Photographer: Jude Watkinson
Stylist: Remi Ikumelo
Assistant Stylist: Joba Odususi
Words: Ross Hook
SamRecks, aka REKKI, is undoubtably one of London’s most exciting and refreshing artists coming through right now. Not only does Sam craft innovative, forward-thinking rap music, but the youngstar is involved in every aspect of his music from production and artwork to producing, directing and editing his videos himself—an aggressive DIY mentality which excitingly recalls the likes of Tyler, The Creator or A$AP Rocky. Over the past two years, REKKI has deservedly been labelled as one of the UK’s hardest working rappers, and it’s clear to see why. Whether it’s spending time in the studio, creating TikTok content, working on his personal brand or putting together fits for Fashion Week, REKKI is always pushing to be the best possible version of himself. A testament to his mentality and hunger.
Musically, REKKI’s potent, thoughtful, unmistakably London sound points to a gifted musicality and mindset beyond his years. Having first burst on to the scene with a string of successful singles such as “Love & Attention”, “Suns Out Buns Out” and “Would You Let Me”—all racking up well over 20 million streams in total—REKKI has continued to develop his unique cadence and lyricism, leading to his debut EP Easier Said Than Done which arrived in May 2023.
Fast-forward to the present day and Sam has just unleashed his sophomore EP, BALANCE, an enthralling eight-track project full of nostalgic sounds and synth lines to create storylines with a real vintage feel. Containing just one feature across the project, it was only right Sam enlisted one of the hardest lyricists emanating from Japan right now, Jumadiba, to join him on “Better Days”. Two similar creatives rising to the upper echelons in their respective country.
Having personally spent a lot of time with Sam over the years, it is clear he has what it takes to become one of the most captivating rappers in the UK. Never arrogant, always humble and talent in abundance. Following his latest project BALANCE and in the lead up to his debut (sold out) headline show at London’s Omeara, we caught up with Sam to chat all things REKKI…
Have you achieved everything you set out to this year?
Not everything, but a decent amount of stuff that I wanted to. I’ve still got some small things that I want to work on and add to, but yeah, still going, still clicking.
Sick, are you one for kind of writing stuff down and manifesting? Do you have in your head places you want to be next year, for example?
Yeah, so at the end of last year, I actually wrote down what I wanted to achieve in my notes, just to see, but I haven’t gone back to it since. Going into next year, I’m gonna do the same thing, but I feel like I’m gonna change my goals so they’re more interactive as a pose to everything else I was trying to do this year. I want to connect with people, the people who listen to my music, and be out there man.
How does it feel having BALANCE out in the ether? How’s the reception been?
It feels good, man. I feel like, it’s a good project for the people that want to actually listen to the lyrics, what I’m saying and my story. It’s one of those projects that, even if I drop 10 other songs or 10 other projects, and one of them blows up and everyone starts to know me, if you really want to get to know what SamRecks is about, BALANCE is that project. This whole year has been showing people more about what I’m doing, what I’m trying to achieve, where I came from and all that kind of stuff.
And what’s the story behind the name BALANCE?
BALANCE actually came to me when I was in the shower. Obviously, I already knew that I was about to drop my next EP, and I was trying to think what could represent this era I’m in right now. I just quit my job and I was about to take music full time. I came out of the shower, looked out my window, and I just saw a windmill going up and down, up and down. The first word that came to my mind was ‘balance’. So I called my manager, and I told her that I had the name and wanted to centre it around windmills. One, because windmills represent balance in a sense, and also because of my area, Thamesmead. When you’re driving around and you look up, you’re going to see the massive wind turbines/ windmills, so I feel like it was a good representation.
Yeah I rate that. Were there any other options, or is it just always BALANCE?
Nah it’s always been BALANCE. This one word was on my mind constantly.
And how would you compare BALANCE to your previous EP Easier Said Than Done? Did the creative process differ much?
Yeah, it was a big difference because with Easier Said Than Done I was making all of the songs whilst I was at work, or if I wasn’t making it fully at work, I would start the songs there. I’d write them as I was working. So I was juggling multiple things at the same time—that’s why I named it Easier Said Than Done. It felt like putting that project together was a whole process in itself, whereas with BALANCE, I’ve quit my job, I’m traveling more, doing more things, and I’m writing down one or two lines, but not actually cooking up the songs until I get into the studio. Even that change made me feel like, ‘yo, this is getting real now’. This is not just hobby anymore. I only fully write and make songs now when I’m in the studio.
Do you tap notes for lyrics on your phone? Or do you like write it to paper? And is it something that you document as and when?
Yeah, I’m always tapping in thoughts and ideas into my notes app. I even like making voice notes. I write down little notes, song starters and small things that just pop into my mind when something’s happened, or certain conversations I’ve had with people. It’s to spark some inspiration for when I get into the studio to record.
The BALANCE cover art is sick too. What’s the story behind that?
Basically, I was trying to find somewhere that had windmills that looked iconic. My manager helped me find that. I told her I just need something with big windmills. I was looking at some options, but they didn’t stand out too much, but when she sent me the one in the cover art, I was like this is insane. The only problem was that it was in Ponte Delgado, which is an island off the coast of Portugal. So we booked our flights and flew there in April this year, and yeah, we shot the cover art over four or five days with an amazing photographer called Eva. We were just living, eating, talking and experiencing Ponto Delgado. It was a sweet moment.
Yeah, it’s definitely a powerful image and certainly sets you apart from other artists in an area that can seem forgotten about.
I’d say you’re someone who always finds their own lane, despite what the current trends in music are. How do you find that pocket where you can stand out in an age where every musician has pretty much the same access to programs, plugins, sounds etc?
Right now, I’m just inspired by life. I’m just living life, connecting with new people, new producers, and that’s just what’s inspiring me. Like, I’m on social media, but I don’t spend too much time on it. I actually don’t spend as much time compared to a lot of people. I feel like sometimes you need to get away from it, because otherwise you’re just going to keep seeing the same thing over and over again.
Yeah trust, you find yourself doing the same shit basically.
Yeah definitely, so I’m just trying to keep to myself and figure out my own way of doing things. I’m still finding out new things about myself every day. Going into next year, even, I just want to have fun. Like, I feel I’ve said what I need to say and over time, people will find out my story and discover everything I have to say, and it’s all there in my music. That’s one thing I’ve always wanted, I’ve wanted my music to just speak my life as though it’s documenting my time on this earth. Going into 2025, I’m literally just trying to have fun and experiment and just try new things.
Obviously, you’re involved in every aspect of your music and creative, from production to directing and editing videos. Is there something you’d like to add to your repertoire of skills next?
I feel like, for now, no. Right now, I’m just trying to develop the skills I currently have and see where I can take them next. I have a whole bunch of new songs with different vibes now, and I’m gonna see what these new vibes bring out of me creatively.
On finding inspiration, do you read much?
No, I actually don’t you know.
Me neither, bro.
The most reading I probably do is text messages (Sam laughs). Nah, but in all seriousness one thing I do read is magazines like Clash and The Face. I’m always collecting magazines innit, so sometimes I like to scan those, but that’s about it.
Yeah, I’ve not read a book back to front for probably, like, seven years.
It’s a dying art.
What do you do to wind down at the end of the day?
You know what, I’m always watching stuff to do a fashion—interviews from different designers and even just looking at Pinterest and other similar platforms. I’ve also been watching a lot of Power recently. Sometimes I like to chill with friends and relax stuff innit. But for the most time I’m usually working. I feel like I’m at that stage in life if I chill too much it feels like I’m not doing enough.
Yeah, bro, I sometimes get a sense of not being able to chill. Like, you know, you can always be working in this industry. There’s always something to do.
Going back to BALANCE, the only feature is Jumadiba how did that connect first come about?
It’s crazy because Juma must have followed me on Instagram and I was preeing his page and I saw he’s a rapper, so I checked out his songs on Spotify. The first song that caught me was “Up”, and he was rapping in Japanese, kind of slowed and jumpy, the beat was mad. I was like, ‘yo, this is a vibe’. So I just followed him back and said to him let’s connect. He was actually planning on coming to London at the time, so we linked up and locked in at the studio. We cooked up, I think, two songs that day, and the first song we actually made was “Better Days”. I wanted to go to Japan to shoot that video, so I said to myself, cool, I’m gonna go to there in December. I ended up going and shot the visuals. We actually did cook some more songs up, but we still ended up going with “Better Days” in the end. I decided it would be on the next project. So I saved the track and the video from December until August, when I was dropping my project and I finished up the video in London, did the edit, and yeah, now it’s out. It’s a crazy one still. He’s actually coming back to London this month as well.
I can’t lie I think “Better Days” is my favourite tracks on the project.
Swear? I rate that.
Yeah, bro. Like it just works perfectly—I love the soundtrack you know, that chilled laidback vibe, it’s a very wholesome kind of feeling. But how did you decide on that specific soundtrack?
We probably have very different tastes when it comes to beats but we were surfing through loads and loads of sounds. We weren’t really agreeing on the same ones. As soon as this one played though, everyone in the room stopped and were like, okay, this is the one. There was just something about it that felt as though it was the right beat for both of us.
It’s definitely one of my tunes of the summer. What do you rate about Japan and the Japanese rap scene?
They’re very free, especially in terms of style and fashion. There’s a real community as well. Everyone supports each other, everyone’s friendly. They’re just nice people. When I was over there, I just felt calm. I felt safe. I felt cool. I felt like I could just go up and speak to anyone and people would probably share similar, fashion tastes as well. The Japanese are also very tapped into the UK music scene. It’s just a bridge that needs to get brought together more. There’s a community that can be built on both ends.
It seems like there’s a mutual respect, no snobbery?
Yeah man I didn’t get that vibe from anyone. Just good people. And big up Sotto as well who’s doing a lot for the scene over there, bringing UK artists to Japan and connecting them.
On this note, you’ve been tapping in with a number of international artists, having released tunes recently with the likes of Jeune Lion and Ryu, The Runner. Why these guys in particular?
These features just felt right for me. They’re fucking with what I’m doing, I’m fucking with what they’re doing. I’ve been hearing their music for a little while, and we just kind of made the connections over time. It just felt right.
You definitely have that kind of unpredictability, in a good way.
Yeah, I like to try and work with different types of people. Like I really want to work more sick singers. I’ve worked with a wicked singer before, her names Nia Chennai, but I want to work with more singers and just see what happens there.
Yeah, experiment, or seeing what clicks. Even if it doesn’t click, I mean, you’ve still explored it.
I know we mentioned it briefly on the shoot but you’ve got plans to go to Brazil haven’t you?
Yeah, I’m planning on going there in January actually.
I think you’ll thrive there, bro…
Yeah I’m gonna try some different stuff out there and see if I can be inspired by the atmosphere. Maybe link up with some producers, we’ll see what happens.
Where’s one place you’d move to if you had to?
It would have to be Tokyo to be fair. I actually want to live there for like, a couple months and just see what I can do.
I just wanted to touch on fashion briefly. Obviously, you have a sick aesthetic, and it’s something that people always comment on. Why is fashion important to you?
To me, I feel like it’s the one thing that can tell someone who you are as a person before they’ve even spoken to you. They can just look at you and you’ve already told them what kind of vibe you’re on. So I feel like fashion gives you an identity. When you find the kind of pieces you like wearing, and you get them little archive pieces, or them personal pieces yourself, and you always have it on, or certain ways you put on your scarves or jackets, it kind of like starts to show that, ‘Yo, this is my style’. I’m still finding out about what I like. It changes a lot innit, but it’s a freedom you get from just wearing different things and trying new things on every day.
With accessibility to social media, and rapidly changing trends. Do you feel a pressure to constantly be looking a certain way? Or is it something you embrace?
I feel like naturally I like to wear different things anyway. I don’t necessarily feel a pressure to look a certain kind of way. If anything, it’s like a personal challenge to try and put something on harder than the last one. It’s kind of fun looking for pieces and trying new things as well, like when you get that sick piece and people are like, oh, where do you get that from? You already know, I’m gatekeeping it!
Yeah everyone’s got their personal style, it’s just finding those particular pieces that bang. Like that white jacket you wore to London Fashion Week, which was so hard, bro.
Thanks man, I literally stumbled across that jacket. I had another fit planned but then I found it when I was shopping, and yeah, thought it was hard.
That’s the joy of it, matching it up with the rest of the outfit and that.
Trust.
Stats, figures, numbers have become an indicator as to how well an artist is doing. Obviously, you have amazing numbers, but what is success for SamRecks?
I feel like I don’t care as much about the numbers anymore. I feel like it’s not the numbers that that moves things for me, it’s the impact my music as on people. That impact could be small or big, like, it could be 100,000 people, or it could be 500 people. But as long as it impacts those 500 people the same way it impacted that 100,000 it will still live on. Those 500 people could talk to another 500 people over the years, and you’re getting put into this artist constantly and you just stay relevant.
So would you value someone coming up to you in the street and being like, ‘mate, I fucking love your music, please keep making it’, rather than like, 10k streams?
Yeah man, when I get those kinds of messages on Instagram, or I see someone in real life, and they say that that stuff, it drives me more. Because when you’re chasing numbers, it’s like, cool, you got 100k on the first one. Then for the next one you want 200k, but if you get that same 100k or 90k it’s like, oh, it’s not good enough. Someone coming up to you saying they love your music? That’s always going to be amazing. It’s always going to be a good feeling. And I want to get to the point where, I can tour and do shows all around the world. That’s when I’ll feel like I’ve made a proper impact.
This is something that I’ve started to ask more and more people. What makes you get out of bed in the morning?
What makes me get up in the morning…. I’d say it’s wanting to go harder with music. I don’t feel like I’ve made it just yet so I always have that drive. What can I do next? How can I make this next song impact people more? What can I improve on creatively, or what’s my next idea? These are the things that get me out of bed every day. I’ll literally be dreaming about it. I wake up and it’s like, oh, this morning again. I need to try something new. I need to do something else. I need to go make content. Those are the things that drive me every day.
You’ve got your first headline show coming up, how are you feeling for it?
I’m excited. When I was younger, I was practicing in my bedroom, rapping and memorising my bars, and it’s like everything was leading up to this moment. I didn’t really like deep how big this moment is for me until this week when it sold out. That’s what made me realise this is real now, and this is just the first step. It’s my first ever headline show. Only God knows where I can take it in 5 years.
I for one certainly look forward to following you on your journey. What’s next for SamRecks?
Summer. I’m trying to take over summer. I’ve got some new vibes, different sounds. Summer—it’s go time!
Listen to BALANCE EP here: