Newcomer to the Rap and Hip Hop scene, Sami Switch, has started his music career with a bang.  The release of his debut mix tape Carpe Diem last month has already seen a mass internet following and sparked interest in the young rising star. This interest may have been generated by his amusing Twitter fight with Wiley, a positive side effect being the surge in publicity for his mixtape. Latin for 'seize the day', Carpe Diem is an accurate portrayal of Switch's ethos.

The Reading based MC has been compared to mainstream artists such as Professor Green and Eminem.  However the similarities often stop at appearances. Sami's style is unique and his lyrics thoughtful, and humorous, for example employing the semantic field of a beef burger on 'Like No Other':  ‘this song is for the neeks, on the beef with the pongiest of cheese, bun that, they let us catch up’.

Sami’s talent as a songwriter and performer is evident, but besdes his rhythm, the most impressive aspect of his work has to be the intelligent use of metaphors and word play in his music.   The track ‘Save Me’ is a good example of Sami’s clever lyrics, ‘cos I’d have a screw loose if I had a loose crew’, both an obvious wordplay and a profound comment on friendship. 'Heartbreaker’ contains interesting use of metaphorical language: ‘I’ll tell my heart ‘shhh’ and put a ‘shhh’ in my artery, art-shhh-ery, with your heart as the target see’. Even for the unconverted Hip Hop fan, his tracks are worth listening to; simply to appreciate the meaning of the lyrics.

After listening to the tracks it is difficult to label his work under a specific genre but Sami classes his music as Alternative Hip Hop.  Influential artists such as Frank Ocean have inspired the diverse and eclectic mix of songs found in Carpe Diem which are easy to listen to and will stick in your head. Keeping things fresh, Sami has chosen to work with a range of other artists, which ensures that each track has a very different vibe to it.  One of the most prominent collaborations has been with Mic Righteous, who is best known for his recent appearance on Radio One’s ‘Fire in the Booth’.

For fans who have been frustrated in recent years after mass releases of similar sounding tracks from many mainstream artists, Sami Switch is a welcome breath of fresh air, quite unlike any other popular artist active at the moment.  Switch is confident enough to experiment and talented enough to make it work.   He is certainly headed for successful career. Vibrant, grounded artists, in tune with their audience are exactly what the music industry needs.

It is obvious that this young newcomer loves what is he doing and is passionate about his music.  He wants to share it with people and he is not fazed by the consumer-conscious hype that surrounds the industry.  Thus his new mix tape Carpe Diem is available to download for FREE on http://www.blakmagik.com/ .  You will not be disappointed.