Rating: 6/10
With the release of C.A.S.H. (Cass’ A Straight Hustla), this marks Cassidy’s fourth studio album and his first in his newfound record home with Krossover Entertainment, which is run by NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony. Under a new label, Cassidy’s hoping to finally break out with a solid album that can withstand the criticism he’s been levied for albums past. Unfortunately, this album suffers from several flaws that holds back any potential it may have had to alleviate those claims.
The biggest issue with C.A.S.H. is the uncompleted sound the songs carry, which is due to the poorly constructed hooks that plague the album. “Paper Up” has a basic premise of making money, but the sing-song hook from Cassidy takes away from the otherwise good record. This happens again on “Hate Me Or Love Me”, where the hook features an autotuned Cassidy. The rest of the song, again, is solid, but the hook detracts from the overall record and knocks the replay value of the track much lower than it deserves to be. Sadly, this happens yet again on “All Day, All Night”, which features an in-and-out flow from Cassidy and Game. On paper, it sounds like a great idea, but once again because of the hook, the overall value’s taken away from the song, making it forgettable.
Another issue with this LP is in the production. On certain songs, the production excels and sounds diverse. The feel good vibe to “Paper Up” fits the overall message of the song perfectly, while the Bink-produced “Monsta Muzik” lays a ruthless backdrop for Cassidy to unleash his barrage of bars, and the self-produced “Girl Like Her” meshes well with Mya’s vocals over the hook. For every positive example however there’s a negative one, and the most recurring is the Swizz Beatz style of production that’s scattered throughout the album. “One Shot”, “Drumma Bass”, and “Music In My Blood” (all produced by Cassidy and Top Notch) all have that Swizz Beatz feel to them. Due to the fact that Swizzy wasn’t a visible part of the album it doesn’t come off as polished as previous tracks that Cassidy has done with the producer. It seems as if Cass is trying too hard to recreate the hype from his past, such as “B-Boy Stance” and “My Drink N My 2 Step.”
There are some bright spots on the album, however. “Girl Like Her” features Mya and is by far one of the best all-around tracks on the CD. “Monsta Muzik”, as mentioned earlier, is nothing but Cassidy rapping through and around the sampled beat with his signature punchline flow. The Boi-1da produced “Peace” has Tha Hustla reflecting over a life that didn’t involve violence. The outro track, “In My Blood”, has some of the more vicious bars I’ve heard from Cassidy throughout the entire project. Outside of these tracks, however, things become more forgettable. The Jamaican vibe on “High Off Life” starts well, but loses it’s vigor as it continues. The verses delivered on “Imma G Boy” are also forgettable, save for a few clever lines.
It’s unfortunate that Cassidy is unable to maintain the consistency on each track. Because of the issues with song construction and Swizz-like production, C.A.S.H. gives the vibe that Cassidy is trying too hard to make another hit record as opposed to making a quality album. Although there are bright spots, lack of consistency makes the bright spots far between. Hopefully the next album will continue to step in the right direction.
