Critique: Sammy & Friends Freestyle Session

Oyebanji Akins

Drummer and bandleader Samuel “Sammy Drumz” Aloghemen new project, Sammy & Friends Freestyle Session, feels more like a snapshot of a musician in motion — testing ideas, stretching grooves, and trusting instinct over polish.

The first cut, “6/8 Again,” is the stronger statement. Built on the lilt of a 6/8 rhythm, Sammy channels the pulse of gospel and African tradition but refuses to keep it nostalgic.

His playing is muscular yet fluid, shifting gears in ways that hint at both discipline and danger. At its best, the track shows him wrestling with time itself, bending the groove into something modern without losing its cultural roots. Still, its loose structure occasionally veers into indulgence — a reminder that spontaneity, while exciting, can sometimes blur focus.

With “Freestyle Hip-Hop,” Sammy makes a bolder gamble: translating trap’s digital bite into live, human energy. The drums carry weight, echoing the hi-hat flickers and heavy low end of the genre, but the freestyle format leaves the track uneven. Where trap thrives on ruthless precision, Sammy leans into elasticity, letting the beat breathe. The result is intriguing, but it risks losing the menace and tightness that defines the style.

Taken together, the project frames Sammy not as a background player but as the engine of the music. The keys, guitar, and bass add color, but it’s the drums that set the agenda.

This isn’t music chasing perfection — it’s music chasing possibility. That rawness is both its charm and its flaw: at times magnetic, at times meandering, but always unmistakably alive.

Sammy & Friends Freestyle Session is less about where Sammy is now and more about where he’s daring enough to go next.