Above all, SoloSam is a man of his crafts. The Chicago rapper is no doubt dedicated to his mastery of the pen, and it wouldn’t take that deep of a dive into his discography to realize that. But with the release of his latest project ‘Plated’, Sam’s tying his love for rap with his equally strong passion for the culinary arts. How many rappers do you know that released their new EP with an accompanying cookbook? Until this moment, I would venture to guess the answer was zero.
Over the past few years, SoloSam has made himself known in the Chicago hip-hop scene as an artist with the ability to move crowds just off his raps alone. ’Plated’ the EP offers a heaping supply of SoloSam’s bread and butter, straight bars packed with a healthy mix of substance and boasts finished with guttural conviction that can’t be questioned. Sam’s gravelly voice rumbles with a power that commands whatever beat he hops on, setting the pace with the plethora of flows he keeps at the ready. He’s laser-focused all throughout, consistently coming through with verses that cut with the precision of a chef’s knife. His skill becomes most apparent in the middle of the EP on tracks like “Take From Me”: Sam feeds off of a finely-chopped sample loop, taking shots at his competition all while distinguishing himself as a battle-tested emcee, sneaking in some sly double-entendres along the way.
SoloSam gives off the impression that he’s not here to impress anyone with ‘Plated’. Instead, this is the sound of a man doing what he loves, and in doing so, he cooks up his most impressive body of work thus far. Listen to ‘Plated’ the EP below, and peep SoloSam’s cookbook and other merch on his website here.
*apologies for the cooking puns