Hip-hop

When art imitates life, there’s usually a heightened sense of realism that makes the end product a compelling experience. In Cassidy’s case, the last couple of years in his life have been cataclysmic enough to make him a Hip-Hop Picasso. After being released from prison for a murder he didn’t commit, the Philadelphia MC saw his life nearly lost again when he was involved in a car accident that left him with a fractured skull among other injuries. So with the recovery process out the way, the Full Surface Records marquee man is poised to convey all the details on his most personal album to date B.A.R.S. (The Barry Adrian Reese Story). With production from colleagues Swizz Beatz and Neo Da Matrix alongside Kanye West, Nottz, and Hi-Tek, Cassidy aims for perfection but ultimately falls short with an incongruous pairing of topics that revisits the split personality department that he covered early in his career.