Search - Cassidy :: Bars: Barry Adrian Reese Story (Clean) (Snyp)

His skills are a little better, but...

Anthony Rupert | Milwaukee, WI | 04/20/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"A lot has changed for Cassidy in the last few years. When he first came out with Split Personality, a lot of people dismissed him as just another flash-in-the-pan young rapper. But since then a lot has happened, from his murder conviction to his near-fatal car accident. But Cass persevered and came back with his latest offering, B.A.R.S.: The Barry Adrian Reese Story.



Since his real name is listed in the album title, most people should know what's going to happen: the album is supposed to be a personal reflection of the artist but instead it's just a marketing ploy and it doesn't sound any different from the artist's usual fare. The opening track is another one of those cases where the intro is longer than most of the songs, and it appears that Cass is going back to his Split Personality days because his "sides" Da Hustla and B.A.R.S. are generically battling each other (but just like T.I. vs T.I.P., the personalities don't sound any different from each other). But there ARE some personal songs on here, like "All By Myself" and "I Pray". And the Angie Stone assisted "Leanin' on the Lord", where Cass tells stories about other people before he finally talks about himself, is passable.



Still, those songs aren't the most exciting either. "My Drink N' 2 Step" was a no-brainer for the first single, but the songs that follow aren't as inspiring. Actually, "Where My N's At" is fine except for the first verse, which contains the disgusting bar, "My nickname should be Diarrhea/How I run ish". And the obligatory song about snitching, "I Will Never Tell (Uh Uh)", is corny. Another manufactured track is the necessary song for the ladies, "Take a Trip", featuring Mashonda from his first album.



But one song that really doesn't sit right with me is "Damn I Miss the Game". And it's not only because of its uninteresting chorus, but it appears that Cass didn't do his research. Although I feel him when he says that society tends to blame hip-hop for violence, he brought up the supposedly wrong incarcerations of Shyne and Cool C. Huh? Shyne shot somebody in the face, and Cool C killed a police officer! The song also has Cass lamenting on how rappers today are just talking about bling and hustlin'. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't his last album called I'm a Hustla?



Cassidy seems to want to stray away from the street life with this album, and he KIND OF succeeds, but B.A.R.S. just isn't as interesting as intended. It's his best album yet, but that really isn't saying much.



Anthony Rupert"