Was "Can I Talk To You" the first single or was that just a song that radio picked up?
Cassidy-It was just a street joint that hooked up with a mix show DJ. It was never was a single. In the beginning it was going to be set up as a single. It took some time to clear the sample or jadakiss. It took us a a long time to clear, I'm not sure why.

What made you all drop Hotel as a single ?
Cassidy-Well, we dropped a set up called "Take It." We did the video for it and everything. "Hotel" was a beautiful introduction. They will hear R Kelly and they will tune in and listen to the tune and by doing that they will learn about me. Even though I had other hits, we went with "Hotel" first. Plus Swizz Beats my producer produced it. Plus timing is everything and it was a good song for the time it was a happy song but not a summer song, It was a happy song that held it down in the winter time. Timing is everything.

Were you afraid the song would get lost with all the other R/Kelly collabos on the airwaves?
Cassidy-No, because the true hit is going to shine regardless. It's just like when he dropped an album he might have 16 or 12 songs people have their album give off a different vibe an attract and different fans

You go from gangsta to ladies man on this album? Was that part of the album formula or is that just how you are?
Cassidy-That's how I am and it is part of the album formula. That is how I am. A lot of rappers try to play one role but that is not how people are all of the time. I hang around gangstas all the time and there are times they are not like that and I hang around nerds and they aren't constantly nerds or like that. I wanted to show a variety and be versatile and I brought the "Hotel" out and it got me a large crowd of kids liking me and feeling me. The "Hotel" got older people interested in me and the people who knew me from the battles they respect "Hotel."

And the cats that ain't into commercial stuff, I got other songs, "Can I Talk To You," "Pop That Cannon." That is why I named the album Split personality. The cover art has 3 different faces, 3 different personalities. Their is Cassidy who is the ladies man, B Reese for serious issues and then Tha Problem who is a battle rapper. Three personalities.

Where did you come from before the deal? How did you get known?
Cassidy-I was on the radio 103.9 back in Philly when I was 15. I used to win the cypher all the time. They had a show where they would spin a verse and the listeners would call in. Originally they would say anything talking about a girlfriend, grandma anything. I made it a battle and dissed all the champions. I won a week straight and I quit. They started calling me asking me to come back. They eventually retired me and made me a radio personality. I was analyzing battles. I got a lot of attention and support from radio and Philly. My buzz was getting big, then I started battling everyone. People would see me in the street and they wanted to beat me in real life. I was battling every day in Philly, everyday I was just battling. Then after I met my manager TJ the negotiator he called me up and it turns out he was Swizz beats biological father. That is how I got signed to Ruff Ryders and I was going around and rhyming and going on the radio every time I got a chance. I was just battling.

Signed?
Cassidy-I was first signed as part of a group named Larceny. We were signed with Ruff Ryders for a few years. We never got a chance to drop an album cause we had to wait. I built my relationship with Swizz. He started feeling my vibe and we had chemistry. He negotiated a label with J. I would be a solo artist. No music, no beats, 2 albums straight, he was loving me, Clive was. That is how I got with Swizz on J. That's how it is. Ruff Ryders is always going to be family, that is how it is with the streets, but as far as business is concerned it's under Full Surface/J Records. It's all love.

Are you the first artist released off of the Full Surface label, besides Swizz?
Cassidy-Swizz Beats Ghetto Stories was actually released on Dreamworks. I will be the first artist released off of Full Surface.

What will be the next single?
Cassidy-The next single is #4, with Mashonda, "Gets No Better."

You're an attractive young man, have you ever considered doing any modeling or acting?
Cassidy-Yes, I've definitely would pursue both of them. I don't have time to do anything. If I was ever to do anything (regarding modeling) it would have to be my own clothing line or someone I was real tight with.

TV and the movies is straight money as far as I am concerned. You get a lot of exposure . I want to make other moves besides music, but I want to be able to take it seriously. I couldn't take a movie to TV deal now cause I have so much going on. It takes time to set up and organize things. It it gets set up and I have more time, I can a movie or TV opportunity serious but right now I am all about my music.

On the album you mention chicken cheese steak. Is chicken cheesesteak Philly specialty?
Cassidy-Yeah, chicken cheesesteak. They have that in Philly. They sell chicken cheesesteaks where I live.

Was appearing on the song "Big Business" a good look for you?
Cassidy-Yes, definitely that was my first visual on TV and to be with all those big artists, Puff, Jadakiss, Swizz, Ron Isley. They brought me in with the big dawgs. It's like I came in the game on top being surrounded by all those legends.

Who's idea was it to throw up the 6 in the Hotel video?
Cassidy-Actually, it was something that me and my man came up with. We showed Kells and then he got it down and we shot it in the video and everybody started doing it everywhere. Now when I perform the song, people throw these 6's up. We didn't plan to be big, everybody remembers it though. It's funny how something that wasn't even planned just took off. It's the little things.

Where you nervous when it took awhile for Hotel to take off?
Cassidy-It got off to a slow starts and even J was about to give up but we didn't give in to them. We had faith in the song. See its crazy in this business. You can be in a good situation, but you have to get rolling on your own. You have to make calls to DJ's. We knew a lot of DJ's, we knew DJ Enuff, DJ Ran in Philly and people supporting up spinning us on the mix shows. Once the streets aired it they wanted to hear it more. The clubs liked it and it was like a domino effect. The more the people liked it forced radio and TV to put it in their rotation. It blew up so big other stations had to follow. Everybody follows the majors stations.

Do you have any touring plans?
Cassidy-I'm going London. When I come from London, I will probably do a tour with some big artist. I know a lot of big artists. Full Surface might do a tour or something.

Are you excited about your first album coming out?
Cassidy-Definitly I am excited. It is like a nervous feeling. I know I put in the work I know I got the hit. A lot of people are like you couldn't ask to be in a better situation right before you album is coming out. It's best to have a hit before the album drops but at the end of the day the industry is funny. I pray a lot and put in a lot of work How good is good? 1 million, 2 million , 10 million. I'm nervous, but everyone is saying, "It's your time."

©2004 Dorrie Williams-Wheeler for thabiz.com. May not be reprinted.