The Secret History of Miami Hip Hop
The Notorious P Man Sam aka Sam Silvasteen
By Faisal X. Tavernier
www.uannetwork.com
Sam Ferguson is like the phantom of Miamis Hip Hop opera. His perspective is crucial to understanding Miami and its superb and stunted Hip Hop history. Sam pre-dates the Luke (2 Live Crew) era, which is where most people start when talkin about Miami rap.
Luke rose to music dominance when all the dope boys and big money makers who financed the independent record movement were getting life sentences, long prison bids or buried in pine boxes. In the 80s and 90s, tons of cocaine rained through the port of Miami and the pursuit for pretty things and bloody money had every Tom, Dick and Tyrone trying to get their beaks wet. Miami has become Hip Hops Fantasy Island, but most people, especially Miami folks, dont understand how it got that way.
Well, there was one brother who navigated through several worlds claiming equal respect in them all. That man was notoriously known as P Man Sam (Ferguson). Today he goes by the name Sam Silvasteen. Hes a walking time capsule of Miamis past, present and future with an encyclopedia of knowledge and experience encrypted in his silver-patched dome.
As one of How Can I Be Downs (HCIBDs) key sponsors, Sam is also the CEO of Miamis newest OG label, Off Tha Chain Records; OG, because their crew has nearly a century worth of music business experience between them. The first artist out is One Monzta who garnered lots of local love with the group Polo Dynasty a few years ago. Monzta happens to be the socially conscious younger brother of Miamis potty mouthed material girl Trina. The master producer behind their boards is Ugly, who produced that Ballin Boy smash hit for No Good that still blazes in NBA arenas around the country. Ugly also toured and produced for years with Luke. Also in the crew is the dreadlocked Kayela Fleming whos been pushing music boundaries in Miami since Young and Restless were singing Poison Ivy. But the Big OG in the family is none other than the infamous (P Man) Sam Ferguson aka Sam Silvasteen. My label is called Off tha Chain, that means we free, Says Silvasteen.
Sam is an old school goodfella. He got married at 19 years old to the beautiful Daisy and began a real life Bonnie and Clyde marriage that produced 3 children and ended with divorce after 23 years in February of 2006. I did good for my first shot out, he says. My life was funny. I come from a big family, but I grew up in a foster home. Thats probably why I got a more caring spirit, says Sam.
Born in Miamis Mount Sinai Hospital Nov. 14, 1961 to Juvenile Detention Center Superintendent Katherine Ferguson, it would be real hard to find a person who better exemplifies Miamis uncanny renegade spirit. Or, someone with a firmer belief in the talent that brews in Miami. They just need to be guided, Sam says. I watch our music now and gotta wait for the kids who grow up and act like they know something. But really what they know comes from TV and what guys from out of town are telling them. Everybody thinks theyre a leader here, he says cynically. We need more followers.
Filled with every ingredient to make a big picture classic, Mr. Silvasteens story unfolds starring a whos who of Miami entertainment, business and political figures thats laced with obituaries.
At EKG Records, P Man built a budding empire that Interscopes Jimmy Iovine was looking to use as a Southern beachhead. Dr. Dre wanted the Tupac-sounding Black Haze but talks broke down and Sams partner, construction baron Evans Thermilus (notoriously known for his involvement in the commissioner Art Teele scandal) decided to pull out of the music business. EKG wasted two years of my life. I built the brand up pretty good and then Evans came to me and said he was getting out of the music game just before we put out the artists said Silversteen.
Sam the philosopher has a keen insight into the condition of the human mind and his avid reading and people-studying has shaped thorough theories that he candidly articulates with honest chutzpa.
A good friend of the late Commissioner Arthur Teele who dramatically committed suicide in the Miami Herald lobby, Sams sphere of influence spreads out into many circles. Art was my man, he says. I think he killed himself to protect his pension. Art said he couldnt win the case and he was facing 20 years. If he gets convicted, he loses his pension. said Sam. And, I dont think he was a homosexual, he added with a noticeable irritation in his voice. If you said an alcoholic, I might agree. But a homosexual? After he died, the punk (who claimed to have a relationship with Teele) said he talked to Art from Metro West two days before the suicide, Sam points out. That phone call should be recorded. Please let us hear it because youre making the most respected Black commissioner ever into a homosexual without any validation. That just shows you the power of Katherine Harris, Sam says. Thats why her name was the last name he said before he killed himself (in the Miami Herald lobby), Katherine Harris, that b*tch. Sam recalls a chance meeting between him and his good friend ousted Source Magazine owner Benzino when Teele walked up. Benzino and them wanted to bring the Source Awards here, he said. The city of Miami Beach didnt want it. Me and Benzino were sitting downstairs talkin. Art had a place upstairs from me and came walkin up. I said Art I need you to help my friends. Art said alright come on up to my place (The Venetian 33rd Floor). From that situation, Art went and amended two laws, brought the Source Awards here in a matter of months and made it work. In Sams view, People harp on the bad things you do. You can do 200 good things and one bad and I promise, theyll only remember the bad. People are too busy wanting you to think good about them and somehow if you know something bad about me that makes them good, he says with a humble chuckle.
His first intro to the entertainment business was at age 14 with the Space Invasion DJs which later merged to become Space Funk DJs. A dude named Muhammad that we called Heavy Face is the one who taught me business. Face was a substitute professor at Miami Dade so he turned DJing into a business, Sam recalls. We built the store Space Age at the North Side shopping center and started the one stops before anybody else was doing it.
But it was in the early 80s with the Triple M DJs and the Bass Station Teen Disco (Rock It Baby) that Sams star began to emblazon Miami. Triple M was built off of street money, he says. Eric G (Griffin) got himself involved cause he was the producer of Triple M Bass (Miami classic) and wanted to be a part of the Worse Em Crew. I think I was the brains that had the experience. Norberto (Candy Man) and me was makin the money by that time. We was strong! There really was no competition, Sam recalls. We was able to buy what we wanted; do what we wanted. The group that made the most money was Space Funk. Triple M was more like hype. We just had our own money and we was showin out. Triple M was short for Miami Money Makers. We was the ones that started the Rolex, says Sam. Before that it was Reflections, but we started it and called it Rolex cause we all wore platinum Rolies, he reminisces with a boyish grin.
But in a flash, the much wiser Sam Silvasteen looks back on that era with dismay. One thing I really dont like that I did down here was involve myself in that strip club thing. The strip club done hurt us. Thats why we dont have no businesses. Nigg*s takin they money and makin it rain (throwing it out). Thats ridiculous. The strip club makes a lot of money for the owners, but we didnt realize what it does to the community, says Sam.
Looking back he says, I watched the death of my friends, The whole Worse Em Crew, Triple M Bass, says Sam. Tony, Eric and Norberto were all murdered ruthlessly in cold-blood. Im the only one left. Eric got killed in his studio in St. Louis. A guy put the chord around his neck and beat him with the iron in front of his son, Sam solemnly says.
His deep roots in this entertainment business and the street world allowed him to witness first hand the rise and fall of the Rick Brownlees, the Bo Diddleys, and some of Miamis biggest street legends and entrepreneurs. His partner Alex of Xela Records who he credits for getting him back into the music business, was gunned down in that infamous murder scene that unfolded at Alonzo Mournings barber shop. Alex came to me with an undisclosed amount of money and a car and was like I need you to come do music. From there, it kinda gave me my drive again after losing my Mom, my son and the EKG situation. When I got to Xela, about 3 weeks later, that situation happened. So I said that when I get back in, its gonna be for myself.
In Miami, crime and the music business are all in the same pot together Sam says. Music is just our way out. Drugs is gonna exist and if you leave anything dangling and dont jump out with both feet, guys down here are gonna pull you back in. The Brownlees and guys like that were hustlers. They were hardcore at what they did. They did it and tried to be the best at it. I take my hat off to them for that. What they accomplished out of it, thats for them to know, but as far as crime goes, I think its a lot easier now. Man, Channel 7 News (WSVN) got popular in the 80s covering crime.
Because of episodes like that and the legendary police fights, Sams street credibility and respectability are air tight. Im a person that understands the law and if you tell me something thats not true, Im gonna stand up for myself. I guess I made fightin the police famous down here but I didnt do it intentionally. They be wantin for you to lay down on a hot ground. I dont do that! One time I was in an all white outfit and they wanted me to kneel down in the wet grass, I told em Officer I cant do that. One little cop tried to grab my leg and that was a mistake.
His history has stereotyped him as this Suge Knight gangster type dude. When asked if that portrayal of him is accurate, Sam says Nah! I met Suge. I think Suge is a dumb criminal. Im not dumb! First of all, if somebody is alienating my artist, I wont be the one kickin him, especially if I got $300 million. Thats why I say no, he says with respect. The only thing that makes Suge and I resemble is our stature and thats not even accurate cause hes short. I think it comes from people assuming the approach is if you dont do it, this is going to happen. Okay fine, I be meaning that though. Im just big and I mean what I say. If I was small, I would still mean what I say. I dont think they would call me Suge then. I just dont think that for a man with $300 million, he be thinkin smart. Thats just my opinion and he dont have to do nothin to make me happy.
Dealing with everyone in Miami from Luke to Peter Thomas, Sam sees the biggest obstacle in Miamis collective progress linked to the lack of leadership and the self serving attitude that seems to corrupt the hearts of men. We lost our edge because of crime and music. We were swept-up in the 80s. There were a lot of labels financed through crime ventures. Once the government came down and swept Miami the way they did, they left a gap of knowledge with the youth, Sam reflects. People need to stay focused on accomplishin sh*t out here. We used to have businesses in the 80s. Tell me 5 Black businesses here. I had 7 businesses myself. Bo Diddley had about 10. Those guys were business-minded and the youth that came up after them was business minded, but when you take the head away the body dies, he says. When I went away, whoever was involved with me had to get their knowledge from somewhere else. There were guys who were doing excellent down here: Sherman Neely and Pretty Tony (crown prince of freestyle music and the Music Specialist Label,) both of them went to prison. Independence came up from here. Miami had that attitude before Atlanta and New York. Thats how I feel we lost our edge. All the financers (and mentors) were gone. People used to say when you go to Miami, all youre gonna hear is Bass. But, that was our music. It was our infrastructure. We manufactured our artists and continued to eat. Labels were coming down here but didnt understand the music, so we signed to each other. If I didnt go away, this conversation would probably be much harder to get to today, says Sam.
Optimistically he adds, Were getting back to that stage again. Before when you would only hear Trick and Trina, now youre hearing Trick, Pitbull, Trina, Rick Ross, Jackie O. That means our structure is tightening up. I just wish my town (Miami) was headin in a better direction. I wish people would stop being self-serving. Like (DJ) Khaled, hes in a community position. I think he needs to understand that. Thats not a spot to be self-serving. Thats a slot to analyze this town and help to improve our music infrastructure. Thats where his slot is. His slot is not for us to overhear about Fat Joe and Lil Wayne. The $19 million that WEDR makes a year comes from Miami. We need to know where the talent is at in Miami cause thats the radio station youre on. If he can do that, then he can say that he rep this town. I dont dislike him, I just think that hes an opportunist. Hes in a situation and wants to capitalize off it and thats cool. But when you say you rep this city, then look around and rep whats around here. This is the city thats gonna take care of you. It pays your bills now! You could be the group up there today and its somebody else tomorrow. You just gotta be humble enough to let it happen. Just cause Rick Ross is sellin today doesnt mean somebody else wont be sellin tomorrow. After seeing that cycle time and again, says Sam, I can still smile and be happy for anybody basking in the sunlight. Look how they just put Ross in that movement. 6 months ago Ross was an outsider. He was over here with us. So now all of a sudden, hes in there with yall. What kind of sh*t is that? Thats some crazy sh*t right? It goes to show you the power of the slot. I try to explain that to him (Khaled), said Sam Silvasteen.
Sam, who is rarely spotted in front of a camera made a split second cameo in DJ Khaleds Born N Raised video. I saw the little cameo in the video I mentioned to him. Yeah, only because I was born and raised here and I like the song, he says. When you get a chance to get rotated so all of the people who aint seen you and dont know what you lookin like; people out of town, Oh thats Sam, he still hangin in there. Thats why I did that. No other motives.
Sams life journey has taken him to the heights of glitz and glamour and the wretchedness of the penal system. Ive been through a lot for 40 years old, he says. Ive been stabbed, shot. Ive been broke. Ive been rich. Ive been a club owner. Ive had #1 records. My life has been a whirlwind. I was married for 20-something years. Thats a lot of knowledge to have at 40, he reflects. I know people who are still working on their first accomplishment and theyre 50. That just lets me know that God has a bigger plan for me and the knowledge that I needed, I needed to grab it fast.
On a quest to show the new generation what can be accomplished, Sam is ready to lead by example. Theres strength in numbers, he says. We a small town but in some kind of way Miamis voice gets magnified times 10. The game is just temporary. Clean your face and try to live right just so you can have a good funeral. At the end of the day, thats it.
With two new babies (5 months and one almost 2), a new love, a whole heap of experiences and scars galore from trudging through unforgiving Miami, I asked him who is Sam Silversteen, Its hard to pinpoint my total character. Thats difficult because I have a lot of aspirations beyond what people perceive me as. In an overview, I think its somebody that cares! Thats what I want to be known for. The only way to make changes out here is if you care, and he jokingly adds, We are like the Jews of this rap thing. We all about getting our money.
For ?s or comments hit faisal@souljah.com ! Watch Video Mix WFUN Ch. 48 Every TH. 8-10
The Notorious P Man Sam aka Sam Silvasteen
By Faisal X. Tavernier
www.uannetwork.com
Sam Ferguson is like the phantom of Miamis Hip Hop opera. His perspective is crucial to understanding Miami and its superb and stunted Hip Hop history. Sam pre-dates the Luke (2 Live Crew) era, which is where most people start when talkin about Miami rap.
Luke rose to music dominance when all the dope boys and big money makers who financed the independent record movement were getting life sentences, long prison bids or buried in pine boxes. In the 80s and 90s, tons of cocaine rained through the port of Miami and the pursuit for pretty things and bloody money had every Tom, Dick and Tyrone trying to get their beaks wet. Miami has become Hip Hops Fantasy Island, but most people, especially Miami folks, dont understand how it got that way.
Well, there was one brother who navigated through several worlds claiming equal respect in them all. That man was notoriously known as P Man Sam (Ferguson). Today he goes by the name Sam Silvasteen. Hes a walking time capsule of Miamis past, present and future with an encyclopedia of knowledge and experience encrypted in his silver-patched dome.
As one of How Can I Be Downs (HCIBDs) key sponsors, Sam is also the CEO of Miamis newest OG label, Off Tha Chain Records; OG, because their crew has nearly a century worth of music business experience between them. The first artist out is One Monzta who garnered lots of local love with the group Polo Dynasty a few years ago. Monzta happens to be the socially conscious younger brother of Miamis potty mouthed material girl Trina. The master producer behind their boards is Ugly, who produced that Ballin Boy smash hit for No Good that still blazes in NBA arenas around the country. Ugly also toured and produced for years with Luke. Also in the crew is the dreadlocked Kayela Fleming whos been pushing music boundaries in Miami since Young and Restless were singing Poison Ivy. But the Big OG in the family is none other than the infamous (P Man) Sam Ferguson aka Sam Silvasteen. My label is called Off tha Chain, that means we free, Says Silvasteen.
Sam is an old school goodfella. He got married at 19 years old to the beautiful Daisy and began a real life Bonnie and Clyde marriage that produced 3 children and ended with divorce after 23 years in February of 2006. I did good for my first shot out, he says. My life was funny. I come from a big family, but I grew up in a foster home. Thats probably why I got a more caring spirit, says Sam.
Born in Miamis Mount Sinai Hospital Nov. 14, 1961 to Juvenile Detention Center Superintendent Katherine Ferguson, it would be real hard to find a person who better exemplifies Miamis uncanny renegade spirit. Or, someone with a firmer belief in the talent that brews in Miami. They just need to be guided, Sam says. I watch our music now and gotta wait for the kids who grow up and act like they know something. But really what they know comes from TV and what guys from out of town are telling them. Everybody thinks theyre a leader here, he says cynically. We need more followers.
Filled with every ingredient to make a big picture classic, Mr. Silvasteens story unfolds starring a whos who of Miami entertainment, business and political figures thats laced with obituaries.
At EKG Records, P Man built a budding empire that Interscopes Jimmy Iovine was looking to use as a Southern beachhead. Dr. Dre wanted the Tupac-sounding Black Haze but talks broke down and Sams partner, construction baron Evans Thermilus (notoriously known for his involvement in the commissioner Art Teele scandal) decided to pull out of the music business. EKG wasted two years of my life. I built the brand up pretty good and then Evans came to me and said he was getting out of the music game just before we put out the artists said Silversteen.
Sam the philosopher has a keen insight into the condition of the human mind and his avid reading and people-studying has shaped thorough theories that he candidly articulates with honest chutzpa.
A good friend of the late Commissioner Arthur Teele who dramatically committed suicide in the Miami Herald lobby, Sams sphere of influence spreads out into many circles. Art was my man, he says. I think he killed himself to protect his pension. Art said he couldnt win the case and he was facing 20 years. If he gets convicted, he loses his pension. said Sam. And, I dont think he was a homosexual, he added with a noticeable irritation in his voice. If you said an alcoholic, I might agree. But a homosexual? After he died, the punk (who claimed to have a relationship with Teele) said he talked to Art from Metro West two days before the suicide, Sam points out. That phone call should be recorded. Please let us hear it because youre making the most respected Black commissioner ever into a homosexual without any validation. That just shows you the power of Katherine Harris, Sam says. Thats why her name was the last name he said before he killed himself (in the Miami Herald lobby), Katherine Harris, that b*tch. Sam recalls a chance meeting between him and his good friend ousted Source Magazine owner Benzino when Teele walked up. Benzino and them wanted to bring the Source Awards here, he said. The city of Miami Beach didnt want it. Me and Benzino were sitting downstairs talkin. Art had a place upstairs from me and came walkin up. I said Art I need you to help my friends. Art said alright come on up to my place (The Venetian 33rd Floor). From that situation, Art went and amended two laws, brought the Source Awards here in a matter of months and made it work. In Sams view, People harp on the bad things you do. You can do 200 good things and one bad and I promise, theyll only remember the bad. People are too busy wanting you to think good about them and somehow if you know something bad about me that makes them good, he says with a humble chuckle.
His first intro to the entertainment business was at age 14 with the Space Invasion DJs which later merged to become Space Funk DJs. A dude named Muhammad that we called Heavy Face is the one who taught me business. Face was a substitute professor at Miami Dade so he turned DJing into a business, Sam recalls. We built the store Space Age at the North Side shopping center and started the one stops before anybody else was doing it.
But it was in the early 80s with the Triple M DJs and the Bass Station Teen Disco (Rock It Baby) that Sams star began to emblazon Miami. Triple M was built off of street money, he says. Eric G (Griffin) got himself involved cause he was the producer of Triple M Bass (Miami classic) and wanted to be a part of the Worse Em Crew. I think I was the brains that had the experience. Norberto (Candy Man) and me was makin the money by that time. We was strong! There really was no competition, Sam recalls. We was able to buy what we wanted; do what we wanted. The group that made the most money was Space Funk. Triple M was more like hype. We just had our own money and we was showin out. Triple M was short for Miami Money Makers. We was the ones that started the Rolex, says Sam. Before that it was Reflections, but we started it and called it Rolex cause we all wore platinum Rolies, he reminisces with a boyish grin.
But in a flash, the much wiser Sam Silvasteen looks back on that era with dismay. One thing I really dont like that I did down here was involve myself in that strip club thing. The strip club done hurt us. Thats why we dont have no businesses. Nigg*s takin they money and makin it rain (throwing it out). Thats ridiculous. The strip club makes a lot of money for the owners, but we didnt realize what it does to the community, says Sam.
Looking back he says, I watched the death of my friends, The whole Worse Em Crew, Triple M Bass, says Sam. Tony, Eric and Norberto were all murdered ruthlessly in cold-blood. Im the only one left. Eric got killed in his studio in St. Louis. A guy put the chord around his neck and beat him with the iron in front of his son, Sam solemnly says.
His deep roots in this entertainment business and the street world allowed him to witness first hand the rise and fall of the Rick Brownlees, the Bo Diddleys, and some of Miamis biggest street legends and entrepreneurs. His partner Alex of Xela Records who he credits for getting him back into the music business, was gunned down in that infamous murder scene that unfolded at Alonzo Mournings barber shop. Alex came to me with an undisclosed amount of money and a car and was like I need you to come do music. From there, it kinda gave me my drive again after losing my Mom, my son and the EKG situation. When I got to Xela, about 3 weeks later, that situation happened. So I said that when I get back in, its gonna be for myself.
In Miami, crime and the music business are all in the same pot together Sam says. Music is just our way out. Drugs is gonna exist and if you leave anything dangling and dont jump out with both feet, guys down here are gonna pull you back in. The Brownlees and guys like that were hustlers. They were hardcore at what they did. They did it and tried to be the best at it. I take my hat off to them for that. What they accomplished out of it, thats for them to know, but as far as crime goes, I think its a lot easier now. Man, Channel 7 News (WSVN) got popular in the 80s covering crime.
Because of episodes like that and the legendary police fights, Sams street credibility and respectability are air tight. Im a person that understands the law and if you tell me something thats not true, Im gonna stand up for myself. I guess I made fightin the police famous down here but I didnt do it intentionally. They be wantin for you to lay down on a hot ground. I dont do that! One time I was in an all white outfit and they wanted me to kneel down in the wet grass, I told em Officer I cant do that. One little cop tried to grab my leg and that was a mistake.
His history has stereotyped him as this Suge Knight gangster type dude. When asked if that portrayal of him is accurate, Sam says Nah! I met Suge. I think Suge is a dumb criminal. Im not dumb! First of all, if somebody is alienating my artist, I wont be the one kickin him, especially if I got $300 million. Thats why I say no, he says with respect. The only thing that makes Suge and I resemble is our stature and thats not even accurate cause hes short. I think it comes from people assuming the approach is if you dont do it, this is going to happen. Okay fine, I be meaning that though. Im just big and I mean what I say. If I was small, I would still mean what I say. I dont think they would call me Suge then. I just dont think that for a man with $300 million, he be thinkin smart. Thats just my opinion and he dont have to do nothin to make me happy.
Dealing with everyone in Miami from Luke to Peter Thomas, Sam sees the biggest obstacle in Miamis collective progress linked to the lack of leadership and the self serving attitude that seems to corrupt the hearts of men. We lost our edge because of crime and music. We were swept-up in the 80s. There were a lot of labels financed through crime ventures. Once the government came down and swept Miami the way they did, they left a gap of knowledge with the youth, Sam reflects. People need to stay focused on accomplishin sh*t out here. We used to have businesses in the 80s. Tell me 5 Black businesses here. I had 7 businesses myself. Bo Diddley had about 10. Those guys were business-minded and the youth that came up after them was business minded, but when you take the head away the body dies, he says. When I went away, whoever was involved with me had to get their knowledge from somewhere else. There were guys who were doing excellent down here: Sherman Neely and Pretty Tony (crown prince of freestyle music and the Music Specialist Label,) both of them went to prison. Independence came up from here. Miami had that attitude before Atlanta and New York. Thats how I feel we lost our edge. All the financers (and mentors) were gone. People used to say when you go to Miami, all youre gonna hear is Bass. But, that was our music. It was our infrastructure. We manufactured our artists and continued to eat. Labels were coming down here but didnt understand the music, so we signed to each other. If I didnt go away, this conversation would probably be much harder to get to today, says Sam.
Optimistically he adds, Were getting back to that stage again. Before when you would only hear Trick and Trina, now youre hearing Trick, Pitbull, Trina, Rick Ross, Jackie O. That means our structure is tightening up. I just wish my town (Miami) was headin in a better direction. I wish people would stop being self-serving. Like (DJ) Khaled, hes in a community position. I think he needs to understand that. Thats not a spot to be self-serving. Thats a slot to analyze this town and help to improve our music infrastructure. Thats where his slot is. His slot is not for us to overhear about Fat Joe and Lil Wayne. The $19 million that WEDR makes a year comes from Miami. We need to know where the talent is at in Miami cause thats the radio station youre on. If he can do that, then he can say that he rep this town. I dont dislike him, I just think that hes an opportunist. Hes in a situation and wants to capitalize off it and thats cool. But when you say you rep this city, then look around and rep whats around here. This is the city thats gonna take care of you. It pays your bills now! You could be the group up there today and its somebody else tomorrow. You just gotta be humble enough to let it happen. Just cause Rick Ross is sellin today doesnt mean somebody else wont be sellin tomorrow. After seeing that cycle time and again, says Sam, I can still smile and be happy for anybody basking in the sunlight. Look how they just put Ross in that movement. 6 months ago Ross was an outsider. He was over here with us. So now all of a sudden, hes in there with yall. What kind of sh*t is that? Thats some crazy sh*t right? It goes to show you the power of the slot. I try to explain that to him (Khaled), said Sam Silvasteen.
Sam, who is rarely spotted in front of a camera made a split second cameo in DJ Khaleds Born N Raised video. I saw the little cameo in the video I mentioned to him. Yeah, only because I was born and raised here and I like the song, he says. When you get a chance to get rotated so all of the people who aint seen you and dont know what you lookin like; people out of town, Oh thats Sam, he still hangin in there. Thats why I did that. No other motives.
Sams life journey has taken him to the heights of glitz and glamour and the wretchedness of the penal system. Ive been through a lot for 40 years old, he says. Ive been stabbed, shot. Ive been broke. Ive been rich. Ive been a club owner. Ive had #1 records. My life has been a whirlwind. I was married for 20-something years. Thats a lot of knowledge to have at 40, he reflects. I know people who are still working on their first accomplishment and theyre 50. That just lets me know that God has a bigger plan for me and the knowledge that I needed, I needed to grab it fast.
On a quest to show the new generation what can be accomplished, Sam is ready to lead by example. Theres strength in numbers, he says. We a small town but in some kind of way Miamis voice gets magnified times 10. The game is just temporary. Clean your face and try to live right just so you can have a good funeral. At the end of the day, thats it.
With two new babies (5 months and one almost 2), a new love, a whole heap of experiences and scars galore from trudging through unforgiving Miami, I asked him who is Sam Silversteen, Its hard to pinpoint my total character. Thats difficult because I have a lot of aspirations beyond what people perceive me as. In an overview, I think its somebody that cares! Thats what I want to be known for. The only way to make changes out here is if you care, and he jokingly adds, We are like the Jews of this rap thing. We all about getting our money.
For ?s or comments hit faisal@souljah.com ! Watch Video Mix WFUN Ch. 48 Every TH. 8-10
