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With the release of his debut single, 'Hotel'approaching, Philly native Cassidy talks to The Situation about working with controversial singer R.Kelly, Spitting lyrics over Swizz Beats, and the release of his debut album.
Ushered
into a spare room at the BMG London offices, twenty-one year-old Cassidy
and I finally managed to sit down for an interview. Dressed casually in
jeans, a white T-shirt, a baseball cap and a whole lot of jewellery, the
Philadelphia born star seemed on a high as he explained the journey which
led to his debut single reaching the top 5 in the US Billboard 100 charts.
"I grew up listening to all types of music. I was a big Motown fan, loved The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Jackson 5, Michael Jackson. The Hip-Hop cats I listened to? I listened to everybody! From Run DMC, Curtis Blow, Salt 'n' Pepa to Queen Latifah... I could keep naming all day!" He continued, "My father used to rap even before I was born. I'm 21 years old, so when I was born I was born into hip hop."
The delivery of every child is a procedure that if not carried out correctly can lead to future complications. The delivery of a rappers lyrics, in terms of flow and the ability to battle, if needs be, is just as important to a rapper's growth and survival. Luckily for Cassidy he was blessed with enhanced lyrical capabilities. "I've been doing it my whole life, y'know, freestylin, playin' around with it, but I started getting serious about seven years ago because that was when I first started going to high school and everyone pushed me to rap. There was a place in Philly where everyone from the city used to meet up after school and after work, so I started battling there and building my up reputation."
In 96, he took to the challenge of battling the champion of 'The Cipher' show on Philadelphia station 103.9 FM and won. "I stepped up another level when I entered 'The Cipher', and I started winning that for months at a time. I had people tunin' in every night, just to hear what I had to say. When I seen I had that much influence over people, I said 'Well damn, I could take this seriously and pursue this as a career', so then I got focused on writing every day and stepping it up."
From battling on stage and appearing on the radio, Cassidy went up a notch after a chance meeting in a barbershop with Swizz Beats' father, Terrance Dean, bringing Cassidy to the attention of the Ruff Ryder family. "I was 16," remembers Cassidy. "This dude came in talking about he worked with Ruff Ryders and wanted to hear me rap, so after the shop closed I spit a verse. Then I just started spitting for an hour and some change. He took my number down and said he would get with me. Two days later, I was in class and my mom paged me and asked me if I met someone for Ruff Ryders because they wanted me to come out to New York today. I was in 11th grade."
Cassidy left his hometown to make the trip to New York with fellow rhymers Shizz Lansky and Cal Akbar. They subsequently signed to Ruff Ryders as a group. "I was in Larsony, a three man group. We got about 35 done, but never got a chance to release them." Shelved by Ruff Ryders due to the high number of artists on their roster, at the time, Cassidy watched as established Label mates, such as, DMX, Eve and Jadakiss stole the limelight. During his time on the sideline, he did manage to make guest appearances on mix tapes, 'Ruff Ryders Ryde or Die Compilation 2 and 3', and Nas' remix of 'The General' featuring Fat Joe. Whilst he was unable to gain vast amounts of exposure through record sales, Cassidy gained huge publicity and respect in the underground circuit, by winning a rap battle with Roca Fella artist Freeway. Witnessed and recorded at New York City's Sony Music Studios, Cassidy, despite the odds being against him, was able to carry out a lyrical onslaught and come out victorious.
At the same time, established producer Swizz Beats, (DMX - X Gonna Give It To You, The L.O.X - Ride or Die, Jay-Z - Things That U Do), was in discussion with J Records Boss, Clive Davis, about starting his own label. Having moved in the same circles as Cassidy for some time, Swizz, who saw potential in the young artist, approached him with a proposal he could not refuse. "I started building my relationship with Swizz as he was the main producer over there [Ruff Ryders]. He brought me to J Records and that's how I ended up solo." Cassidy became the debut artist to emerge on Swizz Beats', subsidiary label, 'Full Circle'.
Just over a year later, his debut single 'Hotel' has smashed into the US charts. Having R.Kelly on the track was an unexpected blessing: "It wasn't planned for me to work with him, it was a spur of the moment thing", explained Cassidy. "I met R.Kelly one time before we did the song in New York 'cos we invited him to the studio. We was laughing and joking and having fun, so when we went to Chicago, he invited us to do the same thing. In the studio we had Swizz playing beats and when he played the 'Hotel' beat, R.Kelly was feeling it! So we let him know the concept, and he took it upon himself to go lay the chorus, the bridge and everything! I didn't expect anything, he just did it. I dunno if it was because of the vibe he felt; because he wanted to help my career, because he wanted to help Swizz - I don't know what was running through R.Kelly's mind, but I know it was a blessing."
In light of the controversy surrounding R.Kelly in recent months, many artists would have shied away from such collaboration. However, Cassidy and crew kept it on the level. "I think that was one of the reasons why I got the song done. When he came to New York, when the problems first started, a lot of the artists he did favours for in the past and looked out for, turned their back on him. He got to see who was real and who was fake. We invited him into the studio; we didn't judge him because of that. We just respect him for his music. I didn't even know him personally, so how can I judge what he do in his personal life? That showed me you gotta treat people good and build your relationships, 'cos you never know what could come out of that."
Working with one of the biggest producers in Hip Hop has been a part of the roller coaster he's on: "I feel good working with Swizz. I mean, a lot of times we be going through our problems and things like that. It's kinda hard 'cos we're friends and he's my CEO. We might not see eye to eye on a business level, but on the creative side, like being in the studio working on the music, I wouldn?t want to work with anyone else."
The reasons for the name of the album, being entitled, 'Split Personality' is that it is divided into thirds. Cassidy explains, "I broke it down into three categories. B.Reese is one of them and I put that category on the album 'cos when I was younger, 14. I wasn't really involved in the streets as much and I was still in school, so I was doing more conscious-type lyrics. 'The Problem' which represents the Freeway battle, the mixtape style - I wanted to please that fan base too, so I put that on the album. Once I came out with the 'Hotel' song I got a huge female fan base, a huge mainstream crossover fan base, so I wanted to please them too and I called that category, 'Cassidy'. A lot of cats say keeping it real is just being hard and playing this role, but that's not real to me. That's movie stuff like, Arnold Schwarzenegger type roles. You wanna just be so hard at all times and that's not realistic. Keeping it real to me is being yourself, showing all sides, you know what I mean? Sometimes you gonna be mad and mean; sometimes you're gonna be on that vibe but there's other times when you're not, so you gotta bring that to the table too."
Acts making guest appearances on the album other then R.Kelly are Jazze Pha, Snoop Dogg, Styles P, Trina and female, Full Circle label mate, Mashonda. Expect to see Cassidy back in the UK soon for the Princes Trust Urban Music Festival. Already a fan of UK music, he named a few of his favourites. "Somebody that I'm feeling from the UK is this female Keisha White, and I like Ms Dynamite, I got to meet her last night." Whether or not 'Hotel' will get the same success it had in the States is anyone's guess, but Cassidy is certainly a name to look out.
Album: Split Personality - Out Now!
Watch the video for the single - Hotel
