Sam Pain: The Voice The City Never Knew It Had
This is Sam Pain,
Early in 2023 I was cycling back through the city’s trap hits which had laid the foundation for the current “free car” scene and I stumbled upon a classic, “That Life” by Sam Pain featuring the late Swipey. The difference being this time I paid closer attention to the verse by Sam Pain, here I spotted a level of lyricism the city isn’t usually noted for, and we’re talking about a song that dropped 8 years ago…Intrigued by Pain’s swag and vivid lyricism, I searched him on YouTube to find more of his latest work and I wasn’t disappointed, I had found yet another underground artist to champion in the DMV’s rap scene.
Almost on time, I had seemed to just catch his new wave of getting back into music, given he’s dropped 3 tapes this year alone, among these three tapes is a crazy collaboration with Detroit artist, Babyface Ray , “Sh*t Get Risky”. In the music video, we see Pain bring Ray to his hood and surround the Detroit artist with love, with his whole hood and his family behind him, its clear Pain is a neighborhood hero for many. In his music, Pain speaks vividly about the pressures of being on the grind and finding his way through his battle between the streets and the music industry.
With the quality of production being so high in his music, I wondered why the city hasn’t been embracing him as much as I feel they should. It’s clear that a faster trap scene dominates the genre of the city right now, and I also believe his music isn’t meant for everyone. His music speaks to a specific type of listener, someone who can relate to his tales of pursuing wealth, success and rising above the obstacles of the ghetto. I think a good example of a song which displays my point further is “But Imma Keep Going” featuring Samuel Shabazz (a underground Detroit Artist frequently featured on projects with some of the currently hottest artist from that area: Veeze, Babyface Ray, etc.). As you listen and dissect the song, both verses similarly refer to each artists’ perspective of how they continue to humble themselves amongst their successes and losses and try to keep their energy protected from the many distractions and hinderances which may lay in their way of maintaining their hustle. I believe the line “Toast Up, Let’s Keep Going” is a perfect choice of word to include in the chorus, bringing back the main feeling that most can expect when you turn on a song by Pain.
As for now, Pain continues to drop music potent with themes of perseverance and going after whatever your goal is in life. He’s a great play when riding around the city, something to turn you up and remind you that the problems which may arise should always be charged to the game. I’m looking forward to seeing more from him in 2024, and with the current level of consistency and networking he’s doing in the industry, I’m sure his break is only a matter of time.
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