Cassidy rose to prominence as a battle rapper and started appearing on mixtapes. Producer Swizz Beatz signed him to his Full Surface label distributed through J Records and featured him on Swizz's 2002 album Presents G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories. Cassidy has also appeared on tracks by Snoop Dogg and Wyclef Jean.
Cassidy recorded the Split Personality album in the year 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. The third is credited to B. Reese from fans from his early days. [1]
Cassidy recorded the track and lead single "Hotel" with R. Kelly in Kelly's Chicago studios with a vocal contribution by Kelly - there is also a version featuring vocals by Trina. The song became a hit, reaching the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 in February 2004 and the top 5 of the UK charts in May 2004. The song also reached the Australian top 40 in late May 2004.
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. 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.
Cassidy released his second album, I'm A Hustla, on Swizz Beatz's label, Full Surface. The album features a sample from Jay-Z's "Dirt off your Shoulders" on the first single, "I'm a Hustla". A remix featuring Mary J. Blige followed soon after. It was released on June 28, 2005 and it reached #5 on the Billboard in the United States.
Cassidy is known for his freestyling ability. He first came into national attention after spiking the Roc-a-Fella rapper and fellow Philadelphian, Freeway. The studio session made its way to the streets and the internet, where interest in Cassidy grew.
Different styles and flows
Tha Problem/The Hustla - His first style, very aggressive and street smart. Many people compared him with Papoose, Fabolous, D-Block, Jay-Z, and Big L. It's based on his Battle-Rapper past.
Cassidy - This style came up after his success with "Hotel", it's basically for his female fans, most similar to the style of Nelly.
B. Reese/Mr. Reese - His original style, which is more political. In this style, he talks about Life and the president and also similar subjects, similar to Nas, Quan, 2Pac, Beanie Sigel and DMX.
His third studio album, B.A.R.S. (The Barry Adrian Reese Story) was originally entitled "It Is What It Is". It was #10 on XXL magazine's top 10 most anticipated albums in 2007. B.A.R.S. was released on November 7, 2007, and his lead single was "My Drink N' My 2 Step,". He also created a B.A.R.S. Competition Freestyle Battle on October 10, 2007 live on MTV's Sucker Free show. The second single is "Cash Rules", featuring Bone Thugs-n-Harmony & Eve.
Cassidy is also working on a group album with Larsiny. The first single is rumored to be "Boyz Iz Back".
Cassidy confirmed in an interview with Allhiphop.com that his fourth album will be eponymously titled Cassidy.
Cash is the Name of his Album with the hit single "Drummer Bass"
So Long
Cassidy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What's goin' on playboy, how's it lookin' over there?
You know I got me a good one ands all that
Oh ok,ok
Wats up with you
You know I got me something lovely too you know how we do it
You know how like em man, super official right
All day if it ain't official I ain't fucin wit her
Ha ha yea,let's do it
[Chorus]
So many nights I felt like crying (can't get you out my mind)
All this time I felt like dyin
(love's so hard to find)
So I (gotta move on)
Yes I (gotta stay strong)
And I (gotta keep it going)
So long (so long)
It's usually the beauty that attract me
But perhaps she was the right person,
Her personality made me happy and that's why I pursued her
I'm a dude that make manoeuvres
If I choose her then she whipped cause my dick as long as a ruler,
She maybe kind of crazy its cool long as I school her
I'm smooth as Grand Poobah and I can charm a computer,
For us to conversate all it take to make an impression
Like a teacher lecturing when I'm speaking she taking lessons,
But every time we argue and fight I feel like I'm dying,
I feel like trying tell you the truth,
You feel like I'm lyin but I'm a move on cause I'm strong as ever
Without you, I can do better but I can never forget about you girl.
[Chorus]
Ay yo I laced you with the girl braces when you was young,
Doing ya thang I went to amfye and buy you dem benaces,
Queen of the temple with the sent of a Lemon
All of that lenin shit at time I'm just observing your menin with all that long hair,
Sexy, mean walk and your von gear we at the pond you all up
Under my arm when we shopping embracing your re-lock and gloks and tims
Flyin from Africa yo back to the, you just a sadosure that's why your ones is owsed
Up cause when I needed you, you never got flossed up a laced out lady with taste
I gotta just kiss ya face keep ya nigga growned these are the brakes. One!
[Chorus]
Without her being close is depressing,
They say ain't nobody perfect but a honey rosted complexion
Close to perfection plus she got a body that could
Probably turn a gay man straight, to stay in shape mommy started taking karate,
So while she get it done in the gym runnin the treadmill I'm runnin for feds
Still, keep one in the bed still I be reminiscing boo,
Missin you that's dead real cause you nice in the bed
And you nice with the hand skills you awfully fine,
I can't get you off my mind, I ain't frontin yea I lost a dime
But you crossed the line and ain't follow directions you gone, gettin back together is out
Of the question, I moved on.
[Chorus]
The song "So Long" by Cassidy is about moving on from a past relationship. It talks about the struggles of accepting the end of a relationship and moving on with one's life. The opening dialogue sets the tone of the song as it talks about having lovely and official partners. The first verse speaks about how personality played a more significant role for the singer than beauty. He admires his partner's personality and has pursued her even if she was kind of crazy. The singer feels like he is dying every time he and his partner argue or fight. He is moving on now, although he can never forget about her. He emphasizes the importance of staying strong and keep going to live without her.
In the chorus of the song, the singer talks about the tough time he's had after breaking up with his partner. He has been devastated by the breakup and suggests that he needs to keep moving forward and stay strong. He knows it's hard to find love, so he needs to keep looking and pursuing it.
The second verse focuses on how the singer has helped the now-ex partner with her life goals, which he alludes to providing for her braces when she was young. He continues to compliment his ex-partner's beauty and intelligence, but also acknowledges that the relationship ended because they couldn't follow the same direction. The singer still remembers his past relationship fondly, but he knows it can't be reignited.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo Cass what up son
A greeting between friends checking in with each other.
What's goin' on playboy, how's it lookin' over there?
Asking about how things are going, usually pertaining to relationships.
You know I got me a good one ands all that
Referring to being with a good partner and being happy in that relationship.
You know how like em man, super official right
Expressing a preference for a certain type of partner, one who is official or high-quality.
All day if it ain't official I ain't fucin wit her
Only being attracted to partners who meet a certain standard of quality or character.
So many nights I felt like crying (can't get you out my mind)
Expressing the emotional difficulty of moving on from a past relationship or partner.
All this time I felt like dyin (love's so hard to find)
Describing the pain of lost love or failed relationships.
So I (gotta move on)
Acknowledging the need to move on from past relationships and emotions.
Yes I (gotta stay strong)
Recognizing the importance of staying strong and resilient through difficult times.
And I (gotta keep it going)
Stating the need to continue moving forward and living life despite hardships.
So long (so long)
A farewell or goodbye to past relationships and emotions.
It's usually the beauty that attract me
Referring to a preference for physical attributes in potential partners.
But perhaps she was the right person,
Acknowledging that physical attractiveness is not the only factor in determining a good partner.
Her personality made me happy and that's why I pursued her
Stating that personality characteristics are important in relationships as well as physical attraction.
I'm a dude that make manoeuvres
Claiming to be skilled at maneuvering through relationships and attracting partners.
If I choose her then she whipped cause my dick as long as a ruler,
Indicating a preference for sexual attraction in relationships.
She maybe kind of crazy its cool long as I school her
Referring to being able to handle partners who have certain personality characteristics.
But every time we argue and fight I feel like I'm dying,
Describing the emotional pain that comes with disagreements or conflicts in relationships.
I feel like trying tell you the truth,
Wanting to be open and honest about feelings and emotions with a partner.
You feel like I'm lyin but I'm a move on cause I'm strong as ever
Acknowledging the difficulty of moving on from a relationship, but recognizing personal strength and resilience to do so.
Without you, I can do better but I can never forget about you girl.
Recognizing the possibility of finding a better partner in the future but still remembering and appreciating past partners.
Ay yo I laced you with the girl braces when you was young,
Referencing a past relationship with a specific girl and memories associated with that relationship.
Doing ya thang I went to amfye and buy you dem benaces,
Recalling a specific event from the past, possibly relating to gift-giving in the relationship.
Queen of the temple with the sent of a Lemon
Describing a girl in a complimentary way with metaphorical language.
All of that lenin shit at time I'm just observing your menin with all that long hair,
Noticing specific physical attributes of the girl, possibly relating to her hair style or clothing choice.
Sexy, mean walk and your von gear we at the pond you all up
Describing physical attributes and movements of the girl in a complimentary way.
Under my arm when we shopping embracing your re-lock and gloks and tims
Recalling a past event with the girl, possibly involving shopping or fashion choices.
Flyin from Africa yo back to the, you just a sadosure that's why your ones is owsed
Referencing a past experience or trip with the girl, possibly relating to travel or culture.
Up cause when I needed you, you never got flossed up a laced out lady with taste
Recalling past events with the girl, possibly involving disagreements or unmet expectations.
I gotta just kiss ya face keep ya nigga growned these are the brakes. One!
Expressing emotions towards the girl and saying goodbye or farewell.
Without her being close is depressing,
Acknowledging the emotional difficulty of not being close to a past partner or love interest.
They say ain't nobody perfect but a honey rosted complexion
Referencing physical attributes of a past partner or love interest in a complimentary way.
Close to perfection plus she got a body that could
Adding onto the physical description of the past partner or love interest.
Probably turn a gay man straight, to stay in shape mommy started taking karate,
Describing another physical attribute of the past partner relating to her fitness or health efforts.
So while she get it done in the gym runnin the treadmill I'm runnin for feds
Referencing differences in lifestyle or daily routines between the singer and a past partner.
Still, keep one in the bed still I be reminiscing boo,
Recounting past events that involved intimacy or being in bed with a past partner.
Missin you that's dead real cause you nice in the bed
Describing missing the past partner in terms of intimacy or physical attraction.
And you nice with the hand skills you awfully fine,
Describing physical attributes and sexual prowess of the past partner in a complimentary way.
I can't get you off my mind, I ain't frontin yea I lost a dime
Stating continuing emotions towards a past partner or love interest and acknowledging personal loss as a result.
But you crossed the line and ain't follow directions you gone,
Referencing possibly damaging actions or behavior from a past partner or love interest.
Gettin back together is out Of the question, I moved on.
Acknowledging the need to move on from past relationships and emotions, and stating that rekindling the past relationship is not an option.
[Chorus]
Repeating the chorus, referring to the emotions and thoughts associated with past relationships and moving on.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: R. Dean Taylor, Norman J. Whitfield, Edward Jr. Holland
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind