Rahim Samad
Like Tom G, Samad is a link to Tampa hip-hop scenes of the past. With roots in the punk scene (he was a regular at since-shuttered Brandon record shop Sound Idea), Samad continues to turn heads with each thought-out release including his latest, Nubian Tapestries.—RR Credit: Photo by Matt Farmer
For a decade-and-a-half, producer and emcee Rahim Samad has been a heavyweight, albeit under-the-radar, staple of Tampa Bay’s hip-hop scene. He’s also a mainstay at shows where his name isn’t on the bill, and for New Granada’s pretty-much-annual Christmas night show (fuck you, Covid), his distinctly east coast rap makes up the heart of a bill that wraps with one of the heaviest bands in the Bay (hardcore outfit Meatwound), plus old-school punk favorite Slap of Reality.
American Dreaming, a new project from Will Quinlan, is also on the bill in an era that finds the statesman of Bay area Americana taking his sound in different directions (read pop) as of late.
Read his 2016 intro letter and disclosures from 2022 and 2021. Ray Roa started freelancing for Creative Loafing Tampa in January 2011 and was hired as music editor in August 2016. He became Editor-In-Chief...
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