Sam Sellers

💐Fake Flowers Last Forever💐

2024

Photos:

Art:

Playing Cards: Grandmother Sylvia

Looking back, looking forward, grateful for every step along the path. Onwards in love & solidarity. See y’all in the new year. Say Word. 🙏🏼🕯️💗

In culmination of the Fall 2023 semester in Hip Hop’s 50th Anniversary year, we are celebrating big! Thursday December 14 the NEW SCHOOL STATE OF HIP HOP will showcase student work from the current Hip Hop Skill, Style & Science cohort, along with very special guest performances from world class beatboxers Bloomer ( - 2018 U.S. Champion) and , and our very VERY special guest the legendary LARGE PROFESSOR 👑👓🌐.

New School DJs on the set to warm it up and hold it down including . Event will feature an open jam cypher, community graffiti mural and food aplenty.

All are welcome! Tell a friend to tell a friend. Must present photo ID at security desk. We are grateful for the collaborative support from , , and the Office of the Dean.

🎤 🎶 Live set this Friday 12/1, 7pm sharp at ! Bringing together a powerhouse quartet to join me for the first and last real-live show I’m doing in NYC this year. Blessed to have
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plus a guest or two rocking with me! Honored to join the youngstar on this bill, along with . Setting the live music off at 7pm after warms it up on the turntables. Doors at 6:30pm. Adv Tix linked in bio ($15).

Tickets for Nory, Woodah, zach denike, Sam Sellers Find tickets for Genre showing at the The Bowery Electric - New York, US Friday Dec 1, 6:30PM Tickets starting at $18.76

Tonight, 6:30-9:30pm, midtown hotel rooftop. All vinyl vibes and sounds. Pull up!

What I knew renewed anew with the new: New month. New season. New energy. New challenges. New lessons. New goals. New pathways. New levels. New…headshots 🙏🏼💫

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🇨🇱 Team Chile
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Year 9️⃣ at underway 🙏🏼📚🎵. Grateful for the opportunity to continue growing, learning and building with students who keep me inspired, humbled, curious and challenged. And to have the departmental and collaborative support to dream a little bigger each semester. Every year I sink deeper into the work and understand my personal pedagogy more clearly, refine syllabi responsively, and have the chance to step into embodying it in life more fully, in the classroom and beyond. Truly, I get to live what I teach and teach what I live, and I can’t think of a bigger blessing. And after this long I’ve had the honor of witnessing quite a few cohorts come up, graduate and go on to do amazing changework and create impactful art in the world. And that is a most beautiful sight. Onwards and upwards in solidarity and gratitude! 👊🏼

Going down today 4-8pm, Bierwax Queens. Say Word! 🍩 🦀 🎂

15 years since the premier of our MTV’s “MADE” episode! (Season 9, Ep 10: Beatboxer). We’ve come a long way Linnea!

Facts that make you go wow: Linnea is older now than I was when I was her coach on the show. Warms my heart to still be in touch and witness the incredible work she does! (And inspiration traceable back to beatbox!)

PREMIERE: I wrote a sweeping 9-minute spoken word "Rhyming History of Human Beatbox" to perform at the 2022 American Beatbox Championships. The video dropped today. One of the most important pieces of writing I've done. Thank you American Beatbox for the prompt and spark. Salute to the global beatbox community, past, present, future. RIP Kid Lucky, Buffy & Biz!

SAM SELLERS | Beatbox Anthem | The Founders Tournament | American Beatbox Championships 2022 American Beatbox Merchandise: http://www.americanbeatbox.com/shopInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/american_beatboxHomepage: http://www.americanbeatbox.com...

“I learned it all from digging crates and mixtapes in high school…” 🎧⏺️⏯️💫 (- “Seriously”)

The ebb and flow, the start and stop, contouring the shape, crafting a beginning, middle and end…it’s all storytelling and vibe curation, from the DJ booth to album sequencing to the classroom to event hosting to life scheduling. The latter of which is less ebb and more flow these days, setting off May and heading into the semester’s culmination. A bunch of beautiful events early this month starting tonight with at ! Getting all kinds of busy on the mic, turntables and in community cypher as we Spring. Come say peace and get down!
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MAYDATES:
🎶 5/1 - The Jelly at Cmon Everybody
✊🏼5/5 - Black Benjie Legacy Project at Eugene Lang College
🪩5/5 - All Good at Sycamore
🎙️ 5/8 - Poetry Electric presents the a celebration of Kid Lucky at La Mama
🎚️5/10 - Bierwax BK with
🪩 5/19 - All Good at Sycamore

3️⃣2️⃣3️⃣2️⃣3️⃣ Thanks to all who came out and vibed at my debut solo set at , and thanks to Bierwax for the space and opportunity! 💗 Had a blast pulling and playing vinyl for the occasion, which was part of my new year vision mission ✅ Grateful for the ears and cheers. Big love homies and DJ peeps, and to the / New School fam representing and keeping the cypher of inspiration turning. Love all of y’all! Till the next… 💫

📷 & & .suave
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:::3️⃣.2️⃣3️⃣.2️⃣3️⃣::: WELCOME TO THE PALINDROME ♾️ Extremely excited and honored to be rocking the turntables at next Thursday. All vinyl all night: funk, soul, r&b, and jazz 45s, breaks, and heavyweight Hip Hop heat in the crates. 8-11pm, no cover, good vibes, good peoples, tasty taps. 🍻

Spring 2023 semester, Week 1 in the books. Extremely grateful to be back in the classroom in the aftermath of the stolen semester, the strike and the continuation/evolution of the Student Occupation into One New School, envisioning and directing the Blueprint for a Changing institution. Keeping those forces at the center of my approach and work, reminded daily of how the founding tenets of the university are realized most truly within these classroom walls and student cohorts. Teaching more than ever (3 courses and running a studio practice lab!) and could not have dreamt a triumvirate of offerings more representative of my life’s pedagogy, artistic practice and musical foundations. Actually… I could dream it. I did dream it: to be teaching what I do, doing what I teach. That’s been the goal in praxis for a minute. But to do it at this level and depth is a revelation and revolution. These syllabi emanate from my soul, are full of lovework, my sacred texts and rituals, and aim to inspire beautiful rigor through community building and the path of self-actualization. Here’s to the best semester yet! 🙏🏼✨📚

Week 4 of the Part-Time Faculty strike ✊🏼 Some glimpses of life on the picketline, and some of life at large 🌱 🎚 Beyond grateful for the students, full-time faculty, staff and union members far and wide standing in solidarity. Especially the students 💗Y’all are LIFEFORCE. The picketline line is a profoundly joyful place to be in the face of the insults and injury handed out by the university, and the winter cold.

A bunch of warm nights upcoming this month in the DJ booth and on the dancefloor, starting tonight with at . 3 consecutive Fridays at inclduing 12/16 with special guest DJ .suave, and a new later night Saturdays situation kicking off at .

Also just dropped Say Word Selects Ep. 35. A winter chilly mix of mellow rap, funk, jazzsoul and breezy electronic. Linkinbio.

Broadcasting peace, love, strength and solidarity. Onwards ✨ Say Word!

Live from New York…it’s the Saturday Night Live afterparty, returning for the first time since 2019. Honored to be called back for another season of late night-til-early morn party rocking this Halloween weekend (my homemade DOOM mask a rerun from last year but hey every Halloween DOOMSDAY til infinity!) Holding down the turntables and whatever else needs facilitating for this jam and these folks (spontaneous karaoke? Sure.) is a truly unique New York gig for which I count my blessings. And give myself props for bodying it every time 😁 Seasons 43, 44 and now 48 after the pandemic stifle. Gigantic shouts to the staff and management at , y’all are the absolute best cause the bonus 3:30am-8:00am shift after a whole night of work is something else. And that sunrise cab ride home is really a moment of DJ serenity that’s rare air in general, and been non-existent for the last couple years. Grateful for the slow breaths over the bridge watching the skyline get painted a new day. Say Word 🙏🏼 🌄☀️

Day 1 of the 2022 Fall semester, kicking off Year 8 ♾️ at 🙏🏼 There’s a saying in my meditation practice: “Do the same thing differently” which I apply across life and art. This semester is marked by newness with the pilot iteration of dream course Hip Hop Ensemble, housed in Contemporary Music at Eugene Lang, as well as the annual autumnal reprisal of Hip Hop Skill, Style & Science. ✨ This past Spring I had loads of fun and learned as much as ever while teaching; intentions on keeping that trend going and growing. Very excited for the journey ahead in collaboration with incredible young folks. Say Word!

➡️ Some Day 1 looks, an overview of the Hip Hop Ensembles we’ll spend time with in study for inspiration (subject to change), the buzzingly appropriate card I drew morning of the first day of school (complete with the reminder to rest and recharge to stay balanced), and a necessary boardwalk twirl to stamp the weekend cause summer ain’t over yet. 🐝🎡💖

Hip Hop I Do Believe 🌍 Honored, humbled and hella excited to share that I’ve been selected to participate in the International Hip Hop Diplomacy Initiative! This is cohort 9.0 and it’s absolutely incredible to see how the program has grown, expanded and elevated since I rocked it in 2015 as part of the 2.0 cohort (Team Uganda represent!). The orientation this week in D.C. was inspiring in more ways than I can articulate. It feels incredible to be immersed in a community of Hip Hop artist activists committed to culture shifting, transformation with arts/education, and the belief that Hip Hop has the power to change the world through the impact of the cypher. This cohort is feels extra-special cause not only is it my second time a part of Next Level, but this crew is stacked with collaborators and comrades who I’ve known for years, including two youngstars who’ve I’ve worked with at both in the classroom and as pioneering members of The New School Hip Hop Collective! (Shouts & !) Thanks to the Next Level program squad and Site Managers and team for putting together such a thoughtful, intentional, enjoyable orientation retreat. So excited for what this next cycle holds for everyone. What y’all know about this global movement!?!? SALUTE!

📷 1: Next Level 9.0 massive, photo courtesy of Meridian International

📷 2: Hip Hop representing

📷 3: 9.0 DJs! Photo courtesy of the don dada who had to remix into the flick :)

📷 4: Sticker game strong!

“Some say life is a journey/I say that life is a quest…” ☀️ Grateful in more ways that I can even capture today to celebrate another trip around the Sun. Thanks for all the bornday warmth y’all! ❤️ I gave myself the annual gift of a day off the internet, watching the sky swell back and forth between rainclouds and summer sun poking through, surrounded by love and kitten, taking it necessarily slowly, drawing cards, journaling, listening to records, and feeling wildly appreciative for the gift of the past 12 months. The operative phrase has been “vibrational alignment” and it’s been a year of finding that place on the path, sometimes through the direction offered by the journey, sometimes through the seeking of the quest. One of the young folks in the summer residency I just started teaching last week hit us with this gem: “An L can either be a Loss or a Lesson, it’s up to you…” and that has been a sentiment the last few years have showed me again and again. The Alchemy of Learning is our key to growth. 💎🔑

Also wanted to share some nuggets my therapist left me with this past week. We were speaking about procrastination, the idea that being “busy” doesn’t necessarily mean working on the sh*t I’ve determined to focus on (especially when it comes to the major life’s work projects), and why I sometimes feel reluctant to engage that work. He gave me a tip and asked 4 questions. The tip was “make tomorrow’s to-do list tonight.” The questions were “Are you afraid of success? Are you afraid of failure? Are you afraid of not knowing what’s next when you finish?“ And the last one shook me to my core and roots: “Am I taking time for granted?” I promptly installed a couple new sticky-note nudges to support the alignment I feel so fortunate to have found. And was subsequently immediately met by a profound reminder of the delicate nature of life (as if I needed it? But the ✨ were like “just to make sure you really really realllllly are aware…”) 🙏🏼

Sending and reflecting light and prosperity to you all. Bathing in the waters of gratitude, sipping from the cup of pleasure, basking in the rains of love. 🌊 🦀 #718
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Heading into the last week of 🦀 season, gearing up to mark another year on planet Earth, and giving thanks for the abundant amount of high vibration love and music filling my world… happy to share my Summer 2022 mix: SURFING THE VIBES 🌊

An uptempo beach-hopping dance-music forward tape. Sounds of the season and the bodymoving grooves in my world laid down here as a continuous live mix, straight-away recorded on two Technics 1200s & Rane 70. Soulful House, Reggaeton, Afrobeat, AfroHouse, Funky & Tropical flips and some choice remixes make up the bulk of these selections. Let this tape ring out at the beach, the BBQ, the birthday soirée and the living room dance party. Hope it brings some energy to your limbs and heart, and helps get the mind in the body and the body boogying.

Link in bio (at the bottom of the “DJ” section of my website). ➡️ for the tracklisting, and some sun and moon highlights from the past month-ish. Couple chances to celebrate my bornday upcoming on the dancefloor with me too. Wishing you a blessed and beautiful weekend. Shouts all my Cancerians! Say Word ✨❤️🎶

Say Word Selects Ep. 31 here for your bumping enjoyment. A JazzyRapR&BSoul simmer easing into the summer with new music, crate gems, joints from friends. Say Word.

Tracklisting:
1 Truth Interlude - Mndsgn
2 All Over You - Leisure
3 EVENING - Moor Mother
4 Reaching - Otis Junior & Dr. Dundiff
5 Y.B.C.M. - Conway the Machine
6 Nightmares And Dreams - Your Old Droog
7 Extra - Cyhi
8 Nobody Home - Brady Watt feat. Brad Wilk & Rob Trujilo
9 The Instrument f. Stic of dead prez - Sum
10 So Tired You Can't Stop Dreaming (feat. Navy Blue) - Quelle Chris
11 Because (feat Joey Bada$$ Russ & Dylan Cartlidge) - Danger Mouse & Black Thought
12 War Heads - Deca
13 RIP Captain Save-a-Heaux - Mayyadda
14 Bus (a rhyme) - Homeboy Sandman
15 Naomi - Lupe Fiasco
16 Through Your Hands Love Can Shine (Turbotito Remix) - Giorgio Tuma
17 Laws - Core Rhythm
18 Young Buck (feat. DJ Harrison) - CARRTOONS
19 Smile Lines - E L U C I D

https://www.mixcloud.com/RabbiDarkside/say-word-selects-ep-31/

Say Word Selects Ep. 31 Episode 31! Easing into the summer season with a simmering hour of Jazzy Rap R&B Soul. Live mixed on Technics 1200s, recorded straight away. Featuring favorites from the beautiful flow of music making its way to my world, discoveries I'm getting hip to that are or feel like new, gems from my crates,...

One of the great mysteries of my life is how I ended up at a small liberal arts college in the middle of Iowa. One of the great leaps of faith was showing up there, sight unseen, when my Mom drove me out for soccer pre-season August ‘96. One of the great rewards has been the opportunity to grow that it offered, the transformative experiences it helped equip me for, and the lifelong friendships with some of the best friends who are some of the best people. Love you all! So it was an unbelievable honor to receive the 2022 Alumni Award, alongside a cohort of extraordinary honorees from c/o ‘61, ‘72, ‘76, ‘77, ‘86, ‘88, ‘97 and ‘00. 🙏🏼✨

I have been thinking a lot about legacy in 2022, and having my name and citation read next to these folks was both wildly humbling and inspiring. And to do so in front of my chosen family and classmates, who were making helllllla noise for me, was a dream. Hand on my heart whole weekend was the vibe. It stays there in gratitude and solidarity. ❤️

Some pics from Reunion Weekend, with a couple college-era classics in the mix. ➡️

Onwards and upwards!

A bit of sunshine for the timeline, and an introduction 🐈‍⬛❤️

Entering this year some of things I intentioned on inviting into my world were teachers, poetry, witchcraft, communication conduits with ancestors, and the opportunities to expand practicing my personal pedagogy throughout life. Been a long minute I’ve been contemplating adopting a kitten, and 3 months ago I let divine timing tell me: “Now.” And in came Ishmael. This little one has taught me so much already about selflessness, generosity, investment in caretaking the lives of others, taking time to be still and present with beloveds, letting go of the small stuff, and a specific kind of unconditional love. He also helped open the portal to extensions of those practices on levels I’ve never experienced, in ways he’ll never understand but for which I am profoundly, perpetually grateful. I’ve never had a pet of my own in adult life, and couldn’t have dreamt a sweeter boy to find me. All gratitude to my amazing landlords, who are very active in “feral cat intervention” in East Flatbush, rescuing, fixing and fostering. They matchmade us. And Ishmaelito has quickly become one of my great teachers. And he’s getting so big so fast 😌 Also he says “Whatup World.” 🙏🏼🐈‍⬛❤️

We made history yesterday ✨🙏🏼✨The New School Hip Hop Collective () received the invitation in April to be the featured musical performance at graduation. And as the crew is built to do, they stepped into the spotlight and shined bright as the stars. I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of these young artists/musicians/magical human beings/mentors. But I tried to convey that sense in my introduction remarks. The HHC composed this suite for the occasion, which consists of an original tune born from a jam, a sample nod to Queens, and a salute to the Collective’s mission as well as the impending summer. One of the great honors and joys of my life is working with you .lala_ .suave . Thank you for sharing your gifts, trusting me, investing in each other and this Culture and music, and just being the DOPEST. Love each of you.💖

Huge salute to the HHC OGs, our founding charter president , and the torchbearer .a.bestinthewoods who ushered us towards this renaissance era. My brothers I love and appreciate y’all in perpetuity. 💖🙏🏼

I am also extremely excited to share that in Fall ‘22 I will be facilitating the first-ever accredited Hip Hop Ensemble course at The New School, housed in Contemporary Music at Lang ✨ Roster already full🙏🏼

Congrats to all the grads celebrating (c/o ‘22, ‘21 & ‘19) and to this extraordinary squad. This was the most powerful semester of teaching in my 7 years at TNS, and I deeply thank all of the students I worked with in each of my courses, in lessons, and in extracurricular spaces. What a way to wrap it up 🙏🏼🥹And what can I say besides THANK HIP HOP!

https://youtu.be/ZDXCyGWsIFQ

The New School Hip Hop Collective @ Eugene Lang College Graduation, 5/19/22, Louis Armstrong Stadium The New School Hip Hop Collective was invited to feature as the musical feature at graduation proceedings for Eugene Lang College @ The New School. Video con...