Photography © Fifou
Photography © Fifou
"Who I am today?
An artist with deep roots in the
cinema and the music industry."
Sam's when it comes to music, Moussa Mansaly when it comes to movies. But who is really behind this versatile artist from Bordeaux? Sam's again asserts his reputation as a talented artist with this magnificent new album. Today, for A Rap & A Cup Of Tea, he talks about his determination to constantly 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 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.
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 his story in 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 organisation called "En Attendant Demain", founded by some of the big guys in my neighbourhood. They were making short films depicting young people from the neighbourhood 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 film 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 making movies, making 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 need the skills. The day I'm ready to do it, I'll do it my way because I'll have already acquired much 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 storytelling throughout, and we hear scenes from a movie set. Where did you get this idea?
I felt it was an excellent 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 on this album that I find remarkable and that gave me chills: the outro "Fond De La Classe" The production is quite gloomy, 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?
When I listened to the Cehashi production, I immediately knew 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 precisely 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... Ultimately, 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, and it had to be released.
"'In real life, I'm always optimistic.
But when it comes to music, it's a bit like
'letting go of everything'."
"'In real life, I'm always
optimistic. But when it comes
to music, it's a bit like
'letting go of everything'."
One could say that you have"put your pain on paper"...
That's 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 it's pretty tricky 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 accept it. Sometimes, some don't even realise that they are suffering from depression... I was lucky enough to admit it early on. As I mentioned in the song, at that time in my life, I was going through some crazy things career-wise, but 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." That can help you know what I mean. Others might think: "He's got a good life; he can't understand what I'm going through" when it's not true. We can all be moved by this; sometimes, we can even find comfort in certain songs.
Storytelling seems to be essential for you to...
Yes, it is. The 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 those I didn't understand at first. (laughs) I easily move on if I listen to it the first time and understand it. 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 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 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) I say, "3 years of Sacem in my iPhone" in a song I never released.
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 ended up being released in November... Can you imagine how many times I said: "No wait, we can add this?" (laughs)
I was amazed by your feat with Keblack and Naza on "Palace" because when you see their names, you think, "It's gonna be a big party song", which turned out to be quite the opposite.
You know that initially 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 expect 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 just-out season 2 of Validé, 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 must do as much as possible in a given time, and you're afraid of not doing things right. The real pressure is not overlooking anything in a short period of time. Fallout pressure is not that big of a deal to me. I 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.
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