"I knew my only guarantee of getting out of the 'hood was getting an education," he said. But chemistry? That's not a field a whole lot of young black men in America are attracted to.
"I picked chemistry the same way I picked the music industry -- because it was a challenge," he said. And while at the U of G, Samples made the most of his time, becoming involved with on-campus music events in his spare time. He sang in choirs, even barbershop quartets.
Learning the Industry
He eventually because so popular, he won several campus-wide talent shows, and along with them, the opportunity to open for major talents that came to the school to perform, such as 112, OutKast and Ludacris.But his path took another twist after college when his cousin, Dwight Howard, was taken as the first overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic.
Samples relocated to Orlando -- where he still resides today -- to handle his cousin's business affairs. During this, Samples began to learn a lot about the entertainment industry and the people who inhabit it. During this time, the bug to be a full-time music star bit him.So after helping out with his cousin's business affairs, Samples decided to launch a career of his own, as an R&B singer.
What was the most important thing he learned about the entertainment world while working for his cousin?
"The most important thing is that the entertainment industry is full of human beings," he said. "I used to look at Brad Pitt like he was from Mars." But after meeting so many famous people -- athletes and otherwise, Samples said he learned that they're real people. "(At first) I was like, 'Wow, he's got on jeans, " he said, describing how star-struck he was.
Screaming For More
But by the end of the year, the shoe could be on the other foot and people may become star-struck when meeting him. Samples' official debut album, Screaming For More, is due out in the fall on his own Outlandish Entertainment label.As for what to expect on the album, Samples wouldn't get too in-depth, but did say that among the guest performers are rappers Lupe Fiasco and Petey Pablo. Producers on the project include Scott Storch, Cool & Dre and Red Spyda, amongst others.
"That album is gonna be sick," he said, the pride evident in his voice. "An independent label putting out an album just like a major label. I'm comin' out real -- completely real."
For his debut album, Samples will be writing his own music and lyrics, which be quite a departure from the Death of R&B mixtape, which consisted mainly of remakes and skits.
Favorite Singers
So we already know who samples doesn't like musically -- T-Pain and Ray J, to name two, but who does he like in R&B?"I actually like Ne-Yo," he revealed, which comes as something as a surprise, considering how hard Samples dissed him so hard on his "So Sick" remake.
"He's one of the most musically inclined. I like Jamie Foxx. John Legend is my favorite singer right now. He's got a lot of talent, I think he showed that at the (2006) Grammys. I like Usher, of course. If you wanna be a singer/dancer artist, he sets the bar. Chris Brown, I like him a lot. I got a lotta respect for that young man. That's why I didn't diss him on the mixtape. And because he's so young, it just wouldn't be right."
In fact, on The Death of R&B, Samples actually pays respect to almost as many singers as he disses. He shows up-and-coming artist Trey Songz some love on a cover of Songz' "I Ain't Gonna Leave," plus gives much love to Omarion on his cover of "Let Me Hold You," a song originally made by the rapper Bow Wow, featuring Omarion. And a skit on the mixtape called "The Worst of Both Worlds" has complimentary things to say about R. Kelly.
So, apparently Samples isn't a garden variety hater who's just jealous of all the other young singers who got hot before him -- or so it seems. It remains to be seen if he'll become the R&B version of 50 Cent and go on to have a very successful career, or if he'll just be a footnote in the history of R&B. But one thing's for certain: he's going to try his best to live up to the challenge.
