Cassidy

Cassidy emerged as the first rapper of real consequence to land support from Swizz Beatz’s J-affiliated Full Surface imprint. The fresh-faced Philadelphian had already drawn notice for his battle-rap prowess, including an early victory over Freeway. Listeners who knew him from numerous mixtape tracks were taken aback when his debut solo single, “Hotel,” arrived featuring vocal hooks by R. Kelly. Rather than lean on his street reputation, Cassidy used the track to prove he could craft a light, radio-friendly hit with equal facility. The song rode the coattails of Chingy’s “Holidae In” as another thematically similar number, climbing the upper tiers of the singles charts while matching the airy musical tone of the same artist’s “One Call Away.” His first full-length project, Split Personality, landed in March 2004 just as “Hotel” reached its peak and entered the Billboard album chart at number two. The following year he delivered the tougher I’m a Hustla, which appeared roughly two weeks after he faced a murder charge stemming from an incident in his Philadelphia neighborhood. The added scrutiny produced no adverse impact on his momentum; B.A.R.S.: The Barry Adrian Reese Story arrived in 2007 and debuted inside the Billboard album chart’s Top Ten, while its lead single, “My Drink ’N My Two Step,” also produced by Swizz Beatz, rose to number 11 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart.