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By Selina Thompson

Cassius Henry sits across the boardroom table at Island Records looking confident as he awaits another round of media questions. Dressed in baggy jeans, sports vest and trainers the first thing you notice is his small frame - smaller than initially perceived from watching his new video 'The One'. Already aware of this common misconception the 'little big man' points out those first impressions don't always count. "People say I'm the little guy with a big voice cause when they hear me sing they get surprised by my vocal skills. It's a name that's stuck from years ago".

As a child Cassius was heavily influenced by his musician father and loved singing and playing the piano to their favourite Reggae songs. The performing buzz continued into his late teens when he became a P.A at local youth centre events in Croydon and soon after his Auntie decided it was time to turn him into a real star: "It started with a phone call to a woman called DJ Elaine from B.E.T. I didn't want to call her but my Auntie kept telling me to, so after a couple of months I plucked up the courage to call and later had a meeting. From there she put me in touch with several producers."

For the next two years Cassius worked hard on the professional road to stardom - gaining confidence and developing his sound of smooth R&B inspired by legendary favourites Jodeci, R. Kelly and Joe. Then in 2002 the signing to Edel Records saw Cassius become a chart success with the hit single Broke, following heavy rotation in R & B's underground club scene. Creating an Industry buzz thanks to Radio airplay from heavyweights Trevor Nelson, Dream Team, Kiss FM and Choice FM, the soulful youngster also looked set to break mainstream boundaries with a debut performance on Top of the Pops. However this success was soon grinded to a halt: 'my little brother passed away from heart failure so I needed to take a break,' he says with solemn expression.

During the subsequent period Cassius went through more troubled times with a painful relationship break up - 'we were together for a long time and I don't feel no way to say I loved her but we spilt for various reasons'- coupled with record label 'politics' from earlier songs produced. The traumatic period finally drew to a close in early 2004 when Cassius emerged stronger with new material and a record deal at Universal. "Clive Black who owned Edel at the time felt that I needed a bigger sponsor and the track with Kanye had generated some interest. Later I got released to Universal who we're happy to invest in a black record which they felt had a good vibe".

The partnership with man of the moment Kanye West sees Cassius continue his love of Crunk R&B on the new single 'The One'. A track laced with Cassius's smooth vocals over funky R&B beats and a cameo intro from Roca-a-fella rapper Freeway, it successfully portrays their signature styles. From his own viewpoint Cassius says: "It has a hip hop element and it's got that sound (breaks into rendition of the opening beats) which is the main hook of the song as a definite party track". Supporters of UK R&B may feel disheartened by the choice to go for a US sound on the come-back single. However Cassius reveals that Kanye merely gave him a selection of beats to choose from and created the rest from there: "that sound caught my attention and felt right for what I wanted to do. It's got energy; it's clubby and more hyped". He also doesn't feel that having a transatlantic sound is a bad thing either: "you know some people say I sound American (musically) and that they think I would have more success over there than here. Now to me, that's not a negative thing to say".

Fair enough but the metaphorical title has left us asking just who or what is The One? "The One refers to a girl you meet in the club and want take home that night. It also has a double meaning because I could be The One myself". Speaking of The One in terms of UK R&B, I wondered how Cassius felt about having a second shot at being Britain's top male urban artist? The crown still held by Craig David with stiff competition from Lemar has seen many predecessors try with little success. So what is Cassius's perspective this time round? "Those before me I wasn't feelin' as vocalists and the sound is also an important factor. After all it's a package - the vocals and the beats!" Comfortable with his musical direction so far, Cassius feels ready to embrace any mass attention that the new single might bring. "I definitely want to sell records on a wide scale and I definitely want commercial success". Unlike many urban artists who prefer to stay independent, for Cassius, shifting millions of units to whomever and wherever is the name of the game. "For me music is to be heard and whoever likes it, likes it! It's a universal thing and that's part of why I'm doing this. Of course I love singing but at the same time I want to know that X amount of people have bought my song and enjoyed it".

Cassius's appeal to mainstream audiences' will be strengthened by the new album 'Little Big Man' which is an autobiographical offering that has input from producers Wyclef Jean, So Solid's Megaman and The Ignorants. Reflecting on the debut he says: "I've got tracks to come that have a different sound to The One and a lot of the album is about my ex and negative things that have happened". It was therefore important for Cassius to be centrally involved in the writing process for a true reflection: "personally as an artist, the best way people can relate to me is to write about what I've been through. If you're the listener and you've been through similar things, you can understand it". Deep in thought he continues: "writing about something else that takes me away as a person from the listener - I don't think that's cool. As an artist you should sell what you're about, that's what albums are about. Let people believe in you by hearing you ".

Keen to show urban music just how committed he is to the industry, Cassius has a long term goal is to become a business entrepreneur - owning labels and producing songs for artists like Roca-A-Fella rappers Kanye and Jay-Z. "I want to open doors and labels and have a production team. Make a campaign and build something big". Discussing his concept in more depth he continues: "it would be a lot of hard work but once you have the success, a standing and the power to make certain things happen and invest. Then people who have (UK) talent would stand more chance of being successful. That's the kind of power I want as no one has done something like this yet". Having had an insight into the US Hip Hop industry, Cassius feels it's only a matter of time before the UK is on par with their standard. "I think over here it can happen as a lot more young mainstream people are now buying into Hip Hop/ R&B but the main reason why the music is better over there is because they live and breathe it. They know exactly how to create a certain sound and they know how to produce it. Over here I think we can be a bit lazy, whereas over there they know exactly what their doing - that's the difference!"

With this much ambition and self awareness it's inevitable that Cassius will join the growing list of established artists in UK urban music. For now the Cancerian and self-confessed 'mummy's boy' is looking forward to repeat chart success and music progression which has seen him return for more: "I believe once you've been doing it over a period of time it just gets better!"

The new single The One is out now and the debut album Little Big Man coming soon.

Look out for Cassius at 1 Xtra's Hit Squad Tour in September and October.

Official sites:
Artist: www.cassiushenry.co.uk
Label: www.edel.com/index_js.html