Conference Sam The Kid: A Journey Through the History and Culture of National Hip Hop

Sam The Kid, also known as STK, is the stage name of Samuel Mira. Hailing from Chelas and born in 1979, Sam The Kid is today regarded as one of the biggest names in Portuguese rap and one of the most important music producers in the genre. A key figure in Portuguese music, it was in Zona I, in the famous "magic room" in Chelas, that he created his first beats and rhymes back in 1993. His first album, Entre(tanto), was released in 1999, and since then, he has been responsible for some of the greatest works in national hip hop.

His talent for crafting verses remained evident in his subsequent projects, and Sobre(tudo), released in 2002, confirmed just that. Also in 2002, he released Beats Vol 1: Amor — instrumentals, and in 2006, his fourth album, Pratica(mente), was awarded a Gold Record.

In 2009, the project Orelha Negra was born, in which Sam The Kid, together with Fred Pinto Ferreira, João Gomes, Francisco Rebelo, and DJ Cruzfader, produced instrumental tracks blending various styles. To date, three albums and two mixtapes have been released.

In 2018, after a long period of anticipation from fans, Sam The Kid finally released a new studio album. “Mechelas” features 18 original tracks, with 17 of them including collaborations from some of the biggest names in Portuguese hip hop, such as Boss AC, Sir Scratch, Bob da Rage Sense, Bispo, Maze, GROGNation, among others. “Sendo Assim” is the track that marks the rapper’s return to solo rhymes.

All tracks were composed and produced by Sam The Kid himself, and it was the first compilation under the TV Chelas label. Since then, the digital platform dedicated to hip hop has released two more albums, “Caixa De Ritmos” (2020) and “Um café e a conta” (2021).