Since the hit single with Soulja Boy “Kiss Me Through The Phone” Sammie has been back in the public eye. After the success of It’s Just A Mixtape 1 the fans were in a frenzy for part 2. While working on his new album for Interscope Records Coming Of Age he recorded “It’s Just A Mixtape 2″ to keep his fans satisfied until the full-length album was ready.
Sammie Lee Bush, Jr. was born on March 1, 1987 in Boynton Beach, Fla and at the age of seven, Sammie’s family moved from Delray Beach, Fla. to Miami and attended Charles Drew Elementary where he was in the magnet program. In addition to academics, Sammie was also in chorus. With a voice beyond his age, Wanda Williams, the chorus instructor, invited Sammie to join an all male group called “Wonder 3.” The group never progressed which lead to Sammie appearing on The Apollo as a solo act at the age of 12. Sammie made it to the final round and was discovered by Joyce Irby, former co-lead vocalist of the 1980s all-girl group “Klymaxx” and became his manager.
She introduced him to grammy award winning producer Dallas Austin in the summer of 1999. Austin signed 12-year-old Sammie to Freeworld Entertainment label under Capitol Records. Within three months, Sammie recorded and released Platinum-selling album entitled “From the Bottom to the Top,” which included two Top 10 hits, “I Like It” and “Crazy Things I Do.” After a successful debut, Sammie took a break from music to continue his education. Seems that R&B singer Sammie need some space.
Sammie took a break from recording to fill in the blanks for the readers of TheUrbanDaily.
The beginning
I started singing in the church with my family, my Mother and sister both have beautiful voices. I think my sister may be doper than myself, I guess it’s in my blood. I was raised listening to Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Usher. I was shy as a kid but loved singing in front of a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people.
Starting out at 12
I got signed when I was 12 years old. I performed at the Apollo theater in New York City and was discovered by Joyce Irby and Dallas Austin, which was a blessing. Since the age of 8 this is something I decided I wanted to do professionally and four years later my dreams came true. I was happy to be doing something that I genuinely enjoyed doing, it was effortless for me. I enjoyed getting the love from the girls and all the fans. I was humbled by it.
The Pressure of being a child Star
When I was working my first project “From The Bottom To The Top” which went certified platinum when I was 13, there was no pressure for me. I was so young and wasn’t business oriented, I didn’t have a clue of the position I was in until I got older and looked back on my accomplishments. I think the pressure comes now for myself, the Bow Wows or the Omarions and even Mario who came in the game at a young age to reinvent ourselves and remain relevant.
Taking time off
Success happened so fast for me and my entire life changed. I was still in public school so I would be in school Monday through Wednesday and Thursday through Sunday. I would tour around the world and doing that for two years it became frustrating trying to live up to the star status and keeping up with a sense of normalcy when your at home. There was also a disagreement between an individual and my management at the time that somehow could not be resolved. That caused the stop on the Sammie project. It was a combination of wanting to maintain a normal life and a disagreement that had nothing to do with me.
Being the underdog and having to prove himself
I think everything matters and anytime you re-introduce yourself to the world you have to prove yourself. If you take a look at acts who once sold 150,000 the first week are now selling 20,000. I don’t think you can ever get comfortable because you went platinum, you should work harder and out do yourself every time because there is always someone there to take your spot. I do feel like I have to prove myself but that just who I am. I have always been the underdog so I’m never content and I went platinum at a time when they said a child act couldn’t do it.
Usher being a big influence & his fav artist
Usher is definitely my favorite artist and I watched Usher grow up from a boy to a man and have a long career since he started in the game at 13. I feel Usher has set the blueprint to follow on having longevity. I remember during “Here I Stand” when he got married and had kids things got rough for him but he still bounced back with this project. I feel he showed us that even if you have a set back there is a chance you can bounce back.
Sammie Youth Foundation
That’s my baby, we about to celebrate our one year anniversary. The Sammie youth foundation is where I go into different schools in the community and speak to the kids on education and music and it changed my life. I would like to thank Josh and Mr. Mitchell for putting that together and making my dreams come true. I wanted to touch the kids life by leaving them with something positive and letting them know that there is hope.
Bullying & Haters
I have been speaking out against bullying and haters at a few high schools. I feel like the bullying and hating is at an all time high. I have been trying to get the message across that you don’t have to put others down because of your own insecurities. I always say Haters are fans that have issues expressing themselves.
Blogs and Press
I feel people have the right to their own opinion and with the Internet being so powerful it’s easy to sit on a computer and voice your opinion and say negative comments, you just have to deal with it. I been dealing with it since I was 12 years old and it just helps me get better. If the media say you gone flop, create a hit record and win. As long as you are winning haters are gonna talk
Real R&B
Usher made a statement in VIBE magazine that I was humbled by. He stated that we are in a dying industry so he supports the Sammies, Chris Browns and Trey Songz. I think it’s up to our generation to do timeless music and connect with the people. I think the problem with our generation is, we are not concentrating on the lyrics of the song any more but just a catchy hook and beat. It’s what the executives are force feeding us.
Signing with Interscope records
When I came back in 2006 I reunited with Dallas Austin on Rowdy. My situation over there was independent and when I was released in 2008, I felt I needed the machine behind me. I just started working real hard. The single “Kiss Me Through The Phone” with Soulja Boy took over the world for the summer 2009 and executives started looking at Sammie again. I had options like Atlantic, Warner and Def Jam that I didn’t have in a long time. I chose Interscope because I thought it would be a good home for me.
New Album “Coming of Age” & Collaborations
The sound will be Sammie. I co-wrote my sophomore album. I am not just a singer but a writer. I also do my own vocal arrangements. I took my vocals to another level. I’m still a student of the game, I take something from everyone I work with. “Coming Of Age” is a solid album that you will be able to listen to track 1 to the end. The album will be coming soon, we’re just looking for that record that is gone reach the masses. I’m going in with Rick Ross, being originally from Miami I love the buzz that Ross got going on out there. I also reached out to the beautiful Nicki Minaj and did a song with her that was basically about her. I did a island influenced record with Akon as well and the rest is just me.
“It Just A Mixtape” 1 and 2
You can go download IJAM1 on Prince Sammie.com, if you have not already done so. I feel like you got to flood the fans with quality music because sometime people get lost in the shuffle of the industry being so over saturated. You go away for just six months and that can happen. You have to give the fans something they can sit on until the official project release. When I notice I can get 200-300k downloads on a mixtape in a short amount of time I said this is my thing. Its funny because there are artist who have millions of followers and sell 30k so there has to be a disconnect somewhere so you have to figure out where the disconnect is. I have already been working on “Is Just a Mixtape 2″ I just started working on track 2 before talking to you, “It’s Just A Mixtape 2″ will be coming soon.
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