Sammie Heavens shows promise in her first EP ‘July’
By ubereatzz and The Observer
Sammie Heavens is no stranger to the spotlight and life within the hip-hop scene in South Africa; being popularly known as the girlfriend of hip-hop superstar, Nasty C. After hinting at the possibility of transitioning into a hip-hop artist herself by dropping a few freestyles on her Instagram and TikTok pages a few months ago, she drops her very first body of work, an EP titled July, on SoundCloud, Audiomack and YouTube.
The 4-track EP starts off with ‘Strapped In’, a song she previewed as a freestyle on her social media earlier this year. The song touches on Sammie’s possible current state of mind, her thoughts about her relationship, living under the spotlight and the dynamic she wishes to manifest between them. She raps “Wanna share my bread with you, baby/ We can be unstoppable, baby” over a high-pitched soul sample anchored by a strong kick and thick bassline.
She comes in hard with ‘Praise God’ where she declares, over trap production, “I’m the one that you got playing on repeating” and spits potent lines like, “I see they tryna get under my skin/ They tryna see how they can glow from within.” She touches on how naysayers told her she couldn’t make music and she decided to just do it just ‘cause she can; “I’ll show you my magic/ But where to begin/ You said I can’t do it, I’ll do it again,” she raps.
“Cold [open verse]” takes the listener further into relationship woes as she questions, “Are you ice, ice-cold, baby?/ Why am I freezing in your arms tonight?” on the catchy hook. She leaves space for anyone to hop on since half the song consists of the instrumental, hence the “open verse” title. A few remixes wouldn’t hurt.
The final track, “I Did It”, is the best song on the EP, followed closely by ‘Strapped In’. Sammie flexes real hard about her lifestyle with so much flare and confidence as she raps, “My watch is Swiss, it speaks, lil b*tch/ You might hear it talking/ Money look good on me, you think? You think? I like it, b*tch, stop it.” ‘I Did It’ solidifies that Sammie Heavens has mad potential in music.
It is important to note Nasty C’s influence on her production choices, flow and cadence especially on ‘Praise God’ and ‘I Did It’. One can hear Nasty on most of the beats (come on, ‘Cold [Open verse] would fit well on Strings and Bling). Sammie’s personal touch is her ability to use different vocal projections, especially on ‘I Did It’ where she uses high-pitched and low register voices interchangeably. At times, it works against her, but it’s all part of the stumbling blocks toward a rapper finding their own voice.
Sammie Heavens may be new at dropping bodies of work for public consumption, but one can tell she’s been working on her craft for a while and she’s definitely surrounded by hip-hop royalty to help refine her skills. She’s one to watch out for.
Stream July by Sammie Heavens on SoundCloud, Audiomack and YouTube.