Barry Adrian Reese (born July 7, 1982), better known by his stage name Cassidy, is an American rapper from

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. He is perhaps best known for his singles "

Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

" (featuring

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwi ...

), " Get No Better" (featuring

Mashonda Mashonda Karima Dean (born January 9, 1978) is an American R&B singer from Boston, Massachusetts. She appeared on several songs from hip hop artists in the 2000s. In 2004, she married record producer Swizz Beatz, and was once signed to his lab ...

), " I'm a Hustla", "B-Boy Stance", and " My Drink n My 2 Step" (featuring

Swizz Beatz Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the ag ...

). Cassidy first garnered attention for his freestyles and competitions as a battle rapper in the late 1990s. American record producer

found Cassidy in 2002 and signed him to his

Full Surface Records Full Surface is a record label founded in 2001, by American hip hop recording artist and record producer Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean. With the help of his protégé, Cassidy, who was the 1st artist signed, the label was established. The label us ...

imprint under

Ruff Ryders Entertainment Ruff Ryders Entertainment is an American hip hop record label and management company founded by siblings and record executives Joaquin "Waah", Darin "Dee" and Chivon Dean. It operated as a subsidiary of Universal, and distributed by Fontana Dist ...

and

J Records J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG’s record labels in late 2008. It was distributed through the RCA Music Gro ...

, which helped him gain major recognition. He rose to prominence with his debut studio album ''

Split Personality Dissociative identity disorder (DID), better known as multiple personality disorder or multiple personality syndrome, is a mental disorder characterized by the presence of at least two distinct and relatively enduring personality states. The di ...

'', which was released in March 2004 and debuted at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200.

Early life

Barry Adrian Reese was born to an East African mother of Ethiopian descent.

Musical career

2002–05: ''Split Personality'' and ''I'm a Hustla''

In 2002, Cassidy signed a

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

with American music producer

's Full Surface imprint, under the aegis of

and

. On November 29, 2003, he released his commercial debut single, "

", featuring

. The song reached the Top 10 of the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. The second single, "Get No Better", features

. On March 16, 2004, Cassidy released his debut album, ''

''. It was

certified gold Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA), the following month. On April 15, 2005, Cassidy released the single " I'm a Hustla". The next single, "B-Boy Stance", features vocals and production from his mentor,

. On June 28, 2005, Cassidy released his second studio album, '' I'm a Hustla''. It debuted at number five on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, with 93,000 copies sold in the first week.

2006–11: ''B.A.R.S.'' and ''C.A.S.H.''

In 2006, after his release from prison and recovering from an auto wreck, Cassidy began work on his third studio album, ''

B.A.R.S. The Barry Adrian Reese Story ''B.A.R.S. The Barry Adrian Reese Story '' is the third studio album by American rapper Cassidy. It was released under Full Surface Records/J Records. Before its release, XXL Magazine ranked the album the 10th most anticipated album of 2007. Th ...

''. The album was released on November 6, 2007, debuting at number 10 on the ''Billboard'' 200, with 63,000 copies sold in the first week. The album was led by the single " My Drink n My 2 Step", featuring vocals and production from

. In late 2009, Cassidy signed with

Carmelo Anthony Carmelo Kyam Anthony (born May 29, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been named an NBA All-Star ten times and an All-NBA Team ...

's label

Kross Over Entertainment Carmelo Kyam Anthony (born May 29, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been named an NBA All-Star ten times and an All-NBA Team me ...

. While preparing his fourth studio album, he released a mixtape series entitled ''Apply Pressure''. On August 24, 2010, Cassidy released the five-track EP '' Face 2 Face'', with the promotional single "Face 2 Face". On November 16, 2010, Cassidy's fourth studio album, '' C.A.S.H. (Cass a Straight Hustla)'' was released. On its first week it had sold about 5,200 copies, much lower than his previous studio albums. "Drumma Bass" was the only official single from the album.

2012–present: ''Mr. Hip-Hop'' and ''Da Science''

On May 21, 2012, Cassidy hosted a release party for his mixtape ''Mayhem Music''. On July 8, 2012, he released the mixtape ''Mayhem Music: AP3''. After fellow Philly rapper

Meek Mill Robert Rihmeek Williams (born May 6, 1987), known professionally as Meek Mill, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he embarked on his music career as a battle rapper, and later formed a short-lived rap group, ...

said he would

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

Cassidy, which Cassidy later said he would accept if the money was right. They participated in a "twitter beef" after which Cassidy released "The Diary of a Hustla" which was originally thought to be a diss towards Meek. This was later refuted by Cassidy. They both were asking for $100,000 each for the battle to take place. However, after Meek Mill dissed Cassidy's song "Condom Style" (a remake of

Psy Park Jae-sang (, ; born December 31, 1977), known professionally as Psy (stylized in all caps as PSY) (; ; ), is a South Korean singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Psy is known domestically for his humorous videos and stage per ...

's "

Gangnam Style "Gangnam Style" ( ko, 강남스타일, ) is a K-pop song by South Korean rapper Psy, released on July 15, 2012, by YG Entertainment as the lead single of his sixth studio album, ''Psy 6 (Six Rules), Part 1'' (''Ssai Yukgap Part 1''). The term ...

") Cassidy released a song titled "Me, Myself & iPhone" where he took shots at Meek Mill. Afterwards, Meek Mill responded with the diss track "Repo" which Mill later said would be the final diss record he would release against Cassidy. Cassidy later said the feud was not personal, saying it was all in the spirit of hip hop. On January 6, 2013 Cassidy released a 10-minute-long diss response titled "Raid". On October 6, Cassidy released his album Da Science.

Other ventures

In 2007, Cassidy signed a deal as the "new face" for Lot 29's fall clothing line. In 2009, Cassidy appeared in the comedy film, ''

Next Day Air ''Next Day Air'' is a 2009 American dark comedy film that was released by Summit Entertainment on May 8, 2009. The film starring Donald Faison and Mike Epps was produced on an estimated budget of $3 million. Two criminals accidentally accept ...

''. In late 2012, Cassidy remade South Korean singer

's international hit single "

, re-titling it "Condom Style". The remake reportedly earned Cassidy an endorsement deal with

Trojan Trojan or Trojans may refer to: * Of or from the ancient city of Troy * Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans Arts and entertainment Music * ''Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 189 ...

. In 2013, Cassidy released a biography titled ''Behind B.A.R.S: The Authorized Biography of Cassidy''. In late 2014, Cassidy returned to

battle rap Battle rap (also known as rap battling)Edwards, Paul, 2009, p. 25. is a type of rapping performed between two or more performers that incorporates boasts, insults and wordplay. Battle rap is often performed or freestyled spontaneously in live ...

by battling Los Angeles-based veteran Dizaster, on December 6, 2014 at Filmon.com's "Ether" event.

Personal life

Murder case

On April 15, 2005 three men, including Cassidy, armed with pistols and an

AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the ''Avtomat Kalashnikova'' (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is a gas operated, gas-operated assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian s ...

assault rifle, fired on three unarmed men during an argument that occurred in the West Oak Lane neighborhood in Northwest Philadelphia. Desmond Hawkins was killed by a shot in the back. Hawkins' two other friends were treated at hospitals for gunshot wounds and released. On June 9, a warrant was issued for Cassidy's arrest on charges of murder, attempted murder, reckless endangerment, aggravated assault, conspiracy and weapons possession. Cassidy surrendered to Philadelphia police on the afternoon of June 17. At his arraignment on Saturday, June 18, he was denied bail, and sent to Philadelphia's Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, a high-security prison, where he would serve his time during the trial and after he was sentenced. Cassidy's murder case took a turn when the primary witness withdrew his confession. This resulted in the judge stating that Cassidy would stand trial for

third-degree murder In the United States, the law for murder varies by jurisdiction. In many US jurisdictions there is a hierarchy of acts, known collectively as homicide, of which first-degree murder and felony murder are the most serious, followed by second-deg ...

. On August 16, 2005, Municipal Judge Marsha Neifield ruled that prosecutors had sufficient evidence to charge Cassidy with third-degree murder, attempted murder and weapons offenses. This was later overturned to the original, first degree charge - negating the possibility of parole. On January 25, 2006, Cassidy was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of aggravated assault and possession of an instrument of crime for his involvement in the shooting. He was sentenced to 11 to 23 months in prison plus probation and was credited with the 7 months he had already served. Cassidy was released from Pennsylvania's Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility on March 2, 2006 after serving eight months. Cassidy talks about his arrest and time in prison in the 2011 film ''Rhyme and Punishment'', which documents various hip-hop artists who have done county jail or state/federal prison time.

Car wreck

Cassidy was seriously injured in a vehicle wreck on the night of October 5, 2006, when a commercial truck collided with his

SUV A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon definiti ...

, in which he was a passenger. He was taken to the

Jersey City Medical Center The Jersey City Medical Center is a hospital in Jersey City, New Jersey. The hospital has had different facilities in the city. It is currently located on a 15-acre campus at Grand Street and Jersey Avenue overlooking New York Harbor and Lib ...

, 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 wreck.

Discography

*''

'' (2004) *'' I'm a Hustla'' (2005) *''

'' (2007) *'' C.A.S.H.'' (2010) *''Da Science'' (2020) *''Da Formula'' (2020) *''Da Wiseman'' (2021) *''Currently working on a new project with Eddy Cube'' (2021)

Filmography

*2007: '' American Gangster'' as uncredited *2009: ''

'' as Cass *2011: ''Rhyme and Punishment'' as himself *2014: ''Kony Montana'' as a local boss

References

External links

Cassidy
at

Last.fm Last.fm is a music website founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. Using a music recommender system called "Audioscrobbler", Last.fm builds a detailed profile of each user's musical taste by recording details of the tracks the user listens to, e ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cassidy Living people African-American male rappers American male rappers American people convicted of manslaughter American prisoners and detainees Central High School (Philadelphia) alumni J Records artists Prisoners and detainees of Pennsylvania Rappers from Philadelphia East Coast hip hop musicians Ruff Ryders artists 1982 births African-American songwriters Songwriters from Pennsylvania Underground rappers 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians American people convicted of assault 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people American male songwriters