Korean-American Artist Sam Kim “Babo,” now “Samathan” on Diaspora, Hip-Hop, Bisexual Identity & Creative Survival

What does it mean to be seen, fully, when you exist in fragments, when every room you enter asks you to choose which part of yourself to bring?

In this episode of Embracing All of Me, Ross sits down with Sam Kim known as Babo and Samathan, Korean-American artist and creator, for a layered conversation on identity, the Asian diaspora, and creative expression as survival.

From growing up between cultures in New Jersey and Queens to navigating hip-hop as a non-Black Asian artist, Sam reflects on the influences that shaped his sound, and the responsibility that comes with borrowing from Black art forms while holding space for his own Korean-American experience.

We get into:

• What it means to grow up between cultures, Korean, American, neither, both, and how diaspora fragments identity before you even have language for it

• Navigating hip-hop as a non-Black artist, the influences, the debts and the tensions

• Asian diaspora tensions, model minority myths and the shared work of decentering whiteness

• Sam’s track “i wannabeprolific” — unpacking its visual symbolism (fragmented mirrors, subtle identity cues) and the deeper frustration behind the music: the pull between creative purpose and survival

• Relationships, boundaries, and one of Sam’s dating non-negotiables. “I don’t date transphobes.” and how “Are you transphobic?,” a simple question that reveals everything

• Why embracing the “cringe” is part of the work, and learning to see yourself as enough before the world tells you otherwise

This episode is about more than music. It’s about self-worth, creative survival, and what it takes to hold all of yourself when the world keeps asking you to fragment.

About Sam Kim (Samathan):
Sam Kim (Samathan) is a Korean-American artist and creator whose work explores identity, diaspora, and the intersection of hip-hop, visual art, and cultural responsibility.

Connect with Sam Kim:

Sam’s Website

Watch “I Wannabeprolific”

Samathan on Instagram

Samathan on Spotify

Learn More:

Embracing All of Me is a storytelling and advocacy platform for the multi, complex, and in-between, uplifting the voices of Bi+ people of color, our kin and friends.
Website: https://embracingallofme.org
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @embracingallofmee

Take Action:

• Contribute a written piece to Embracing All of Me
• Book a Creative Consult with Ross Victory

Topics: Sam Kim, Babo, Samathan, Korean-American artist, Asian diaspora, hip-hop and race, non-Black artist in hip-hop, bisexual identity, queer Asian artist, bisexual asians, Korean-American identity, cultural appropriation vs appreciation, anti-Blackness in Asian communities, model minority myth, creative survival, i wannabeprolific, trans allyship, dating and boundaries, self-worth and identity, diaspora and belonging, BIPOC creatives