Meet Toronto Artist OKAAY SAMi

Meet OKAAY SAMi from Toronto, Canada who is an artist.

About Your Hustle

Business / Project Name

OKAAY SAMi

How did you get started, and how did you get to where you are today?

I have been dabbling with music since I was young. Playing percussions, producing beats on Logic Pro X, making DJ mixes, recording for fun, free styling, and so much more. January 2019, I decided to actually take music seriously and I dropped my first song, which surprisingly garnered attention from some of my favourite artists, such as Jessie Reyez and Tory Lanez. This inspired me to keep pushing, so I kept consistently dropping music, going to music networking events, utilizing social media to its fullest advantage, and I bring my supporters on my journey with me also by responding and connecting as much as I can. This is what got me to where I am, the first female rapper from Toronto on a New York Times Square billboard. Hard work, consistency, communication skills, and being genuine is my recipe to success.

Challenges and Obstacles

Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of your struggles along the way?

It has definitely not been a smooth road. Even before music, growing up, I went through a lot of unfortunate events, which made me the strong independent woman that I am today. Those bad experiences really made me who I am today. In the music industry so far, I’ve dealt with being overlooked/disrespected because I’m a woman, expecting to act a certain way because I’m black, being played by people who came off as trustworthy, opportunists, people trying to steal my sound, lots of fraudsters, and so much more. But all of these things were lessons that are learned, and now I am very aware of what goes on in the industry and I’m also very protective of my energy as a whole.

About Your Product / Service

What do you do? What are you most proud of? What sets you apart?

My main career is as a musician. Rapper mainly, & singer/songwriter. My music has gained many attention in my city, Toronto. Especially because my song, “I Heard A Rumour,” gained 40,000+ views on youtube. I am also the first female rapper from Canada to be on a Times Square Billboard. What sets me apart from female rappers, Toronto rappers, or rappers in general, is my unique voice, my creativity in my artist, and just how versatile I am as a whole. I’m a different vibe…I am truly unlike others. I am also the co-owner of the first mental health organization for black youth in the Greater Toronto Area. I also own 2 media platforms. One is called, “SAMi.Productions,” where I offer my creative services such as graphic design, creative direction, illustration, engineering, producing, video edits, cover arts, 2d face portrait animation, and much more. My biggest accomplishment with that is being accepted in The Weeknd’s HXOUSE program for black women creatives in Toronto. The other platform is called “Toronto Creative Hub,” which is a space I created for creatives to connect and promote themselves.