Samuel Adams Wisner (born August 14, 1987) is an American rapper, singer and songwriter.
Early years
Sammy Adams was born as Samuel Adams Wisner on August 14, 1987, in
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most ...
, to Kata Hull and Chuck Wisner. He and his family moved to
Wayland, Massachusetts
Wayland is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The town was founded in 1638, and incorporated in 1780 and was originally part of neighboring Sudbury, Massachusetts, Sudbury (incorporated 1639). ...
, when he was in high school. Adams then attended
Beaver Country Day School
Beaver Country Day School is an independent, college-preparatory day school for students in grades 6 through 12 founded in 1920. The school is located on a campus in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, near Boston. Beaver is a member ...
before transferring to
Wayland High School during his junior and senior years. Later, he went on to attend Trinity College, where he played soccer. Although he is referred to as a "Boston's Boy", he actually lived in upper-class suburbs for most of his life.
Adams has been involved in music since his childhood; he played piano from the age of 7. At 11 years old, he began to improvise while playing on his piano, to create his own beats and melodies. Adams has stated in interviews that his musical influences have not only come from other rappers, but also from the classic rock, rock, classical music, and blues genres of music. While seeking to be eclectic, he also stays true to his musical roots so to create a "hip-pop" style in his music.
Adams had aspired to be a producer before he had ever aimed at becoming a rapper. He began writing small raps throughout his time at middle and high school. Adams then started recording songs on his
MacBook in 2008 in the dorms of his college.
Musical career
2010: ''Boston's Boy''
Over the course of the next two years, he recorded a large amount of material. In September 2009, he released "I Hate College (Remix)", a remix of rapper
Asher Roth
Asher Paul Roth (born August 11, 1985) is an American rapper. He is best known for his debut single " I Love College". Roth released his debut studio album '' Asleep in the Bread Aisle'', on April 20, 2009, by Universal Motown, SRC, and Schoo ...
's song "
I Love College", on YouTube. The video has over 10 million views as of September 2015. He also released "Kimber", "Poker Face Remix", "Hard s***", "Opening Day", and "Rollin", which have combined for over 2 million views as of September 2012. Opening day, plus his aboveground debut the Boston's Boy EP. The EP topped iTunes' hip-hop charts, driven by the success of "Driving Me Crazy" Adams first EP, ''
Boston's Boy
''Boston's Boy'' is the debut EP by American rapper Sammy Adams. The EP was released on March 4, 2010, through 1st Round Records.
On July 13, 2010, Adams released four new tracks to make what he called a "deluxe" version of ''Boston's Boy''. The ...
'', was released on March 4, 2010, by 1st Round Records and reached #73 on the
''Billboard'' 200 and reached #1 on
iTunes. The album was received relatively well critically. The album was praised for its dance beats, catchy lyrics, and overall fun feel. Adams credited his loyal college fan base for the success of Boston's Boy. On July 13, 2010, four extra tracks were released by Adams to create a "deluxe" version of Boston's Boy. They were "Still I Rise", "See Me Now", "Fly Jets Over Boston", and "Just Sayin'". Two of the songs, "Still I Rise" and "Fly Jets Over Boston", featured special guests G. Curtis and
Curren$y
Shante Scott Franklin (born April 4, 1981), better known by his stage name Currensy (often stylized as Curren$y), is an American rapper. In 2011, he founded the label Jet Life Recordings.
Music career
2002–2008: No Limit and Young Mone ...
, respectively. G. Curtis was a recent signing to the record label and Curren$y had been working with Adams for a while but had yet to officially collaborate with him on a track.
Adams finished his second mixtape, ''Party Records Mixtape'', in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
and released it in September 2010. In the same month, Adams was arrested during a show at
Kansas State University
Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public insti ...
. After having his noise permit revoked, Adams yelled "Fuck the Police!" and was subsequently handcuffed onstage as he tried to perform his hit "Driving Me Crazy".
2011–2014: Signing with RCA and debut EP
He performed at the music festival
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Mus ...
in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, coordinates =
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in August 2011. In late 2011, Adams signed with
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...
of
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
. His next single, "Blow Up", tells about how he is back on the rise after the signing, following a stagnant period after his explosion onto the scene with Boston's Boy.
Adams released the singles "Blow Up" and "Summertime", as promotional singles in November 2011 and March 2012, respectively. He made his television debut on the late-night talk show ''Conan'' with
Conan O'Brien
Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for having hosted late-night talk shows for almost 28 years, beginning with '' Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' ( ...
in January 2012 and performed his single "Blow Up". A third single, "Only One" was released in April 2012. "Only One" was Adams' first track to receive mainstream attention on the radio. Before then, he had been relegated to the college and online scene with few radio plays to speak of.
Teen Vogue
''Teen Vogue'' is an American online publication, formerly in print, launched in January 2003, as a sister publication to '' Vogue'', targeted at teenagers. Like ''Vogue'', it included stories about fashion and celebrities. Since 2015, following ...
quickly named Adams one of five new "Artists To Watch" in 2012 with
Artist Direct
ARTISTdirect is an American online digital media entertainment company.
Overview
Founded in 1994, it owns several websites, including artistdirect.com and artistdirectinterviews.com. These websites are a group of affiliate websites offering mu ...
giving the single 4 of 5 stars. "Only One" was later included in
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...
's
2012 Summer Olympics commercial featuring footballer
Alex Morgan
Alexandra Morgan Carrasco (born Alexandra Patricia Morgan; July 2, 1989) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a striker and captains for San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the highest division o ...
.
On August 1, 2012, ''EW'' reported that Adams was set to appear as himself on
CW's hit teen drama ''
90210''. Adams released a new single titled, "All Night Longer" for digital download on August 21, 2012. In October 2012, he played himself in a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
reality show called Berlin Day'n'Night (Berlin Tag und Nacht). In Fall 2012, Adams went on his "All Night Longer" tour. In November 2012, he joined the remix version of American singer-songwriter
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bo ...
’s song “
I Knew You Were Trouble”.
During a charity concert in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...
on March 23, 2013, Adams fell sick during his performance and was taken to a nearby ambulance for treatment by
paramedics
A paramedic is a registered healthcare professional who works autonomously across a range of health and care settings and may specialise in clinical practice, as well as in education, leadership, and research.
Not all ambulance personnel are p ...
. During April 2013 he went on tour with California rapper
T. Mills
Travis Tatum Mills (born April 12, 1989), previously known by his stage name T. Mills, is an American rapper, singer, and actor from Riverside, California. Following his name change from T. Mills to Travis Mills, he began hosting an eponymous s ...
. On May 10, 2013, Adams released a standalone single and its music video. The song is titled "
L.A. Story" and features American singer
Mike Posner
Michael Robert Henrion Posner ( ; born February 12, 1988) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer.For Posner's full name, see He released his debut album, ''31 Minutes to Takeoff'', in 2010. The album includes the US ''Billboar ...
, and is produced by
OneRepublic
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band formed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2002. It consists of lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Tedder, lead guitarist and violist Zach Filkins, rhythm guitarist Drew Brown, bassist and cel ...
frontman
Ryan Tedder
Ryan Tedder (born June 26, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. As well as being the lead vocalist of the pop rock band OneRepublic, he has an independent career as a songwriter and producer for various artists since th ...
. The song was released to iTunes on May 28, and to
Mainstream Top 40
Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the Un ...
radio on June 4, 2013. On September 18, 2013, Sammy took to his personal Twitter page to announce that his debut album, ''Homecoming'', was to be released in October. He later on announced that ''Homecoming'' would be released on November 19, 2013, and it was changed to a digital-only EP.
2015–2016: 1st Round and debut LP
In 2015, Adams parted with RCA records after 3 years on the label. He soon announced via Twitter that he would be releasing an album in October 2015 which later postponed to December, as an independent artist. Soon after, it was announced in an interview that he had rejoined his former independent label, 1st Round Records.
On December 3, 2015, Adams released the lead single "Remember" off his debut album called ''The Long Way'', which would be released through 1st Round Records on March 24, 2016.
2017–present: Independent
After the promotional cycle for ''The Long Way'' ended, Adams left 1st Round Records. In August 2017, Adams released his new tropical house single "Shining".
On July 29, 2017, Adams headlined the inaugural Briggs Fest hosted in Boston.
On November 10, 2017, he released new single "Driving" with Telykast and Basko.
Personal life
Wisner played varsity soccer during the years that he attended Hobart College. He scored 6 goals and had 4 assists with the Statesmen. He then transferred to
Trinity College in
Hartford, Connecticut where he majored in political science. Wisner played soccer for Trinity College and was named captain during his senior year. He featured as number seventeen on the Varsity soccer team. While playing for Trinity, Wisner tallied 11 goals and 11 assists. He led the team in points in 2008, starting all 16 games for the Bantams. Wisner was also selected to the All-NESCAC team in 2008, earning First Team honors at Forward. He is also a fan of English club. Wisner married Andie Arthur in 2022.
Arsenal FC
Arsenal Football Club, commonly referred to as Arsenal, is a professional football club based in Islington, London, England. Arsenal plays in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The club has won 13 league titles (inclu ...
.
Discography
Studio albums
EPs
Singles
As featured artist
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Sam
1987 births
Living people
Musicians from Cambridge, Massachusetts
Rappers from Massachusetts
East Coast hip hop musicians
American male rappers
Trinity College (Connecticut) alumni
21st-century American rappers
21st-century American male musicians
Wayland High School alumni
Beaver Country Day School alumni