Seafood Sam
By Paul Jimenez on August 19, 2013
Seafood Sam is a friendly cat out of Long Beach, California who has been rapping since the death of his good friend Jabari Benton in 2008. Although he hasn't put out a solo mixtape, Sam is still a very talented individual who chooses to be patient with his work instead of releasing something he believes is not quite ready. Always using a fresh approach, he makes each track exclusive and different, from the smooth flow to the miscellaneous beat. The latest music buzz and big names fly right by Sam, he much rather support his homies and the local upcoming artists when it comes to music he likes listening to or chatting about. He also enjoys directing just as much as he enjoys rapping, expressing that he would love to become a director if he ever had the opportunity. Be sure to stay on the look out for his debut mixtape, Jacuzzi 32, which should be releasing real soon.
Interview
Who is Seafood Sam?
"A product of Norf Long Beach (Carmelitos)."
When did you first start making music?
"11th grade, right when the homie Jabari got killed. I just made a song about him because I couldn't go to the funeral. The song ended up getting max plays on MySpace and shit, and niggas was just like you should really keep going. The song got so poppin' to the point where MySpace took it off because it wasn't my beat, but yeah 11th grade when the homie died. Rest in peace Jabari."
How much do you believe you've improved since you first started rapping?
"Man a lot. I use to just rap about anything, just bullshit and you can put that in bold letters. Like for real the weakest shit ever, but now niggas got story lines you know. I grew up and my music did too. Now shit is just crucial. So I feel like I improved a lot. A whole lot. The whole enchilada."
Was there any rappers that inspired you to start rapping or was it just you?
"It was just the whole music industry period. I use to think like damn, if I was in that industry I could be fucking with Aaliyah. That was back when I was watching her videos. That's how i thought about it. It didn't matter what I was doing as long as I was there. I could be opening the door for her, as long as I get a glimpse of the booty I'll be straight, but then I was just like fuck it I know how to put words together and niggas fucked with my music. Like I said, I just did that song because my homie passed away, I just put words together and niggas actually fucked with it, so I just ran with it to see where it would go and now I'm just going with the flow."
Are there any artist that you're listening to right now?
"LB, Seafood Sam, Donzelly, NRK, all my homies really. I don't listen to nobody outside of that. Like niggas come up to me asking if I heard the new... and I be like nah. I really just listen to shit that the world hasn't already heard over and over again. I listen to the homies so much and I'm just excited for their projects coming up."
I noticed that you like directing your own videos, talk about that.
"Oh yeah, that's what I'm really into. I'm into directing, I don't really care about rapping really. I always liked being behind the camera, not in front of it. Now I know what to do and where to go so I just tell them how to do it, but if I could record it myself that shit would be the best. I'd get the perfect angles and exactly how I would want it. But yeah, I'm really into directing. Hopefully I can direct movies and shit, be on my Quentin Tarantino shit."
Any projects coming out soon?
"Yup, Jacuzzi 32. Murder, that's all I gotta say, murder. Some shit you'll never even expect, but yea Jacuzzi 32. That's my next project, but besides Jacuzzi 32, I got different projects that I'm directing coming out, so you can be on the lookout for those. You know from different artist and shit who contact me to work. We got some good shit popping off like a bunch of shit all this summer. It's about to be my summer."
What type of stuff do you like talking about when making music?
"I really like talking about whatever I've seen before you know what I'm saying? I talk about whatever these eyes have witnessed, that's all I speak of. Like if I said I'm posted with a fat bitch and she feed me a Snickers bar, that shit really happened. I ain't gonna say her name, but shouts out to you big baby. I speak of what's really going on, what I've seen or what I've been through. I get on my history too, when I was in school I only got good grades in P.E. and History. History was my shit, so you know I be speaking on my Huey Newton and shit."
How do you like performing?
"That shit is live. I got the key to performing from LB, he told me the key and its been live ever since, but I like that feeling man that shit is crazy. It's crazy how people know your lyrics and how if you got good energy then they'll fuck with you. The crowd feeds off your energy, you can't just be up there mumbling in one spot. If you up there walking around and pulling up bitches to dance, niggas are going to remember that at the end of the show. They gonna be like that nigga was live."
Tell us about your relationship with the upcoming clothing line, Livevil.
"Oh they're my niggas man. Them the bros. Shout out to the whole squad. Benji, Kevin, all of them, but that all happened because of the homie Jarred, shout out to him too. Basically one day he just hit me up to go to this parade, it was like a Christmas parade on 2nd street. He goes to Wilson High so I was like fasho. I went, he was like it's gonna be poppin, we gonna be smokin, drinkin and shit. So I was like cool. We go down there and you can't really smoke so I was like eh, but I still managed to get fucked up. So he was like "Freestyle. Rap.", he kept telling me, but he was just trying to show his three homies. So I remember looking down and I'm rapping and I just see three niggas at first, and I look back down, still rapping and when I looked back up I swear there was like 15 niggas huddled over, all listening. I looked up and I just kept going because I was so fucked up and I didn't even know what I was saying because you know, I must have been spazzing. After that, I went to this winter formal hotel the homie Raul had and these niggas all came in like "What's good bro, I heard about you.", I was just like "What's up?", and they were all telling me I should fuck with Livevil because they'll fuck with me. I thought they were only on skateboarders and shit, but then we linked up and have been close ever since. Like them my brothers and shit, it's not even on the business side. Like they really my bros, even if I didn't rap I'd still kick it with them. Benji ugly."
What is your main goal?
"Man to put on for the Norf and just to live good. Also to get this project out for this summer, but my main goal for all this shit is to just live good, eat good, chill, and take care of everybody."