Artist ALFHA Sam, ALFHA standing for artistry, loyalty, family, honesty and alpha which is not spelt in the traditional manner because they are not a traditional record label but more like brothers and they operate like a family unit. Young musicians from South Sacramento who endured a similar struggle and found music as a way to enlighten others and cope with their own hardships. Making music with meaning that helps people overcome whatever situation they are in is something they strive for and since their journey started in music the members of their label have seen an immense increase in the amount of streams and have performed at various venues. Sam has fans across the country who listen to his music on a monthly basis with over 70k streams on Spotify with no major label backing.
“Dreamer” starts off as a very laid-back beat then picks up the pace shortly after, with catchy lyrics and vocals that are unique and harmonious. The beats are crisp, blend beautifully together and don’t take away from the meaning behind the rap. “Dreamer” is jam packed with lyrics that are extremely relatable like “24/7 I’m working, been focused on fillin’ my purpose” and “Shootin’ my shot and I hope Imma make it” touching on the possible hardships that ALFHA Sam listeners may be going through and creating a connection between artist, lyrics and audience. The flow of the lyrics is solid and you can tell that both vocalists are able to deliver the words with finesse, style and creative ways. “Dreamer” is an addicting mix of Hip-Hop and R&B that is soothing and exhilarating to listen to at the same time. This timeless but unique sound has me boppin’ my head, tapping my feet and feeling like I’m cruising in the summer sun on my bicycle. Finishing the song off on a solid note with softer and subtle humming that adds real character to this emotion filled and truth hitting song.
Give a listen to "Dreamer" here, and scroll below for the artists exclusive interview!
Hey ALFHA Sam! Fantastic to chat with you! Can you tell us a bit more about yourself?
My full name is Sam Lauderdale. I’m a 4th year college student at Sacramento State and i’m from South Sacramento in California. I was born September 9th 1997 and am currently 21 years old. I grew up in a single parent home with 3 older brothers that always pushed me to get better at anything I did. Because of my upbringing i’ve always had a competitive attitude to the point where I would do almost anything to be better than those around me in the things I took interest to. I’ve spent countless hours educating myself by reading and involving myself with educated people that can teach me new things. After I get my degree in Public Relations in about a year I plan on getting more heavily involved in the music industry.
How did you first find your passion for making music?
My family has always been heavily involved in listening to and appreciating good music. We grew up in the church so I was part of the children’s choir growing up and my oldest brother was the head of the adult choir. My oldest brother is actually a musician to this day. He inspired me to want to make music but I never actually took action until I was 15 and my friends who then became my future label mates helped me finally make the decision to start. We did a project where we had to make a music video in our AP US History class and the other students liked it and said we should take rap more seriously. Ever since then we’ve been constantly developing and practicing our craft so we can continue to put out great music.
What inspired you to write “Dreamer” and what is the meaning behind it?
Dreamer is about me thinking of how my current lifestyle is not quite where I want it to be so I continue to dream about the future. I just want to make music people can relate to and I feel like since we all have big dreams why not make a song about it so people can start thinking about what they are doing to achieve their dreams.
With multiple artists working together, what is the creative process like and are there any challenges with working as a family unit?
When I say it get’s creative, IT GETS CREATIVE! We often get together put on some beats and bounce ideas off of each other and just vibe. During these sessions we typically record our freestyles and try to salvage any dope melodies or lyrics we can. We (ALFHA Records) then proceed to put the freestyles into an actual cohesive song. Being a family unit is not easy though because when one of our members is down and out we all are because we tend to pool our resources together. But this just means when we make it our success will be that much more sweeter to enjoy with each other.
What’s next for ALFHA Sam in 2019?
Well for starters I have my first project that I will be dropping on May 31st. This project has been in the works for about 2 years but I finally gathered all the resources to put it together. I plan on trying to grow my monthly listeners to 100k a month by the end of the year. In my mind if I can do that i’ll have impacted enough people with my meaningful music that the word will start to spread at a rate so rapid that it can’t be stopped! #ALFHARECORDS
Catch up with ALFHA via the artists Instagram!