Cassidy Albums (3)
'B.A.R.S.: The Barry Adrian Reese Story'
Release Date 10/2/2007
Tracks 14
Label RCA
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
A pair of plush, ladies' man pop-rap singles made Split Personality a gold-selling success for young Cassidy. For a lot of the fellas, these songs turned an MC known for his punchlines into a punchline, the street cred suddenly more Skee-Lo than C-BO. How to change this perception? Introduce your follow-up album with a lead single titled "I'm a Hustla," replete with a Jay-Z-sampling rally call -- just like another Swizz Beatz concoction, T.I.'s "Bring 'Em Out." Another way to make people forget about your pretty-boy looks and soft songs? Catch a murder rap. Less than two weeks before I'm a Hustla's release, that's exactly what Cassidy did. Whether or not he's guilty or even happened to time the act just right, it gives his second album some extra attention. It's certainly harder overall than Split Personality; the seductive tracks are fewer in number and not nearly as melodic (R. Kelly does not return, likely wrapped up crafting Pied Piper Radio Hour). There's even a message track -- titled, naturally, "The Message" -- that makes as much sense on a Cassidy album as a hip-house throwback. Despite the concerted attempt to come off differently, I'm a Hustla isn't much more effective than Split Personality. It does start off excitingly enough, in the form of "The Problem vs. the Hustla," in which the MC conducts a battle rap between two sides of his personality, perhaps inspired by T.I.'s "T.I. vs. T.I.P." The Hustla wins, unsurprisingly, with "You should switch flows, n*gga, your sh*t gold/When I drop, I'm a sh*t more than your sh*t sold." The Problem takes the advice, but it doesn't get him very far, even with guest spots from Nas, Lil Wayne, Raekwon, Mario, and Mary J. Blige. [I'm a Hustla was released in two editions: a copy-protected CD that will not play on your computer without installing a separate media player, and a DualDisc, containing a CD on one side and a DVD on the other. The DualDisc has a 5.1 mix version of the album on the DVD side, along with videos for "B-Boy Stance" and "I'm a Hustla," as well as a "Cassidy Makes a Video" segment and a photo gallery. The CD side of the DualDisc may not register on some computers, although it will play on a CD player.] ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The decision to make the R. Kelly-assisted "Hotel" the first single off Split Personality made it clear that Cassidy -- or, in reality, his handlers -- wanted to play up his chameleonic nature and fresh-faced image as soon as possible. This was a gamble that landed him in the Top Ten. A track as soft and smooth as Nick Cannon's "Gigolo" (also featuring Kelly), in addition to being thematically interchangeable with Chingy's more recent "Holidae In," "Hotel" did not seem to be an apt debut single for the MC who slew Freeway in battle and tore up a couple verses on mentor/producer Swizz Beatz's G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories. Nonetheless, the track's success diversified the anticipation for the debut album, though those amped for more of the hard material might've been turned off by the exposure-swelling sop to the ladies. Cassidy's different approaches are even more pronounced as the album plays out. Divided into thirds, Split Personality begins with Cassidy's softer, more flirtatious side, and then slides into the harder-hitting material for the latter two-thirds. This set-up is a convenience to listeners who want their Cassidy in a specific mode. The problem is that the MC is much more effective when donning his battle-tested side; as a result, the majority of that first third is filled out with moments that, on the average rap record, would fall by the wayside -- tracks like "Make U Scream" and the redundant "Hotel"-alike "Get No Better" ("Mmm mmm mmm, with ya sexy self/Go to my hotel and undress yourself") typically show up when an album is winding down, not when it's supposed to be gathering steam. On the rest of the album, it doesn't seem like Cassidy's playing a role so much, and the quality level improves because of it. It shows how formidable he can be, even if he's not ready to rank with his top-tier elders. As the first release from Swizz Beats' J-supported Full Surface, the album is a minor disappointment while simultaneously showing promise. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
