Artist: Sammy Adams
(Pre) Album: Into The Wild
Genre: Party Hip Hop

In just under four years, Sammy Adams has gone from Joe College, to international music sensation with a major label record deal and Pixies-sampling single. Love or hate his sound, a subgenre of hip hop that leans heavily on pop and dance influences, there is no denying the obvious love people have for his good vibrations and the dedication he has shown in making himself known. 2012 will find Sammy releasing his RCA records debut, but first we are given a ten track pre-album entitled Into The Wild to [hopefully] kick things off right.

Those unfamiliar with Boston’s Boy will need to know up front that this is not the same kind of hip hop normally featured on UTG (or discussed on the blogosphere in general). What Sammy does, and really, what sets him apart from his peers, is blend elements of hip hop instrumentation and lyricism into more radio/club friendly pop tracks. Think white boy rap 2.0, complete with a false sense of entitlement and references to hanging with “homies,” only more evolved from a production standpoint.

Much like his Party Records mixtape, Into The Wild wastes no time trying to get bodies on the dance floor with “Midnight Run.” Taking elements of the ever-present dubstep trend and adding a few extra loops for flavor, Sammy ramps up with talk of another night out, young success, and living the life. Familiar territory for the young spitter, but in this genre it seems such redundancy is to be expected until the day the artist eventually realizes the party has moved on without them. Regardless, the track serves its purpose of setting the tone and making the listener aware of what is to come.

If you enjoy this track (stream below), you will probably love the rest of the record:

As Into The Wild plays on, it becomes clearer than ever that Adams is out to corner the late teen and college markets as the lines between club and radio track begin to blur into one over-indulgent barrage of dub sounds, hand claps, and snare loops. A soundtrack fitting for a party, especially one where you are too intoxicated to think twice about artistic skill or lyrical depth, but rarely if ever displaying anything one would want to be caught listening to alone. It’s redundant, empty, passionless music designed to sell singles to people fixated on escapism and help guys step a bit closer to ladies on the dance floor. Maybe that interests some, but I could not have been more bored.

Sammy Adams has been an artist of interest for quite some time, but this latest turn proves more than ever that he has a long way to go before he gains any lasting ability or credibility in the music scene. It is true that there are markets willing to buy whatever vapid, soulless sound you set against a simple beat, but aiding the dumbing of music listeners around the world is something no one should support. Into The Wild is nothing more than audio sugar, rotting the mind of any listener it reaches and leaving them feeling sick to their stomach with regret. I sincerely hope Adams improves with his debut, but something tells me I should not hold my breath.

SCORE: 4/10
Review written by: James Shotwell

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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