If you were lurking on Hypebeast forums or RapGenius back in 2013, you remember the chaos. Tyler, The Creator had just dropped WOLF, and suddenly, everyone was a basement detective. We weren’t just listening to beats; we were tracking a cinematic universe of alter egos. At the center of that storm was a character named Sam.
Sam isn't just a name Tyler shouted in a song. He’s the antagonist. The shadow. The guy in the green beanie who basically represented every toxic, insecure, and violent impulse Tyler was trying to process at twenty-one. While Wolf Haley was the "cool" skater kid version of Tyler, Sam was the one selling drugs and threatening to shoot people.
✨ Don't miss: Samuel L Jackson Afro Hairstyles: What Most People Get Wrong
Honestly, the lore is deep. It’s messy. But if you want to understand why WOLF is a masterpiece, you have to understand Samuel Patay Lavi III.
Who Is Sam? (And Why Does He Hate Wolf?)
Basically, Sam is the "bad guy" of the WOLF trilogy, which spans the albums Bastard, Wolf, and Goblin. He’s a resident at Camp Flog Gnaw, a fictional summer camp for troubled kids that feels more like a mental health facility. Sam is the leader of a gang called "The Dead Sams." He’s got asthma, a nicotine addiction, and a massive chip on his shoulder.
He’s the first person Wolf meets at camp. Right away, the vibe is off. On the title track "WOLF," Sam tells him: "You stay the fuck out of our way and we'll stay out of yours."
Things get ugly because of a girl named Salem. She’s Sam’s girlfriend, but she’s clearly over his toxicity. When Sam leaves the camp to go on a drug run, Wolf and Salem start hanging out. They go to the lake. They ride bikes. They fall in love. When Sam gets back and finds out from L-Boy that Salem has been cheating, he goes on a literal murderous rampage.
The "Pigs" Backstory
Most people think Sam is just a random bully, but the song "Pigs" changes the whole perspective. It’s a dark, uncomfortable track where Sam explains how he was bullied in high school. He was the kid who got rejected by everyone, and eventually, he snapped. He shot up his school to get revenge. That’s how he ended up at Camp Flog Gnaw.
👉 See also: Jerry The King Lawler WWE: Why He Isn’t On Your Screen Anymore
It makes him a tragic villain. You don't like him, but you kinda see how he became this monster. He’s the embodiment of Tyler’s own feelings of rejection and being an outcast, dialed up to a level that's genuinely scary.
The Relationship Between Sam and Wolf
It’s easy to get confused because Tyler plays both characters. In the "IFHY" music video—which stands for "I Fucking Hate You"—we see the peak of this conflict. The video description literally says "Wolf performs Sam's song."
Wait, what?
This is where the E-E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) of the lore comes in. If you look at the trilogy as a psychological study, Sam and Wolf are the same person. They are two halves of Tyler’s fractured psyche.
- Wolf Haley: The charismatic, creative, and "good" side. He wants to ride his bike (Slater) and love Salem.
- Sam: The insecure, jealous, and "bad" side. He wants to sell drugs, control Salem, and hurt anyone who threatens him.
In the lore, Sam is so threatened by Wolf because Wolf represents the happiness Sam can't have. Sam is stuck in his trauma. When Wolf arrives, Sam sees a version of himself that might actually be okay, and he hates it. This culminates in the track "Rusty," where Sam kills Earl Sweatshirt just to send a message to Wolf. That’s why Earl isn't on the next album, Goblin—in the story, he’s dead.
Sam Is Dead: The End of an Era
If you want to know what happened to Sam, you have to watch the "Sam (Is Dead)" music video from the OF Tape Vol. 2. It’s the chronological end of the story.
In the video, Tyler plays multiple versions of himself. Eventually, one of them (presumably the "real" Tyler or Wolf) executes the others. He kills Sam. He kills the versions of himself that were holding him back.
It was Tyler’s way of saying goodbye to the "edgy" era. By killing Sam, he was moving toward the more mature, introspective artist we saw on Flower Boy and IGOR. Sam had to die so Tyler could grow.
What Most People Get Wrong
People often argue about the timeline. Is WOLF a prequel?
Yes. Most die-hard fans and critics (like those at Vice or Pitchfork) agree that WOLF happens before Goblin. In WOLF, Sam is alive and hunting Wolf. In Goblin, Tyler is in a therapy session with Dr. TC, realizing that Sam, Wolf, and everyone else were just voices in his head.
"See Tyler, I'm your conscience. I'm Tron Cat, I'm Ace, I'm Wolf Haley, I'm Sam." — Dr. TC on the track "Golden."
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're trying to piece this together yourself, here is how you should listen to get the full story of Sam:
- Listen to "Pigs" first. It gives you Sam's origin story. You'll understand why he's so defensive and violent.
- Watch the "IFHY" video. Pay attention to the dollhouse imagery. It represents Sam's desire to control Salem and keep her in a "perfect" (but plastic) world.
- Read the lyrics to "Lone." This is the final track on WOLF. It bridges the gap between the camp and the therapy sessions in Goblin.
- Pay attention to the hat colors. In early Tyler lore, clothing is a huge clue. Sam is almost always tied to that green "GOLF" beanie and a white t-shirt. If you see that, you're looking at Sam.
Sam is the reason WOLF feels so tense. He’s the ghost in the machine of Tyler’s early career. Without the "Sam" persona to push against, we might never have gotten the vulnerability that made Tyler a global icon.
To fully grasp the narrative, go back and listen to "Rusty" with the knowledge that the gunshot at the end isn't just a sound effect—it’s the moment Sam officially loses his mind.