Sam-E Lee Jones … The Man Behind the Beats

Sam-E Lee Jones has come a long way from his days in his hometown, Walvis Bay. Always one with the need to create, he found himself picking up odds and ends around his neighbourhood, eventually leading to a life of music, dance, production and even sneaker design. But through trials and tribulations, he has risen to become one of Namibia’s top producers. It was an iconic moment, holding the Best Producer award at the Namibia Annual Music Awards, and in his words, “it’s just the beginning”. The Weekender caught up with the star to learn about the man behind the beats.

Living and Learning

The need to constantly create things hit Jones, real name Samm Vataleni Niingungo, from a young age and surprisingly, his dream wasn’t to be a musician at first.

“I originally wanted to be a businessman and incorporate that with all the things I wanted to do,” he said. But opting for music rather than dancing, designing sneakers and tinkering around with electronics to create gadgets was almost like destiny.

“I didn’t choose the music, it chose me. As a creative person, I wanted to express myself and I could do that best with music,” the 27-year-old said. “I started up out rapping and then I wrote songs, but I think one of the biggest contributors was my sister who listened to a lot of Joe Thomas at the time and asked me to write down the lyrics for her. I had a really sharp ear for things like that.”

And around that time, he listened to a variety of music from Earth, Wind and Fire to ma/gaisa which fuelled his passion even more. “I can listen to anything, as long as it’s good. But I felt like music was the easiest medium to express myself.”

He was known to compete in rap freestyle battles in primary school, particularly at Narraville Primary School, and honed his dancing skills through the popular R&B group B2K’s music videos. And that, surprisingly, is where he got his name Sam-E. But it was in high school when he became even more vocal with his music by writing lyrics and recording his own beats at home. That was the birth of his first instrumental mixtape.

Although he was doing hip-hop as well, house seemed to be the ‘in thing’ at the time. “There was a lot of house music playing at Walvis Bay,” he said. “It was so weird how people were fascinated by it. But most songs had the same kind of tempo back then.”

His singles ‘Here We Go’ and ‘In The Light’ fast became popular with music lovers wondering just who was behind the hits. A few years later, he caught Gazza’s attention, and ended up working with him on his album, ‘Boss’, by producing the title track as well as the hit track ‘Gazzat’, among many others on his now-growing discography. Despite his success, Jones said there were a number of challenges he had to face as an artist.

“There isn’t any rule book to being a good artist. There aren’t a lot of people who can show you the way. Not everyone is going to like what you’re doing and some people out there want to see you fail,” he said. “You should nurture the relationship with the people who want to see you do well. Finding your core foundation is so important, whether financially, through the collaborations you make, etc.,” he said. And having the right people around you can help you grow.

“Honestly, if you don’t support my dream, you’re dead to me. I don’t mind criticism, but if you’re going to show me my problems, at least find a solution. People who are just negative are like distractions.” Cutting them off, however, was a part of Jones’ growth.

If he had the opportunity to give advice to himself 10 years ago, Jones said he wish he had brought a little accounting into play. “Sit down and draw up a balance sheet of friends, family and the people you know. You’re going to have debit and you’re going to have credit. Place them where they need to be. It’s not a cruel thing. You’re either going to end up hating the negative people, or they’re going to hate you for being so successful. I think that not everyone learns from this kind of thing; not a lot of people reflect on this.”

Driven by his family and the need to make his mother proud, Jones said that being around people who wanted to see him grow helped, but what helped him even more was believing in himself and loving what he did.

“You have to do it yourself. No one is worried about whether you’re eating or not. There’s so much more to do. We’re behind, we still don’t have access to all the resources in our own countries. We have to make sure the younger generation looks at us the same way we look at people like Jackson Kaujeua.”

And to future artists who are intimidated by the music industry, he said start now.

“Stop talking about it and just start,” Jones expressed. “Whether it’s by doing an open mic or going to karaoke, just do it. People need to stop saying ‘I don’t have’ or ‘I wish’. Start somewhere. It goes back to having people around you who are creative. Come up with a dance routine together, do something. Once you do, you have more experience than the person who is just talking about stuff.”

He advised young artists to keep developing their skills. “Keep going, no matter what. You’re not going to be amazing at first, but keep going. And it’s important not to care what other people think of you.”

Concerning future projects, Jones said fans can expect new music from himself, DJ Shoza and Tequila, among others. He added that towards the end of the year, there might just be a mixtape or album, depending on his fans. His latest song ‘Ma Go Lower’ alongside Jeiyo and Gazza is making waves at the moment. But you better believe there’s more in store.

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