“Had to take off my shirt just to cut up the streets. Can’t go home, it’s just me, destination all I see.” That’s not just a bar—it’s a lyrical glimpse into the world of Samara Cyn. The destination? Greatness. The Tennessee-bred, L.A.-based artist blends neo-soul finesse with hip-hop savagery, and the future is NOW—it’s her time. Born Samara Henderson in Murfreesboro, TN, she moved constantly as an Army brat, found her voice through poetry, and spit her first bars at college open mics by flipping poems over beats. That “spark for music,” as she calls it, led to early standouts like Backseat and Pride’s Interlude, but it was her COLORS session with Chrome that made the industry take notice.
In 2024, she leveled up with her debut EP The Drive Home—a sonic road trip laced with gas-station ambiance, radio static, and raw reflections on movement and identity. “My thinking that I needed the money, I needed the label… was stopping me from doing what I wanted to do—what ended up blowing me up was three freestyles I did for free,” she told The Cut. That independent grind paid off. She’s now sharing stages with the likes of Isaiah Rashad, getting co-signed by legends like Lauryn Hill, and being named to XXL’s 2025 Freshman Class—a major stamp on a career in motion.
Now, she’s full throttle. Her sophomore EP Backroads dropped June 20, featuring cuts like Pop n Olive, Bad Brain, and Brand New Teeth featuring Smino. “As I evolved as an artist, I stopped wanting to be just a ‘great rapper’… I wanted to make really good music. I’m a neo‑soul hip‑hop fusion artist,” she told NME. With raspy delivery, unfiltered truth, and undeniable presence, Samara Cyn has us all riding shotgun. At 104.7 THE DROP, she’s not just on the radar—she’s in the mix, and her rise is only going up from here.