When Eminem and Shady Records released their compilation album, The Re-Up, last year, hip-hop fans became fully aware of the wide range of talent that was on the Shady label. Those that knew the artists who had been on the label for years like 50 Cent, and Obie Trice, became familiar with a number of newer artists on the label such as Stat Quo, Alchemist, and most notably, Cashis, who was featured on the lead single “You Don’t Know.” Cashis was also featured on five other tracks on the album and people started talking about this relative newcomer from the West Coast, who many thought would be the artist that would take the Shady Records dynasty into a new era. Four months later and Cashis is already poised to release his debut EP on Shady, titled The County Hound EP, and is already working on his debut LP which is set to be released later this year. The backing of a legend in hip-hop like Eminem gives Cashis confidence, rather than making him nervous and right now he’s ready to add on to that buzz he has already created for himself through his mixtapes and his appearances on The Re-Up.
HHNLive.com writer Aaron Frank sits down for an in-depth chat Ca$his. The Shady Records rookie discusses going from virtual unknown to working with Eminem and 50 Cent, how he ended up on the west coast, why he is releasing an EP before his full album, how he got signed and much more.
AF: So how long have you been signed to Shady?
CA: I’ve been on Shady since November of last year (2006). That was when I got signed officially so I’ve been on there for less than a year.
AF: Alright, how did that whole situation happen? Did they hear your mixtape before that?
CA: Yeah. They heard the Renegades mixtape. They picked me off of it. Em’ heard it and at first they signed me to a development deal. I put more in more songs and Em’ heard those and just basically said that there wasn’t nothin’ to develop. So, after he heard those he flew me out the next day and I did some songs on the spot and he wanted to see how I would do on the spot with different producers and different beats. I couldn’t get a reaction at first.
AF: So how did they get a hold of that mixtape at first and what was up with the development deal?
CA: Em’ heard my demo. My A&R had heard the mixtape and so had Paul Rosenberg and they had already been researching me. He was a supporter of mine and then I did some solo songs for them to develop me as an artist. And Em’ heard those tracks and actually the first song that he heard was “Talkin’ All That Shit,” which is on The Re-Up. That was the first song from The Re-Up that got leaked to Shade45 and all of the other stations too. So that was dope for me. I was real pleased with that and for everybody that liked me on The Re-Up, I’m like 500 times better now, so they’re gonna be surprised.
AF: You were born in Chicago and lived there for most of your childhood. When did you move out to the West Coast?
CA: Well, I didn’t even really want to move out to the West Coast. I came out when I was 17 and I stayed for sure when I was 19. My mama and my granny tricked me. I came out here with my granny, because she said we were goin’ for a visit and one day when I was out, she just left me. Like I came home and called my granny and she was already back in Chicago. I was stuck out there and I had to make due with what I had. And I just learned to fall in love with the West Coast. Chicago is always my home, but the West Coast is definitely a second home.
AF: So, when did you get into the music and can you please tell us what the whole Bogish Boyz thing is all about?
CA: I am the Bogish Boyz. My Uncle Pac-Man, he started the Bogish Boyz and that’s the realest nigga ever. I’m just carrying on the tradition and it’s something that was in the family. But now I’m just trying to take it and spread it nationwide. Bogish means you ain’t scared of nothin’. It means that you’ll flex on anybody if you’ve got to. Like, we ain’t comin out and startin no problems, but we bogardin anybody that’s standing in our way.
AF: So who got you into the whole music thing then?
CA: Well, my family just got me into the streets, but my homeboy Rick got me in to the whole music thing. They was all freestylin when I came to Cali and I served all them niggas, because I can just talk shit like that. I seen how the bitches liked whoever could flow the best so I was just like “that’s what’s up". That’s all I have to do is talk shit. I’m from Chicago. I got a mouthpiece on me anyways. My homeboy was like, “you should take yourself serious. What are you gonna do?” I was in the streets real heavy at the time. A lot of people started saying that I had a gift and I didn’t really take it serious until I got out of jail. That’s when I really started goin hard at it.
AF: So what happened? How did you get locked up and how long ago was this?
CA: Yeah that shit’s old. It was for burglary. It’s nothing to glorify though at the same time. If a nigga go to jail, that means he a victim. I got caught so I was a victim. The joke was on me, but now I ain’t been back to jail, so the joke’s on them. Knock on wood though, in case that shit does ever happen again. I definitely don’t glorify that shit, because there ain’t nothing cool about that. You gotta fight for your life up in there. You don’t know nobody and you can’t eat the food cause the shit’s nasty. You gotta deal with niggas that you ain’t used to dealin with on the streets. Ain’t nothing cool about that. All my niggas that’s locked up right now, I feel you. I feel your pain. Listen to my shit and it might get you through the day, because you know I’m a real nigga. My little cousin Chris locked up right now. He’ll be out here on the streets runnin wild by the time the album come out.
AF: I gotta ask then. What’s it like to go from that stage in your life to where you’re at now on TV and radio with 50 and Em?
CA: And Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo. Yeah, that was great. It was some shit that I thought would never happen in my lifetime. My, little brother, Marciano, me and him used to listen 50 and Em and we were just like, we know these niggas now. We didn’t think it was really going to happen, but by the grace of god it did. And for 50, King Mathers, Dre, Jimmy Iovine, Buck, Banks, Yayo, Prodigy, Alchemist, all of them. For them to give me the stamp of approval, it’s like they’re fuckin with me for real. It’s not just because I’m Em’s man. It’s because of how cool Cashis is, the talent that I have, and the music that I make. I’m definitely a privileged person though. I went from being a have-not to being the number #1 pick, like in the NBA draft. I’m #1 and nobody knows that I’ve already been signed to the championship team. And when this EP hits, it’s gonna be so crazy that we might have to make like limited edition copies, because people are gonna be fiendin for it. After all those are sold and you can’t go to the store and get it, we want you to go stick a nigga up for it. We don’t really want to advocate nobody get robbed for it, but we want to get it to where the demand for it is huge. We want to instill that passion back into it, because so many people are doing mixtapes and we don’t want to flood that market. This gon’ be the Shady release of the year, which I’m happy about. And I don’t even feel that pressure of having to sell 5 million records or none of that. We sell 10,000 copies and I already made my money back, so what now? It’s all good. When my LP drop, I’ll already be out the red, so it’s already set up really well. I’m just happy that the fans are supporting me and things are coming through.
AF: So that’s why you decided to drop the EP before you came out with the album?
CA: Yeah, just to create that stronger buzz, because it’s already strong from The Re-Up and now we’re just about to add to that. We want to keep teasing you and then hit you with the LP. It’s one intro and seven tracks. I got a song produced by Em on there and one featuring Em and just a bunch of classic records. It’s a rapper’s rapper’s album. It’s some street nigga shit, but your granny might be able to listen to some of it at the same time and be able to understand it from a gangsta’s point of view. It’s bringing that real shit back to music and that’s just what we’re trying to do. It’s just who I am, what I’ve been through, what I’ve been feeling at times, and it will leave you hanging like when Nas dropped Illmatic. It just left everybody hanging and everybody wanted more. We’re trying to hit you like that and give you something to feast on and then it’s gonna be bananas when the LP drops. I just wanted to say that everybody needs to go out and cop that Buck the World too. My boy Buck doin his thing on there.
AF: So what’s the status on your LP? Do you have a name for that yet?
CA: Yeah, it’s gonna be called Loose Cannons. Em’s actually mixing it right now. I’m probably coming out later this year around September or October. I’m fuckin with everybody right now. Stat Quo, Em, Obie Trice, Bobby Creekwater. I just do so many songs that I might change the album up every week, but we just look for those priceless songs and those will be on the album. Every song I make is a good record to me, but there are certain ones that are timeless and we just can’t have any filler music at all. We go through 'em and we come with the best of the best. I’ve probably got a few more sessions left, but Em’s real excited about it and I might even record up to the week before I have to turn my album in, just because I’m always in the studio. I like to be in the studio, because if I’m not there, then I’m probably in the streets. And the studio keeps me out of the trouble, so that’s usually where I try to stay.
