Members of the Saint Mary's community will raise the roof Thursday evening when rapper Sammy Adams makes his much-awaited debut at SMC Tostal in the O'Laughlin Auditorium.
Coming off a March 16 performance at the Gramercy Theatre in New York City, Adams will perform some of his favorite songs from his EP "Boston's Boy" and his mixtapes "Party Records" and "Into the Wild."
"It is sort of like there's a song for everyone," Adams said. "Our concerts are all about you guys. It's my workspace. It's my job to put on a good show. We've been working so hard on this next album and we're all dying to get back on tour, so it's going to be really fun."
Since garnering national attention with his song "I Hate College," Adams has graduated from Trinity College in Connecticut, released three mixtapes, collaborated with several artists and performed on "Conan" with Conan O'Brien.
"I wrote the second verse of 'I Hate College' in class, the first one I wrote on a piece of scrap paper," Adams said. "My best friend stole [the rough draft] off my computer and went and played it at a frat and it wasn't even mixed or done yet, but everyone loved it."
A mostly self-produced artist, Adams landed at the top of iTunes' hip-hop digital albums chart in 2010, outselling Lil' Wayne and DJ Khaled with "Boston's Boy."
Adams said his music is relatable and edgy because it is inspired by personal experiences.
"It is my life. The journey, what we've been through, the places we've been, the people we've met, the stuff we've done," he said. "It all sort of goes hand in hand. My writing is one hundred percent influenced by everything that happens on a daily basis."
Although music has been important to Adams since he was a child, he said he did not start producing his own songs until college.
"It's pretty terrifying," Adams said. "I was an independent kid trying to make a wave in such a big industry."
Adams said he loves electronic music and the idea of the DJ as "the new rock star."
"Being in college and loving that type of music and going to shows, there is a live aspect to the show," he said. "It's a big experiment to find all the ingredients that wouldn't normally make up their own genre of music.
"There's really no feeling in the world like seeing kids lined up five hours early for your show or just seeing the excitement on people's faces when you come out on stage. It's really an amazing feeling that makes you want to make better music and makes you want to satisfy your fans."
Junior Student Activities Board secretary Elizabeth Kraig said she hopes Adams' concert will bring a good vibe to campus.
"It is a great way to get everyone excited for spring," she said. "Plus, it's an inexpensive event with a great performer."
Doors open at 7:30 p.m. The opener will perform at 8 p.m. and Adams will go on stage at 9 p.m.
Tickets are $7 for students and can be purchased at the O'Laughlin Auditorium or by calling (574) 284-4626. Limit is one ticket per student ID and students may call or visit the box office with up to five student IDs.
