Review: Samara Cyn — Detour
Music
Samara Cyn
Detour
VANTA Records
Street: 03.20.2026
Samara Cyn = Saba + Noname / SZA
As Samara Cyn’s sophomore project, the EP Detour enraptures your mind and attention in just 19 minutes. The production is mostly done by Two Fresh and Pera. I’d make a cheesy joke about how fresh the beats are but I’m tryna grow from puns. Samara Cyn has been on my radar for some time now, having collaborated with Armani White and Smino signals major Doechii treatment to me. Welcome to the world of refined grunge rap: minimalistic with every flourish, decadence in every rhyme. The 21st century introduced the mainstream hip hop that many people I know associate the sound with, the year 2016 goes down in history as one of the best years for rap and music in general. Ten years out and what we have is a varied ecosystem with some of the biggest trendsetters and groundbreakers that many people pay little or no attention to. My mission is to change this, not to have the sound enter the mainstream again. God no, as fun as Mo Bamba was, it’s not art, it’s not poetry, it doesn’t enter your brain like a soft, slithering snake to whisper not-so-secrets. Believe it or not but rap is prose, this EP is proof of such.
Starting out with “FREE” the repetition hypnotizes the listener and wraps them up in its melodies. The breakdown after the chorus is something I want to take a bite out of, it’s so crunchy and tangible. This all leads to Cyn’s voice saying, “You are now on a detour from expectation, enjoy.” This introduces the main themes of the project, letting go of expectation which I’d advise you do if you keep listening because of how many directions it takes. “Good is A LIE” follows this, with such a cool girl mentality Cyn has managed to make a song that is slightly nostalgic with an obvious overtone of the chicness you’d envy of that one girl on Instagram. Still, the title reminds me that goodness and moral superiority is a funhouse of identity. Next we’re greeted with “oooshxt!” which feels like perfect getting-ready-for-a-party music. The lyrics here are easily my favorite, “bitches saddity, they constantly making me nauseous/ Y’all dead to me, smell carcass.” Cyn’s simplistically intoxicating flow draws you in then spits you back out again, “Sell hard so they stuntin’ my steeze/ Only smile when he see me, he ain’t spoke in a week/ Cause my tongue so sharp it was cutting his cheek.”
Ovrkast. is another artist to be aware of, having also handled the production and is a repeat collaborator with Cyn. I would highly recommend checking out his last album, While the Iron is Hot. Smack dab center of this project, he appears on “BUSHWICK” and proclaims, “On a bigger boat I’m feeling very Yachtty.” Stepping to the timbre of the city, it’s all cyber beats and drum riffs from here. Entering with an entrancing flute, chimes and violin strings, “over influence” is the main song I would love to hear if Cyn is ever on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert. Or honestly in concert at all, the melodica is so delicious I want to scoop it with a spoon and savor every last note. “Highest” seems like an obvious reference to smoking but the lyrics tell a different story. “Always knew a bitch like me was gon’ make it / Look good even when I had to fake it / Walk in every room like a million dollar baby.” Lastly we’re greeted with a slice of life piece, “Nomad.” I’m reminded of Clairo but the word holds a different meaning here, having moved around a lot as a child it means not knowing an established home. The spoken lyrics call luck a drug with hard withdrawals and her home an ether, all of them feel like a peak inside Cyn’s mind.
In summation: I fuck with this EP. I like the different capitalization on the title tracks, I don’t like the album cover. The more I listen the more I can imagine the songs being played in American Eagle which makes me sad. Again, the goal is not mainstream: it’s uncovering artists that deserve to be seen. Still, give this one a shot if you think you don’t like rap and let Samara Cyn take you on a detour from that mindset. —Marzia Thomas
Read more music reviews by Marzia Thomas:
Review: Mon Rovîa — Bloodline
Local Review: Ritt Momney – BASE
