By Jay’Mi Vazquez
Managing Editor
photo | Instagram
Samara Cyn showcasing her expressive personaility during a photoshoot for her song “Katana.”
erving looks and vibes, Tennessee native Samara Cyn is one of the best up-and-coming female rap and hip-hop artists in the scene right now.
Cyn began releasing music on Spotify in 2022 and has released eight full-length tracks since then. She has also released various freestyles on social media showcasing her lyrical abilities.
She seamlessly blends the ability to tap in-and-out of different genres, taking listeners on a journey with every song. The best way to describe her is as a neo-soul hip-hop artist.
Her unique voice and rap style reminds listeners of Doja Cat, Smino, Erykah Badu and many others. But she sets herself apart from all of them because she is unapologetically herself, often laughing and just having fun on tracks.
In an interview with the Southern News, Cyn revealed that most of her influences are artists listeners often compare her to, saying she makes music that she wants to hear.
“I just go in and do what comes naturally based on my influences and experiences,” Cyn said. “The creative just goes to those places.”
She raps with a seemingly carefree approach. But she always delivers quality music with deep meanings.
Her ability to flow over diverse beats and deliver thought-provoking verses is what sets her apart from other current female artists. Instead of talking about her looks, money, or drugs, she becomes a true poet, sharing stories with intricate rhyme schemes.
She released “green eyes freestyle” which gained over 2 million views on Instagram. Showing basic visuals and creative lyrics on the freestyles are what makes listeners go and check out her full-length releases.
This marketing scheme of short form songs and music videos is unlike what other artists do. It is a unique way to get people to wonder who she is, and when listeners dig deeper into her work, they are never disappointed.
Some of her best songs are “Moving Day,” “Magnolia Rain” and “Chrome.” Her melodic hooks and rap flow are what captivate listeners. It is a similar approach seen by other artists, but it feels fresh and unique every time she releases.
Her visuals always coincide with the topic of the song. She co-directs all her music videos, showing she’s thinking creatively on how to present the music rather than having good songs with poor visuals.
“Most times, I can picture a visual while I’m writing the song. I can normally start off with that though, and it’ll go from there,” Cyn said.
She compared her music videos and songs to phases and lessons learned in her life, saying they serve as “visual representations” of those experiences.
She also said her music videos often show symbolism, surrealism and ideas pulled from other art forms such as movies, paintings and other iconic music videos.
For example, the music video for “Katana” highlighted many ideas pulled from art and a visual representation of lessons she learned.
“Katana’s video came about from a few different paintings from René Magritte and Frida Kahlo,” Cyn said. “There was a lot of symbolism for duality and authenticity in it, which seemed to keep coming up in my life at the time.”
She recently was featured on two different music YouTube channels, one being “On The Radar Radio” where she did a two-minute freestyle. She was also featured on “A COLORS SHOW” where she did a live performance of her song “Chrome.”
With her rising popularity, listeners should delve into her discography and experience her artistry flourish. She is planning on releasing a project titled “The Drive Home” at the end of October. She said the project is focused on acceptance and identity.
Before the project releases, she is planning on releasing a few more singles and a few more visuals to go along with them.
“The year is far from over. When 2025 hits, we going to do it all again, but better,” Cyn said.
VOL. 64- ISSUE 1
