S3.E40: Sam Kim on Why He Doesn't Date Transphobic People, the Asian Diaspora, and Music as a Lifeline

<p>Korean-American Artist Sam Kim "Babo," now "Samathan" on Diaspora, Hip-Hop, Bisexual Identity &amp; Creative Survival</p><p><br /></p><p>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?</p><p><br /></p><p>In this episode of <em>Embracing All of Me</em>, Ross sits down with <strong>Sam Kim known as Babo and Samathan</strong>, Korean-American artist and creator, for a layered conversation on identity, the Asian diaspora, and creative expression as survival. </p><p>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.</p><p><br /></p><p><strong>We get into:</strong></p><p><br /></p><ul><li>What it means to grow up between cultures, Korean, American, neither, both, and how diaspora fragments identity before you even have language for it</li></ul><p><br /></p><ul><li>Navigating hip-hop as a non-Black artist, the influences, the debts and the tensions</li></ul><p><br /></p><ul><li>Asian diaspora tensions, model minority myths and the shared work of decentering whiteness</li></ul><p><br /></p><ul><li>Sam's track <strong>"i wannabeprolific"</strong> — unpacking its visual symbolism (fragmented mirrors, subtle identity cues) and the deeper frustration behind the music: the pull between creative purpose and survival</li></ul><p><br /></p><ul><li>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</li></ul><p><br /></p><ul><li>Why embracing the "cringe" is part of the work, and learning to see yourself as enough before the world tells you otherwise</li></ul><p><br /></p><p>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.</p><p><br /></p><p><strong>About Sam Kim (Samathan):</strong><br />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. </p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Connect with Sam Kim:</strong><br /></p><p><br /><a href="https://www.babobars.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Sam's Website</a></p><p>Watch <a href="https://youtu.be/XXPcmZVAB3Q?si=7Z9glzypsAmoF_ff" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">"I Wannabeprolific"</a></p><p>Samathan on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/babobars?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&amp;igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Instagram</a></p><p>Samathan on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ZN1fZrLuobbJG6QHUXPC8?si=Q44BktIpQUS7jBe9a91d7A" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Spotify</a></p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Learn More:</strong></p><p><br /><em>Embracing All of Me</em> 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.<br />Website: <a href="https://embracingallofme.org" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://embracingallofme.org</a><br />Email: <a href="mailto:stories@embracingallofme.org" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">stories@embracingallofme.org</a><br />Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/embracingallofmee" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">@embracingallofmee</a></p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Take Action:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://embracingallofme.org/contribute" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Contribute</a> a written piece to <em>Embracing All of Me</em></li><li>Book a <a href="https://embracingallofme.org/creativeconsult" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Creat