Staying Open to the Perfect Accident: Interview with Sammy Adams, Boston's Boy

Humble Beginnings

Samuel Adams Wisner was once your average everyday college kid. He majored in political science, and when he wasn’t doing homework or hanging out with friends, you could find him out on Trinity College’s soccer field, where he captained the schools’ team. Very few knew about Sam’s secret passion. “I always had dreams as a little kid of being a musician. I used to get praise for being a great piano player, blah , blah… but I didn’t know how to captivate an audience. So I kept my music to myself.” One day, Sam pulled out his notebook and started writing some verses about hating school and wanting to party and hang out with friends, instead of writing papers. His scribbles soon turned into “I Hate College (Remix)”, his first big hit, which now has over 5 million views on YouTube. Sam had no idea that his little experiment would go viral so quickly. “The song not only got college kids engaged, but young kids looking to go to college were listening too.” From there, Sam’s life kicked into overdrive, and he became Sammy ‘Wiz” Adams.

‘Sam Adams’

With his fan base increasing after every song he put out and show he performed, Sam Adams didn’t have much time to figure out what kind of artist he wanted to be. All he knew was that he wasn’t going to be placed into a genre and forced to stick with it. “I’ll always have my roots in hip-hop. I grew up in a black community in Cambridge, Mass., which a lot of people don’t know. So, I grew up with hip-hop, but my music is more pop-sounding hip-hop. I really don’t care, though. A lot of people give pop a negative connotation, but it just shows that they don’t understand. Even the best – Eminem, Drake – they do pop too.” Sam allows himself to occasionally stray from the norm with his music, using it as a form of emotional expression. One noteworthy song, ‘Kimber (RIP)’, was written about a close friend of Sam’s who died of an alcohol and drug overdose. “I wrote the song right on the spot. It was so shocking at the time, and I didn’t understand the death and the pain that was about to come. I wasn’t worried about what fans would think; it was about me expressing all the feelings that I would soon feel. It was about how we wish he had one more chance, and how any one of us would give anything to get a day back with Kim.”

Haters

Being a white hip-hop artist, Sam was subject to a lot of hate early on in his career. But he vowed to never deal with haters directly, knowing that a great deal of the hatred was merely misplaced jealousy. “Why would people want to believe that a white kid from Boston could go big on his own, without any major labels? It’s what everyone else wants to do, and when someone else does it before them, they think that there’s nothing left to do but hate.” Sam knew that there were a few people sticking up their middle fingers at each of his shows, but he chose to focus on the thousands of fans that were screaming his name. “Being an artist, it’s really easy to get lost in what people say. You have to surround yourself with people who believe in what you’re doing.”

Boston’s Boy

The greatest surge of hatred came after what was one of the happiest moments of Sam’s career as an artist – his album, Boston’s Boy, hitting #1 on the iTunes hip-hop charts. “We knew that meant there’d soon be a lot more people gunning for us and a lot of hate coming, but we didn’t care. It was amazing.” The album dropped while Sam was on a flight to LA with his manager. At first, Sam admits he was furious because he fans weren’t expecting it until a day later, but the accidental early release worked out to his advantage. The album spread like wildfire, and Sam watched with astonishment as Boston’s Boy continued to climb the charts, finally reaching the top spot upon his arrival in Los Angeles. “It was unbelievable. We did the impossible. “

Staying Humble

Boston’s Boy’s success made Sam Adams a hot-ticket item at colleges across the country. People soon knew all of his songs, and were desperate to have him perform at their schools. Whether he realized it or not, Sam had become a celebrity. “I am a f—king human being. I’m very much like anyone else,” Sam states. But even he can’t ignore the overwhelming number of people who know his name and hope for the opportunity to meet him. “I’m getting a little sense of it. Going out and having everyone know who I am is both very cool and very scary. Staying humble is definitely the most important thing; it’s something I always keep at the back of my head.” Sam’s infamous kind-hearted nature and devotion to his fans did, however, occasionally create problems while on tour. In 2010, he got arrested while on stage at Kansas State for continuing to perform for his fans after cops arrived due to a noise violation and tried shutting the show down. “I have so much love for my fans, and they paid good money to see me, so I was like ‘F—k that, they’re not shutting us down yet’.” Sam then started playing ‘Driving Me Crazy’, a high-energy fan-favorite. The cops, unaware of Sam’s pure intentions and frightened by the crowd’s extremely enthusiastic response to his hit party song, tried hitting the microphone out of Sam’s hands. The microphone instead hit it into his face, chipping one of his teeth. Sam was then arrested and taken to the police station. “But I got all the charges dropped, so jokes on them!”

Touring

At the start of Sam’s career, he had to work his touring schedule around his already busy athletic and class schedules. Now, he focuses his time solely on his music, and is about to embark on a two-month long college tour. Fans can expect to hear the usual favorites in addition to songs never before heard live, like ‘Just Love Here’ and ‘I’m So High.’ New songs like ‘Letter to the Lost’ and ‘Coming Home’, a song Sam states is “all about touring and is very close to my heart,” will also be added to the setlist.

What’s Next

“We’re probably gonna sign to Interscope Records.” Don’t worry, fans, Sammy promises that getting signed won’t change him and his music. “The music is the music, and we made that pretty clear when we were in talks of signing. We’ll just write more pop hip-hop songs with big hooks and bridges to put on the radio. Sort of like ‘Driving Me Crazy.’ That song will have a place in my heart forever, but we’re trying to write a bigger song that goes even harder.”

Advice to Fans

“Always be open to the perfect accident. Opportunity and luck work hand in hand, so if you’re prepared and open to being lucky, you’ll find exactly what you wanna do in life. Don’t focus on what anyone says. All that matters is what you do.”

Fun Facts

Sam on His ‘Perfect Day’

“Celtics vs. Lakers in the finals of the NBA Championships. My best friends and family would all have floor seats.”

Sam on Health

"When I’m on the road, I try to exercise as much as possible. Staying fit is key to staying healthy on the road and being able to perform an hour-long show."

An Average Day on Tour

"Usually I just hang out with my friends, do some kind of exercise… depending on how wasted we got the night before. Then an hour before the show, I take some alone time to think about how I want the show to go. And then we just go on stage and really kill it."

Sam on His Dream Tour

"I wanna play in Asia somewhere. Asia and Dubai. I don’t have a big fanbase there yet, but the major label will definitely help with that when the time comes."

What He Would Change About His College Experience

"I mean, maybe I would graduate! I might have done something more with writing, to improve my vocab and increase my writing capabilities. But, to be honest, I don’t think I would really change anything. I had a pretty f—king good time in college. And I already do what I want to do. I try to use the fact that I didn’t graduate to inspire people who can’t afford to go to college. I want to be a role model and show that you can do what you want to do, against all odds."