibe. Naza made me listen to a guitar track he was working on and it inspired me. I wanted to create something where we could have a little fun but still tell a strong story.
You're under the spotlight between the season 2 of Validé that just came out, the week at Planète Rap and the release of your album. How are you dealing with all this pressure?
The real pressure is time. You need to do as much as possible in a given time and you're afraid of not doing things right. Not overlooking anything in a short period of time is the real pressure. Fallout pressure is not that big of a deal to me. I just focus on my goals and move forward. Whether it's successful or not is not essential, the most important thing is the heart and the energy I put into it
