Sammus

SAMMUS is an upstate New York-based rap artist, producer, and PhD student at Cornell University with Congolese and Ivorian family roots. Her production is characterized by her use of uniquely chopped samples, and video game-like synths. Labeled the "rap Aisha Tyler" by MTV Iggy for her intelligent lyrics, Sammus has built a following within the underground hip hop scene and has become one of the faces of black female geeks within the growing nerdcore hip hop movement.

Since signing on with NuBlack Music Group Sammus has opened for such well respected artists as Raekwon, Open Mike Eagle, Random (Mega Ran), Louis Logic, Listener, Charles Hamilton, Awkwafina, Juiceboxxx, Turquoise Jeep, and Milo of the Hellfyre Club among others. Music that she has produced and been featured on has been showcased on such online publications as Hip Hop DX, XXLmag.com (alongside Random, Donwill and Homeboy Sandman), Women of Hip Hop, Egotripland, OkayAfrica, OkayPlayer, DJ Booth, Joystiq, Destructoid, Afropunk, and Société Perrier. Both of her albums,"PRIME" (2013) and "M'other Brain,"(2012) became bestsellers on Bandcamp within a week of their respective releases. The same can be said for "Nocturnal Cantata," her collaborative Castlevania EP with fellow MC Mega Ran, which charted on Soundscan in June 2013. On October 20th, 2013 she performed at Nerdapalooza in Orlando, Florida, one of MTV Iggy's top 10 best fall music festivals, and that same week was named MTV Iggy's "Artist of the Week."

Finally as an academic-in-training and very vocal feminist, Sammus has worked tirelessly to highlight the ever-growing presence and power of female producers. This past summer she wrote an article entitled "Beatmakers with Boobs" critiquing mainstream feminism as it relates to issues of race and hip-hop that was featured on feminist blogs. As her Metroid-inspired name reflects, it is her hope that listeners and future fans will be pleasantly surprised by the contrast between the artist society says she should be and the activist and artist she actually is.