Cassidy: Biography

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• Discography
• Biography
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Birth Name:

Barry Reese

Genres:

Rap & Hip-Hop Music, Rock Music, East Coast Rap Music

Decades Active:

2000's

Popularity

Low

Ratings Guide

The first MC of significance to be supported by Swizz Beatz's Jaffiliated Full Surface label, Cassidy is a freshfaced Philadelphian who gained a lot of attention as a battle rapper with a successful bout against Freeway as one of the first feathers in his cap. People who had been following him through several mixtape appearances were more than a little surprised by the angle taken on his first solo single, "Hotel." Rather than build on his street credibility, Cassidy used the song with vocal hooks courtesy of R. Kelly to establish himself as an MC who could just deliver a fluffy chartaimed hit with equal ease. "Hotel" more or less piggybacked Chingy's "Holidae In" as a likethemed tune into the upper reaches of the singles charts, all the while being as light musically as the same rapper's "One Call Away." Split Personality, Cassidy's debut album, arrived just as "Hotel" was peaking, in March of 2004, and debuted at the number two spot on the Billboard album chart. The following year, the MC returned with the harder I'm a Hustla, which was released roughly two weeks after he was charged with a murder that took place in his Philadelphia neighborhood.

- Andy Kellman, All Music Guide