Cassidy Album: “Split Personality (Explicit)”

When I heard that Cassidy was dropping an album this month and that Swizz Beatz was procucing it I was excited. I like the new stuff Swizz did on last years Styles P & DMX albums and I thought his G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories was hot too. His style is a little different but i thought he was doin his thing. After listening to his tracks of Split Personality I have to wonder. All of the Swizz produced songs were too pop. If I want pop rap, I'll go buy Nelly or Ja Rule but I expected more from Swizz Beatz and his boy Cassidy.

As far as the actual disc goes expect the pop sounding Swizz Beatz productions on the first 5 songs. Then a more grimey sound on the next couple with some great cameos by Styles P and Jadakiss. I don't even remember anything about the last couple of songs because they were just that bland.

Final Call. If you are a pop rap fan this album is for you. If you're a Swizz Beatz fan, don't expect the classic ruff ryders sound. Anyone looking for the first standout album of the year, look somewhere else. Hopefully the kid Jin will drop something hot for the Ruff Ryder fans.

Cassidy earned his way into the spotlight the old fashioned way, battling. When Cassidy stepped to Freeway, nobody in the City of Brotherly Love expected to see the challenger last a minute in the ring with the hometown and Roc-a-Fella Records endorsed favorite. But somehow, someway, Cassidy knocked out Free with enough gusto to not only stay around, but to land a deal with Clive Davis' J Records. But for the grimey battle rapper that AllHipHop followed so closely in his mixtape episodes, Cassidy was introduced to the rest of the nation with "Hotel" featuring R. Kelly, a club track so candy sweet that it leaves cavities. Is this the full story, or is the rest of Cassidy's debut, Split Personality worthy of that initial buzz?

The answer doesn't jump off of the album. But after all, LL Cool J isn't typically the same LL that went after Moe Dee, Ice-T, and Canibus. Maybe Cassidy is much the same. "Tha Problem" is the first time Cassidy steps with a harder stance and he doesn't really hold up. The track uses an obnoxious Public Enemy loop that builds energy but leaves the listener with blue balls thanks to Cassidy failing to deliver the heat. That heat remains on hold until Cassidy and Jadakiss team up for "Can I Talk to You." This track's brass bassline and 70's Cop Drama feel stands out on the album. Here, Cassidy gives us the delivery that he used to get signed. But for the most part, this album's lyrical content is tragic. Cassidy goes from a track about how he's "Hungry", to sixteen other tracks bragging about how he upped his status courtesy of the label. The punchlines are sub-par and the hooks are outdated reminders of early Ruff Ryder compilations. When Noreaga was hounded for rhyming the same words together, he had a reputation to uphold. Cassidy is doing it on his debut, and that's a dangerously lazy approach to rapping.

The album's production is authentic. Cassidy didn't try too hard to copy what he has done. Instead, he wanted to make a Rap/R&B album, and succeeded. The actual music throughout this project is very danceable. "Around the World" is a track that would make an excellent single. It's radio-worthy, and has a great Pop beat; a club record in full. The melodies depend on overexposure in the radio and video markets to succeed. Had it not been a single, "Hotel" doesn't jump off the album. That leads one to believe that this album does have the potential to still be highly successful.

In terms of art, and its homage to Hip-Hop, Cassidy fails. His mixtape drops last year were buzz-worthy. However, Cassidy admits in a verse that this album was made in less than two months. It doesn't sound like a rushed album. But even with The Lox and Snoop, and others getting involved, this album is not for the streets, but the clubs.

2.5 stars.

Cassidy is one of the rappers at the forefront of the new hip hop movement known simply as the post-Jigga era. Like his peers J-Kwon, Chingy & Murphy Lee, he uses the same formula; one hot single, mediocre album. The only song here that is an instant smash is the R. Kelly collabo "Hotel" which has already seen its peak on the charts. An appearence by Snoop Dogg on "Make You Scream" couldn't save it from being one of the album's weaker moments, and even though "Can I Talk to You" & "Pop that Cannon" are awful, appearences by Jadakiss & Styles P are awesome. The album has nothing original what-so-ever (typical of any rap album in recent memory) and lyrically Cassidy just doesn't deliver, which is a shame because his mixtape freestyles were always very entertaining.

The Amazon Tracklisting isn't any where near correct. The cd is split in Cassidy's 3 personalities... "Cassidy" (the love song guy), "Tha Problem" (the hardcore guy), and "B.Reese" (the real talk guy). A few songs have wack beats like #14. And the love songs are a bit to pop. The best song is "My Interpretation" and "Blood Pressure" The following is the official tracklist

1. My Interpritation (Best Song On Album)5/5

Final Rating - 3.5 - 4 -

Cassidy blows. "I became the best when BIG died" yeah right you moron. You're a crappy rapper and your joints are wack.