By Malice Intended

On C.A.S.H. (Cass Always Stays Hard), Cassidy flexes his musical muscle by assisting with much of the production.  Though quite varied content wise, the album’s musical palette is somewhat limited.    Cassidy and his team advocate the sort of traditionalist approach that emphasizes raw lyricism over all else.  Cassidy seeks to marry those sensibilities to a more radio friendly format, but his reach often exceeds his grasp.

“Face 2 Face” boasts a confrontational hook with Cass urging his enemies to battle him face to face instead of lobbing insults at him via the internet and diss records.  Initially, the song makes good on its confrontational premise but soon devolves into a wish list of battles that Cass would like to see take place.  The beat merely consists of a pristinely mixed drum track.  Had Cass’s delivery been a bit livelier, the sparse musical accompaniment would have sufficed.

“Paper Up” is an ode to financial independence.  Neo Da Matrix assists Cassidy behind the boards and the two provide spry horns and a blues guitar that sounds as though it were lifted from one of the Motown classics.  This time, Cass’s energy level is more in sync with that of the track.

Bink’s second offering, “Monsta Muzick,” features dramatic strings and horns over erratic yet powerful drum rolls.  The song is essentially an endless play on the word “Monster” that ultimately proves more tiresome than amusing.  “One Shot” is a rather hollow East Coast club banger that is about five to ten years out of date.  Amazingly, it receives a much needed boost in energy during the hook; lifted in part from the countdown at the opening of Onyx’s classic “Throw Ya Guns.”  Unfortunately, the song doesn’t maintain that adrenaline level throughout.

“All Day All Night” is party anthem hampered by unimaginative production.  The bongos and slinky synths fail to produce the hedonistic mood that Cass and Neo The Matrix are shooting for.  Mya makes a guest appearance on “Girl Like Her.”  This time out, Cassidy has complete musical autonomy.  His creative choices yield a rather insubstantial and saccharine song that would likely disappear into the background if added to urban radio playlists.

The spirit of Young Money is felt on “Hate Me Or Love Me” via the Lil’ Wayne-esque singing on the hook.  Synthesized choral chanting provides ample techno ambiance.  Of all the blatantly commercial offerings on the C.A.S.H, this is perhaps the most balanced and well calculated.  It has a noticeably modern mainstream sensibility that does not feel forced.

Cassidy taps his Caribbean connection yet again for “High Off Life,” which features Junior Reid.  The track is a standard Dancehall riddim, with Cassidy affecting slight Jamaican patios to deliver certain lines.  Though not remarkable, it would get the job done on Reggae night.

“Imma G Boy” uses xylophones and triangles to conjure a subtlety nightmarish mood.  The driving 808’s, coupled with a slightly fiercer vocal performance from Cassidy, seem to find the sweet spot that most of the other songs could never find.  Here, Cassidy sounds a bit more unrestrained and less concerned with impressing his audience.

Boi-1Da provides a whimsical yet soulful backdrop for “Peace,” which has Cassidy imagining a utopia where war does not exist.  The song is not the perfunctory “conscious rap” with a positive message, but rather a testimonial from someone who has grown weary of the endless conflict and suffering he sees around him.

C.A.S.H. (Cass Always Stays Hard) is the prototypical example of a “mixtape rapper” casting a wider net and meeting with mixed results.  While not untalented, Cassidy’s skill is suited for what amounts to a niche market in this day and age.  His flow is calculated and everything feels carefully constructed, sometimes overly so.  Little spontaneity or irreverence is allowed to creep in.  That has a detrimental affect on the entire set, as so many songs are geared toward the dance floor.

C.A.S.H ultimately proves inconsequential.  Nothing here inspires anything in the way of a passionate response.  Cassidy has not lost a step as a lyricist, but he seems to be lacking in the way of inspiration.  His lethargy brings the party down considerably, sucking the life from what might have been an otherwise enjoyable album.
2.75 Out of 5

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