Songoftheday 3/18/22 -Girl i wish that i could spend time with you each and every day, playing all my love and emotions that's the thing that's got me open...

 

 

"I Like It" - Sammie

from the album From The Bottom To The Top (2000)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #24 (one week)

Weeks in the Top-40: 9

 

Today's song comes from R&B singer Sammie Bush Jr., a Florida native who got his big break as a pre-teen appearing on Showtime At The Apollo before being signed to Capitol Records. Using just has first name as his recording moniker, Sammie released his debut album From The Bottom To The Top in 2000. The lead single from the set, "I Like It", was written by producer Dallas Austin along with Gary White. The record uses a toned-down version of Miami bass appropriate for a thirteen-year-old, as Sammie serenades his probably first girlfriend. With a delivery that reminds me of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, though his voice is a bit straining, like a Kidz Bop version. All and all, a non-offensive song for the (very) younger age group its intended for, and for that it did the trick...

"I Like It" became Sammie's first top-40 pop crossover hit in April of 2000. The song climbed to #8 on Billboard magazine's R&B chart, while getting to #22 on their Rhythmic radio format list. The From The Bottom To The Top album, released in March of that year, climbed to #46 on the Billboard 200 sales tally, and #12 on the R&B Albums list, going on to sell over a half million copies. 

 

The second single from the album was "Crazy Things I Do", a production of Christopher "Tricky" Stewart. The song flowed a tad smoother for Sammie's voice, with phrasing that is like the many female R&B groups of that same time. While it climbed to #39 on Billboard's R&B chart, the single missed the pop Hot 100, "bubbling under" the list at #115. 

 

The following year, Sammie returned on a song from the Keanu Reeves movie Hardball. Teaming up with rappers Lil Bow Wow, Lil Wayne, and Lil Zane (but not going by Lil Sammie), "Hardball" was a minor R&B hit at #77 in 2001. 

 

After a break to finish high school, Sammie returned in 2006 on Rowdy/Universal Records (the "hip-hop" side of Motown) with his sophomore effort Sammie. The album peaked a few notches higher than the debut at #42 on the Billboard 200, and #8 on the R&B Albums list, but while the two singles from the set reached the R&B top-40 with "You Should Be My Girl" with rapper Sean P at #26, followed by "Come With Me" at #23, both only "bubbled under" the pop Hot 100 both at #104. 

Sammie returned to the big time in 2008, when he sung the vocal hook on rapper Soulja Boy Tell 'Em's single "Kiss Me Thru The Phone", which made the top ten on both the pop and R&B charts, and will be eventually on this series. Since then, Sammie has released four more albums independently on the Star Camp label, most recently with this year's Satin Sheets EP, preceded by the single "Pussy Cry". 

(4/10)

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Here's Sammie performing "I Like It" live on the Tonight Show...

And fast forward to 2019, where a quite buff Sammie sings to a screaming crowd...

Up tomorrow: This colorful singer gets her debut.