Tennessee rapper Samara Cyn is on the cusp of one hell of a come-up, receiving high-profile co-signs from the likes of Lauryn Hill and St. Louis rapper Smino, who put her in his “Maybe In Nirvana” video and on his Kountry Kousins Tour, which is currently making its way across the nation.
After dropping the introspective “Bad Brain” last month, Samara returned the favor with “Brand New Teeth,” her latest single, which features a thoughtful rumination on the lofty status grills hold in Southern Black American culture over a beat that goes from mellow jazz, to full-on classical orchestration. She boasts (or bemoans) spending a full rent payment to ice out her smile, while Smino delivers a narrative verse about a onetime acquaintance nicknamed “Chains.” The result is a moody reflection on the trappings of wealth, and just how quickly they can become a trap for those who pursue them.
“You could say Brand New Teeth is about pressure,” she says in the press release. “Delusional pressure. Of the world, society, the way things are vs. the way we may like them to be. I started writing this after hearing a lot of ‘just enjoy the process’ type responses to me venting about struggling. Like how? I need things now. I need food now; I have bills now; I have dreams now. How do I let it go when the stakes feel high? Then Smi came in and just murked the entire record with incredible storytelling that really sealed the song and topic.”
The release of “Brand New Teeth” accompanies the announcement of Samara’s new project, Backroads EP, with which she’ll not only follow up on her breakout debut LP, The Drive Home, but also wrestle with the effects and expectations that have fallen on her shoulders since its release.
Watch Samara Cyn’s “Brand New Teeth” video featuring Smino above.
Backroads EP is due on 6/20 via VANTA Records.