Cassidy (rapper)
Cassidy |
|---|
Barry Adrian Reese (born July 7 1982), better known by his rap name Cassidy, is an American rapper.
His most successful work to date is his 2004 album Split Personality, which reached #2 on the Billboard 200 album chart and #1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart.[1] He won BET's Rap City Best Booth.[2]
Beginning and first album
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Cassidy attended Central High School, Philadelphia.[citation needed] He started to rap when he was 13 years old and rose to prominence by appearing on mixtapes. He was also a member of the crew Larsiny together with his home-town-friends Cal Akbar and Shiz Lansky. Producer Swizz Beatz signed him up to his Full Surface label distributed through J Records and featured him on Swizz Beatz 2002 album Presents G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories. He was the champion on Philadelphia based radio show "The Cypher".[citation needed]
Cassidy recorded the Split Personality album in 2003. The record is divided into three parts: The first is credited to Cassidy and reflects his pop side, the second, credited as "Tha Problem," aims at fans of his mix tapes and the third is credited to B. Reese from fans from his early days.[3]
Cassidy recorded the lead single "Hotel" in R. Kelly's Chicago studios with a vocal contribution by Kelly - there is also a remix featuring vocals by Trina. The song became a hit, reaching the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 in February 2004 and being nominated for a Vibe Award in the category Coolest Collabo that year.[4] It also reached the top 5 of the UK chart and the top 40 of the Australian chart in May 2004. May 2004 was also the month Cassidy featured on the cover of The Source magazine, alongside Lil' Flip, Young Gunz and J-Kwon.[5]
Split Personality was released on March 16 2004 and debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 album charts and at #1 on the R&B/Hip Hop albums charts.[1] The second single, "Get No Better", featured a contribution from labelmate Mashonda but did not do as well on the singles charts, reaching #82 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In September of 2004, Cassidy was nominated for "Lyricist of the Year" at the Source Awards.[6]
Sophomore album
Cassidy released his second album, I'm a Hustla on June 28, 2005, through Swizz Beatz's label, Full Surface. It achieved a highest chart position of #5 in the United States.[1] The album's title track features a sample from Jay-Z's "Dirt off Your Shoulder" and the song was nominated for a Vibe Award in the category Street Anthem.[7] A remix featuring Mary J. Blige followed soon after. In 2006, the ringtone version of his track I'm a Hustla was one of the first-ever ringtones to be certified platinum.[8]
Another track off the album, The Message was released as a charity single, promoting Cassidy's involvement with the Millions More Movement.
Legal issues
On June 8 2005, police issued a warrant for Cassidy's arrest, for the murder of a 22-year-old man during an April 15 2005 shooting.
MTV News reported that according to police, three men, including Cassidy, armed with .45 and .40 caliber handguns, 9 mm pistols, and an AK47 variant, fired on three other men during an argument that occurred in the rapper's West Oak Lane neighborhood in Northwest Philadelphia just before 1 a.m. on April 15 2005.[9]
Cassidy's murder case took a turn when the primary witness admitted under oath initially lying to police and that he had not seen Cassidy firing a weapon.[10] This resulted in Municipal Judge Marsha Neifield stating that Cassidy would only have to stand trial for third-degree murder, attempted murder and weapons violation charges. This was later overturned to the original, first degree charge - negating the possibility of parole.[11]
On January 24 2006 Cassidy was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of aggravated assault. He was sentenced to eleven-and-a-half to 23 months in jail and was credited with the 7 months he had already served. [12][13] Cassidy was released from Pennsylvania's Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility on March 2 2006 after serving eight months.[14] He is now on parole for an unspecified length of time and is now working on his third album with Swizz Beatz.
2006 car accident
Cassidy was critically injured in a motor vehicle accident on the night of October 5 2006, when a commercial truck, the size of a U-Haul truck, collided with Cassidy's SUV whilst he was a passenger. He was taken to Jersey City Medical Center, where he was diagnosed with a fractured skull and several broken bones on the left side of his face.[15][16][17]
Discography
For more information about his singles, albums certifications, and music videos, see Cassidy discography.
- Split Personality (2004)
- I'm a Hustla (2005)
- It Is What It Is (2007)
References
- ^ a b c "Cassidy's Billboard albums chart positions at All Music Guide". Retrieved April 23.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ The Best Of The Booth Bow Wow And Cassidy
- ^ Cassidy Says R. Kelly Was Unplanned Guest In His 'Hotel' Shaheem Reid, March 24 2004
- ^ Vibe Awards
- ^ [1]
- ^ Kanye West Leads Source Award Nominees Clarence Burke Jr., September 9 2004
- ^ Vibe Awards 2005, News, Nominees & Winners, TV Schedule Chiff.com, November 12 2005
- ^ RIAA Launches New Gold And Platinum Award For Ringtones RIAA.com, June 14 2006
- ^ Cassidy Wanted For Murder MTV News, June 16 2005
- ^ Murder Charges Against Cassidy Lowered Nolan Strong, August 16 2005
- ^ Cassidy's Murder Rap Reinstated Carl Chery, September 15 2005
- ^ US rapper jailed for manslaughter BBC News, January 25 2006
- ^ Cassidy Convicted Of Involuntary Manslaughter — Will Be Eligible For Parole Soon MTV News, January 24 2006
- ^ Cassidy Home From Jail Roman Wolfe, March 3 2006
- ^ Rapper Cassidy In Critical Condition After Car Accident MTV News, October 5 2006
- ^ Rapper injured in Jersey City crash Michaelangelo Conte and Jeff Theodore, October 9, 2006
- ^ [Update] Cassidy Suffering from Fractures, Scars Kenny Rodriguez, October 11, 2006