When one looks at the genre of hip-hop in the Fiji Islands, one name often pops up — Sammy “Grogfather” G, who’s often considered the godfather of Fiji hip-hop.
Samuel Fong was born in Lautoka with paternal links to Savusavu, and he remembers how he began to develop a passion for the genre.
“For me, it began in the classrooms at school,” he says.
In the 1990s, hip-hop was very new to Fiji, so just rapping over drum beats and free styling was how it started for this pioneer.
“My classmates would back me up and I would just rap through recess and lunch much to their entertainment.”
Sammy G says one of the biggest challenges he faced back then was the lack of knowledge of the genre.
“Constantly being criticised for trying to be American and often made fun of was very trying,” he says.
In 1995, when he was in Form 5, he performed at a small joint called The Office with a heavy metal band called Devil’s Spawn.
“Those were some breakthrough moments and at times scary as people would prefer to fight you than listen to your music,” he says.
As the years went on, Sammy G cemented his status as a well-known hip hop performer when he recorded the song Suva City with his buddy, David Lavaki aka Mr Grin.
The 44-year-old says his musical style was purely 100 per cent hip-hop of the ’90s.
“Obviously, we were influenced by American West Coast hip-hop at the time, so it played a major role in creating my sound.”
A highlight of his career was performing for the Tadra Kahani show.
“Opening for Sean Kingston during Digicel’s launch in Fiji was also a high.
“Meeting David Lavaki and other local rappers as Nemoney, DGO, J Deuce, BSB, Redchild, Rabbit and Thug Angel as well as the other local rappers at the time, like Roar, X9 Homies, E3 & Cracker, Lil Leps, Fly & Whips were moments I will not forget.”
Sammy G has not released any new music since 2012.
“Reason being I got caught up with work and just focused on paying the bills.
“The longevity of this music is simple, keep up to date and release a sound that Fijians can claim as theirs.”
He is proud that his buddy Mr Grin is still in the hip hop biz.
“So proud of Dave aka Mr Grin who is still very active in this space, releasing tracks and still performing.
“Now it’s all about the money, and rightfully so. Artists now are capitalising on the many platforms for music streaming and earning some decent income.”
This year he made a recording with E3.
“I’m not rushing back into the music scene but rather prefer helping out various artists in the background with recording facilities, video clips and advice.”
Sammy G says music is essential, especially for Pacific Islanders.
“It’s in our DNA. Right now, these young artists flying the hip hop flag of Fiji are creating waves and we are just proud of them. Fiji finally has its unique hip-hop sound thanks to Ju Ben and the new local hip hoppers.”
His advice to aspiring hip-hop artists is to just do it.
“If you find your sound, you know you feel it, record it, release it.
“Don’t wait for tomorrow.”
Sammy G hopes his music will leave a lasting legacy.
“One day, people will look back and say, ‘isa… remember this track.’ Or ‘wow, I used to sing along to this, lol.
“That in itself just puts a smile on my face.”
