Over the past few years Interscope has been cleaning house. With the recession and all of the cutbacks that major labels had to make in order to stay a float, many artists formerly signed to majors were left with no home and were forced to go independent. But while many were cut, others strategically remained in place in hopes that they would be able to realize the full potential they were initially expected to meet. Ca$his is one of those artists. Originally from Chicago, and signed to Shady Records, Ca$his is one of the few remaining artists left on Shady Records, a lineup that only now only includes Eminem, D-12 and 50 Cent. But why did they decide to keep Ca$his? What was it that Em saw in this troubled rapper that could make him worthy of staying at Shady Records? Beefs with Royce da 5’9”, Freddie Gibbs, Chamillionaire, Game and the G-Unot camp, jail, drugs, having 11 kids and just wilding out in general, nearly put Ca$his’ career at a standstill. But he is emerging out of the clouds of smoke with a new state of clarity, which is clean and focused. Ca$his is ready to hit the game with some of the best music of his career. Coming out with music for 8 weeks in a row now, a new video and with his manager/long time friend and producer Rikinati by his side, Ca$his is ready hold of his career and the game. Take a look at AllHipHop.com’s up close and personal sit down with one of the game’s most intriguing spitters. AllHipHop.com: So pretty much you are one of the few artists still signed to Shady Records? Ca$his: This is 100% correct. AllHipHop.com: Can you talk to me a little bit about what that is like and how you feel about your experience at Shady Records thus far? Ca$his: It’s a real good feeling man. Being signed to Shady is a real good feeling. It feels good to me to have been here when things were going down and now still when things are going up, just I think for the loyalty that it shows. Because you know a lot of people counted us out and during that time we only got better. And I don’t mean by anyone leaving the label that we improved. Like Obie and Stat, I still consider them part of the team like to me they never left. You know I don’t handle anyone else’s business but from the friend and camaraderie side, nothing has changed and we all are part of the same squad still. To me its good I can reach out from the personal and from the music side how to really deal with music and life a little bit and its made me mature being on Shady Records man. It’s real good on Shady man. I think it’s a blessing and that’s why I’m still here. Never leaving, never planned on it, never was even close to that.
AllHipHop.com: That’s what’s up man, its been a rough couple years in the music industry. There were a lot of rumors circulating Interscope and the state of the label. Can you talk about what it was like during that time and how that affected you? Ca$his: Yea I mean I was affected by random people asking me questions that had nothing to do with me and my name being out there in a place it wasn’t. It made me want to go in on my music and just show it wasn’t true what I can do, and I have contact with my label and I know what’s going on and I am glad I got a chance to put something out there. AllHipHop.com: Yea in this industry not many people, even the artists sometimes understand that labels have a budget and that it’s a business.Ca$his: You can get X’d off a label, not because you are wack but just for budget reasons. Thankfully and luckily that didn’t happen for me because I keep us relevant with a buzz on the internet and on mixtapes and that’s what I do and my job. When Em comes out he makes a big splash. That’s a blessing and that’s what my job has been. To do whatever it takes to keep us visible, until it’s my time to come out. I knew as long as I did my part we were cool. People think this is an emotional business and its really not. Me that’s what I thought and I used to act impulsively and on emotion and not act on strategy. But now it makes it more fun and more complex also. I know a lot of artists that are free agents that are cool artists, and its not because they aren’t talented. Its just because labels aren’t offering those big deals and people think its going to be a Bump J or 50 Cent type deal or some million dollar record deal. That was at a time when more people in the general society were spending more money and making more money. So you have to do what you can to keep yourself at a low cost to your label and to remain highly effective. People miss the real hip hop, but if you Hollywood with it and you think you gonna be sitting on 10, 15, 20k a month with Ferraris and you aren’t selling Ferrari numbers then you forever gonna be on that street corner, and life is short on that street corner. AllHipHop.com: So you are originally from Chicago huh? Bulls fan, White Sox, Y’all just got Manny Ramirez. Ca$his: (Laughs) Oh yea 79th Street, South Side, Southeast Side. Definitely White Sox, Bulls and BlackHawks, everything man. AllHipHop.com: Talk to me about how Chicago shaped your style and how you’ve taken it to the West coast. Ca$his: Well like Chicago inspired me as a person, that makes me who I am, is Chicago. I grew up listening to Phsyco Drama, and Twista, Crucial Conflict, Young Buk from Psychodrama, Common Sense and I kind of learned how to formulate my rhymes like that. Its more melodic with your voice but also like witty with your words. Its like that soul feeling and that zone where I can just mash out on a track or whatever. AllHipHop.com: So you said that you pretty much have been wildin out in the music. Can you elaborate on what you meant by that? Ca$his: I was wilding out, and you can hear it in the music, you can see it in my face. And, I’m a big influence on a lot of people. A lot of times (pauses)… I believe that’s why I smoke weed, to maintain my sanity. Cause I’m always going through ups and downs, a lot. It’s crazy. So, that depression and that inner anger, that feeling of uncertainty, because when I feel that uncertainty, and fear, I just get angry. I just don’t act out like a little kid. Or get nervous. You would never tell that, and you would have to know me, to understand that. Because that’s when I become completely irrational, and do some of the things that I may rap about. From that, I was a negative influence on my kids , my older and younger homeboy’s; my relatives. On everything. It was a part of me, and its in my blood, and musically, I had to change that, because that’s what came out. Then it came to omitting the word ni**er. Not just from my normal vocabulary, because that is kind of hard for us to do, but as far as my lyrical content. Just musically, I won’t say it because I feel that I don’t need to say it. You know the crowds that opens up? The doors that opens up? Because, you know, I’m from Chicago man, and ain’t no way anybody white can roll down my hood singing, “ Imma lay that ni**a out”. Cause its gonna be a problem. And not I’m saying that it should be a problem. I’m just saying that it could be a problem because that is just how people are.
