Nas, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Immortal Technique, Jedi Mind Tricks, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Big Daddy Kane, A Tribe Called Quest, Kanye West, Common, GLC, Jadakiss, Akon, Method Man, 2Pac, AZ, Cassidy, Lupe Fiasco, Dead Prez, Dave Matthews Band, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Ghostface Killah, Jurassic 5, Native Deen, Aesop Rock, Lil Wayne, Rakim, The Roots, 3 Doors Down, Big L, Busta Rhymes, Citizen Cope, Rhymefest, Obie Trice, Run DMC, De la Soul, Eric B, Twista...
And Every Freedom Fighter in the World.
..
Rep on Behalf of Every Freedom Fighter in the World
Don't Follow Rules, Don't Follow Boundaries
Try to Bring About A Smile Everywhere I Go
I Pray for Peace, Though the Drama Intrigues Us
Number One Goal: To Stay Humble
Sameer Patel, better known as SMP, is a local Riverside artist who has a unique genetic makeup reflective in his music. Born in Anaheim, California and the eldest son of two Asian Indian immigrants, SMP was raised solely on Hindi music, and never exposed to the typical Western music American kids grow up on. “Whoever the Hannah Montana or Jonas Brothers of my time was, they were absent in the Patel household. But I did know the latest Bollywood song that had come out that week,” said Patel.
Five years ago, SMP began attending Gage Middle School, where he carpooled with a neighbor every day, Karam Sethi. Unlike SMP’s household, Sethi listened to all types of music except Hindi music, and it was only a matter of time before SMP caught on. “We would listen to the radio everyday on the way to school, and that was the first time in my life I had ever done that. People don’t understand how crazy it was to actually listen to English music in my house. My parents were strict and felt that the majority of the music out there wasn’t positive, and therefore, it was almost taboo to mention it in my house.”
The radio exposed SMP to classic rock, alternative rock, pop music, and everything that Sethi listened to on the way to school, SMP took in. “One random day he flipped on 99.1 KGGI, the local Riverside station, and they were playing Eminem’s new song, ‘Lose Yourself.’ Never in my life did something captivate me the way that song did.” It was the perfect song for SMP to begin his journey into the realm of hip-hop. Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ is a motivational song about how anybody can do anything if they set their minds to it, exactly what SMP did. “I always wrote poems all throughout elementary school, now I would make them rhyme more often and put a bump to it, trying to match it with whatever music I heard.” Now, when a rock song, rap song, pop song, whatever it may be, came on the radio in SMP’s morning rides, SMP would randomly think of lyrics in his head and match them to whatever beat he was listening to.
As high school came around, SMP got his hands on a recording program, a five-dollar microphone, and a variety of hip-hop instrumentals from his friends at school. Within two months, he recorded 20 songs to the beat of popular songs at that time, composed them onto a CD, and passed it around John W. North High School. “I had no idea what I was doing. I had little knowledge of hip-hop music, just whatever I had heard on the radio on my carpool rides and what I could find on the internet.” By doing this, SMP truly recognized what hip-hop culture was about. “I had a cheap microphone, simple rhymes, already used beats, and basically just tried to make my own version of whatever songs I was listening to at that time. I had no true understanding of hip-hop, or of music in general. My ‘album’ was laughed at when everyone heard it.”
Realizing his mistakes, SMP went back and “studied” hip-hop music. “I listened to everything, the classics of hip hop, underground, mainstream, radio, club, new school, old school, whatever there was, I listened to it. I began to appreciate how old school artists put their words together in complex rhythms, and at the same time appreciated how new school artists were coming up with catchy phrases that was stuck in everyone’s head all day long.”
With a better understanding of hip-hop, SMP went for round two and released a second album. This time, the feedback was a bit better, but now a different issue arose. North High School, and hip-hop in general, wasn’t opening its arms to an Indian rapper. “A few non-black rappers have made it big in hip-hop, but others are often accepted with hesitation. I was one of those rappers. Never judge a book by its cover became my favorite saying.”
The content of his music was another heavily debated topic by his fellow classmates. “At this point in time, hip-hop was being bombarded with negative influences, everyone wanted to talk about how many girls they had, how many drugs they took, how many clubs they partied at, it was fun to listen to sometimes but after a while it got tiring.” Refusing to follow suit, SMP began rapping about everything but what was being heard in hip-hop. Releasing his second album Junior year, “Sex, Money, Power”, SMP talked about everything except sex, money, and power. Rather, he tackled social issues he saw at North High School, pregnant teenagers, political issues, the war in Iraq, while at the same time trying to mesh in the radio-friendly hip-hop songs as well. “I recorded the album, and made it, all in my closet late at night or whenever my parents would be out of the house. They knew nothing of what was going on regarding music.” This changed, however, when SMP accidentally left an album lying around in his room that his mother found.
“She saw the album title, “Sex, Money, Power”, and heard the first song, in which I was talking about the state of hip-hop at that time and how it talks about this and that. Basically, I rap about what other rappers are talking about and at the end of the song, I talk about how my album will touch none of those topics. My mom never got to the end of the song, because she was crying about how her son had turned bad about 30 seconds into it! Listening to hip-hop in my house is forbidden. Actually calling yourself a hip-hop artist was unprecedented.”
Now battling parents who refuse to accept their son’s hobby, and colleagues who refuse to appreciate SMP due to his background, there was only thing that seemed fitting to help resolve all the issues. Make more music.
This time around, SMP decided to do it right. Progressing in his lyrics and his ability to flow and solidify a unique style and voice, SMP bought musical equipment and went about setting up a small studio in his room, hiding hi equipment most of the time and pulling it out only when both his mother and father were out of the house. “My dad would be at work and the five-ten minutes my mom would go out to get my little brother and sister from school or go to get groceries, I would pull everything out, set it up, record a song really quick, and put it all away before anyone came home.” A slow process, it took SMP six months to come out with his third album, “Ten Faces of Hip Hop”.
“The third album was a real album. All the beats I used were original, they hadn’t been used before, and everything was starting to fall into play. My wordplay was much more witty and complex, and my hooks were getting catchy. Around school and Riverside, people began to notice.”
Selling his album with his friends all around Riverside, SMP managed to get his name out there, presenting himself locally to a small fan base. “I appealed to a lot of different types of people. The regular hip-hop listeners, plus the AP kids who I was in class with, plus the Asian community who might not be into hip-hop, and so on.” Faced with a diverse background, many found it hard to believe that this Senior at North High School with a 4.3 GPA in the IB program was also a rapper. “My content was positive. I talked about serious issues, and when I had my radio-friendly tracks, they weren’t something that needed to be edited or not played when kids were around. I wanted my parents to know that hip-hop is diverse, and everyone can enjoy it. It doesn’t always have to be about girls and cars and money.”
Engaging in many local performances and continuing to sell the album, SMP was soon recognized heavily based on his music. “People actually began referring to me as SMP, and truly felt the music was good, unlike the first two times.” It was an important stepping-stone for SMP, and with the positive energy he had received, he began to expand his horizons.
Now, as a Freshman at UCLA, SMP is a Biology major, headed towards the Medical field, pursuing a career in Dentistry just as his father, Dr. Makbul Patel, who owns two local dental offices in Riverside. However, SMP is back on the hip-hop scene as well promoting his new album, “The Makings of Mr. Patel.” “It’s my personal favorite yet, and definitely one that I can stand behind and be proud of. I can proudly say that this is my album, and that if you like good music with a good message and a great vibe, you’ll like my album.”
In the span of 13 tracks, SMP covers everything, from his lyrical wordplay and catchy hooks to social issues of racism, problems facing Muslims today, the war in the Middle East, all the way to his own personal issues, such as the conflict between himself and his parents. The outro to the album, “Empty Dreams,” is a heartwarming track in which SMP narrates the situation with his father. “I paint the picture of my father and his background, and talk about the path he’d like me to take in my life as opposed to the music route. It’s from the heart and everyone who listens to it has a better understanding of my stance as a musician and how diverse and different I truly am from the original rapper.”
While doing local shows in Riverside as well as out in LA, SMP has broadened his output, reaching audiences online through heavy Internet marketing. Also making his contacts in the music industry, SMP is truly expanding his outreach and trying to make an impression in the mainstream hip hop world. “Music is become monotone in general, it needs a fresh face. Someone completely different than what hip hop usually produces. I think it’s the perfect time for someone like me, who’s just a hip hop fan along for the ride, to step in and make his mark on the world. This album is my soul, it's something I'm proud of. It defines me, it makes me, as well as showing what I'm made of. It's the makings of me, the makings of Mr. Patel."
“The Makings of Mr. Patel” will be sold online soon through iTunes, his MySpace, and around local record stores in Riverside, and the rest of the Inland Empire.
Please check out the brand new video for our hit song "I SUCK" when ya can! It's pretty freakin funny. If you like the song please think about buying it for 99 cents from iTunes or Amazon and supporting hard working independent artists! THANK YOU!
We are Prom Night In Black And White, a powerpop band from Canada. We are all between the ages of 17-18, have already played at Vans' Warped Tour TWICE alongside bands such as: A Day To Remenber, Katy Perry, Angels and Airwaves, Forever the Sickest kids, All Time Low, and tons more. We answer every single comment and message we get (because we love our fans :), and would love to know what you think of our music, whether it is good or bad. So hit us up!
As my flow starts as i walk people are in shock to see the guy who rocks they bow down 2 my clothes as i open my lock the the kingdom i rock but make sure you knock cuz i got the worl under gridlock
hey bro thats mi chorus for my rap to my language class can you get on it or something with aout tune plz i got the 1st and 2nd verse give you the whole thing 2morow if you can check it for me plz theirs a special way 2 pronounce ill tell you 2nite
WE JUST WANT TO TELL YOU YOUR AWESOME AND TO HAVE A GREAT DAY PLEASE COME TO OUR PAGE COMMENT US BACK AND LISTEN TO OUR ARTISTS AND COMMENT WHAT YOU THINK OF THEM. WE REALLY WANT TO KNOW WHOSE YOUR FAVORITE THANKS!!! TYLER!!!!
Online!
