Cassidy (rapper)
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Cassidy
Background information
Birth name	Barry Adrian Reese
Origin	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania United States
Genre(s)	Hip hop
Occupation(s)	Rapper, producer, songwriter, actor
Years active	1996 – present
Label(s)	Ruff Ryders, Full Surface, J Records(2002-2008), Amalgam Entertainment(2008-present)
Associated acts	Ruff Ryders, Larsiny Family, Swizz Beatz, Mashonda, Mario, Freeway, Neo Da Matrix
Website	cassidymusic.com

Barry Adrian Reese, better known by his stage 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

Musical career

Early music career

Cassidy rose to prominence by appearing, and winning, on The Cypher, a radio competition on 103.9 The Beat. ^{3dubious – discuss} He was also a member of the crew Larsiny with his home-town friends Cal Akbar and Shiz Lansky. Producer Swizz Beatz signed Cassidy to his Full Surface label and featured him on his 2002 album Presents G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories.

Cassidy received some fame after he won a freestyle battle with Roc-A-Fella artist Freeway. Cassidy recorded his first album, Split Personality 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 mixtapes and the third is credited to B. Reese from fans from his early days.⁴

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 was nominated for a Vibe Award in the category Coolest Collabo that year.⁵ It also reached the top 5 of the UK reggiechart 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.⁶

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 2004, Cassidy was nominated for "Lyricist of the Year" at the Source Awards.⁷

Second album

Cassidy released his second album, I'm a Hustla on June 28, 2005, through Swizz Beatz's label, Full Surface. It reached a chart position of #5 on Billboards Hot Rap Tracks 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.⁸ 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.⁹

Another track off the album, The Message was released as a charity single, promoting Cassidy's involvement with the Millions More Movement.

Third album

Cassidy's third album, B.A.R.S. The Barry Adrian Reese Story was released on November 7, 2007, featuring his lead single "My Drink N' My 2 Step," which had leaked to the radio and several internet sites¹⁰. He also created a B.A.R.S. Competition Freestyle Battle on October 10, 2007 live on MTV's Sucker Free. He will be featured on the AND1 Mixtape Tour 2007.¹¹

Cassidy will also be the new face of Lot 29, which featured other artists such as Juelz Santana.¹²

Cassidy is also working on a group album with Larsiny.¹³

Fourth album

Cassidy confirmed in an interview with Allhiphop.com that his fourth album will be eponymously titled Cassidy.¹⁴

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 AK-47 variant, fired on three other men during an argument that occurred in the rapper's West Oak Lane neighborhood in the Olney/Oak Lane section of Philadelphia just before 1 a.m. on April 15, 2005.¹⁵

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.¹⁶ 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.¹⁷

On January 24, 2006, Cassidy was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of aggravated assault for a local drive-by with Larceny Family. Cassidy shot two people that night, and was sentenced to eleven-and-a-half to 23 months in jail and was credited with the 7 months he had already served.¹⁸¹⁹ Cassidy was released from Pennsylvania's Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility on March 2, 2006 after serving eight months.²⁰

Car accident

Cassidy was seriously 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 while he was a passenger. He was taken to the Jersey City Medical Center, where he was diagnosed with a fractured skull and several broken bones on the left side of his face. He still has visible scars from the accident.²¹²²²³

Personal life

Cassidy has a son whose name is Cassidy and a fiancee.²⁴

Discography

Main article: Cassidy discography

• 2004: Split Personality
• 2005: I'm a Hustla
• 2007: B.A.R.S. The Barry Adrian Reese Story
• 2008: Back To The Problem

References

External links

• Official website
• Cassidy (rapper) at MySpace
• Official Cassidy fansite

Interviews

• AHH.com Interview Part 1, Cassidy: Jail, Lessons & The State of Affairs Part 1 By Jigsaw
• AHH.com Interview Part 2, Cassidy: Jail, Lessons & The State of Affairs Part 2 By Jigsaw
• AHH.com Cassidy: Friend or Foe By Aqua
• September 2007 Interview