One thing you can't say about Evansville, Indiana-based emcee Cas One (real name Jacob Snider) is that he doesn't have a sense of humor. His wit is a major component of his personality. However, on his debut album,The Monster and the Wishing Well, much of that humor was absent and in its place a lot of pain. His upcoming album with longtime friend and electronic artist Figure reveals the more comical side of Cas One. And don't think for a second this guy doesn't have any credentials. Even if you haven't heard of him, you've undoubtedly heard of some of the people he's worked with. From the late Eyedea and Fake Four's Ceschi Ramos to Sadistik and Kristoff Krane, he's been around for a minute. Here Cas One talks new music, life goals and his early fears of being murdered for his taste in hip-hop.
RAPstation (Kyle Eustice): You have a new album coming out with Figure. What about your styles gel?
Figure and I met when we were teenagers and became great friends. When I started to take rap music and performances more seriously, he backed me up as my DJ. So we both kind of know what make each other tic musically and we both work really quickly together. We are both shitty horror movie and music snob dorks, as well. It's like if two dudes in high school that slept over at each other's houses for slumber parties every night made an album together - but with less sex. This album is going to be all hip-hop by the way. No EDM. We are making it very adaptable for a live show and have a lot of visually stimulating surprises for our live show we are working on. It's heavy on the turntables, too.
What's different about this one than your last one?
This one is more aggressive and light-hearted. I feel like my last album was kind of, for lack of better words, beautifully dark. Whereas this one is like getting hit with a flamethrower while we sit around and tell jokes about it.
You've had a lot of big life changes recently: marriage, kids, house, etc. How do you balance it all?
Everything takes a backseat to my family life. So honestly I just say no to a lot of musical offers. I tour like once or twice a year and just do spot dates. So when I'm home my wife is really supportive of me making music. She and the kids are in bed by nine o'clock now anyway.
What are you goals in terms of music? Life?
Musically, I've thought it was a bad idea to have expectations or goals because you'll always fall short. My goal is to make less goals and to enjoy the ride. I lost feeling like it owed me anything a while ago. In life, I want to live well enough for people to actually be bummed at my funeral. I want to live long enough to kill my ego before it kills me.
How have you changed since you've been in your early 20's? How has your music changed?
I'm a million times more cautious. I don't do anything new without over thinking it. Musically I've learned to be patient. I've learned to go with your second instinct instead of your first. I drink significantly less through out the week and significantly more on special occasions.
How were you initially exposed to hip-hop? Who were some of your big influences growing up?
I actually grew up in Kentucky. I was exposed through my brothers and sisters. I remember getting Doggystyle from the Columbia house program. Remember that? They'd send that sheet of stamps with album covers on them and you attach it to a postcard and you send it in and then they would send you a box of CDs you'd never pay for. I got that CD just because it had a parental advisory on it. I was a big fan of MC Hammer as a kid, as well. In my teen years, I was pretty heavily into Outkast, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Canibus, Jay-Z, Anticon, Rhymesayers and Def Jux. It was a weird mix of music, which was totally okay because I'm Midwestern.
[Laughs] So you didn't feel more sheltered growing up in the Midwest?
I felt lucky. I remember feeling like if I went to schools on the east or west coast that I would've been murdered. And with the attitude I had especially when it came to rap music, I absolutely think I would've been in some sticky situations.
How did you meet Eyedea and what led to working with some of the Rhymesayers guys?
The first time I ever met Eyedea was at Scribble Jam. Carnage introduced to me and he brushed me off really quickly and I thought he was a dick. Then I was introduced to him on the Save Yourself tour that was supporting Sadistik and Kid Called Computers' Art of Dying album. I had a completely new impression of him after living with him in a van for a month. He helped curve a lot of my anxiety and taught me a lot about being successful in the world of music. And how unforgiving this world of music we live in is, as well.
What about Ceschi?
What's weird is when Ceschi and I did a song we hadn't even met. We just knew about one another through mutual friends. I just hit him up because I couldn't hear anyone else do the chorus of that song and he went really out of his way to make it happen. We just met in person last month. I really loved that dude immediately and I don't generally feel an immediate connection with people. He's very genuine.
What do you hope your next album gets across to people?
I hope that when they're done listening to that album they feel like figure was on one side of their hand and I was on the other and we were aggressively sticking our hip-hop wieners in their ears...in the best way possible.
What does the music you make mean to you?
It's a mirror of my personality. The next album is showing a little more of my humor and anger. It means everything to me that I never become a character and always be my characteristics.
Visit www.casonemusic.net for more information.
Cas One: The RAPstation Interview
One thing you can't say about Evansville, Indiana-based emcee Cas One (real name Jacob Snider) is that he doesn't have a sense of humor. His wit is a major component of his personality. However, on his debut album,The Monster and the Wishing Well, much of that humor was absent and in its place a lot of pain. His upcoming album with longtime friend and electronic artist Figure reveals the more comical side of Cas One. And don't think for a second this guy doesn't have any credentials. Even if you haven't heard of him, you've undoubtedly heard of some of the people he's worked with. From the late Eyedea and Fake Four's Ceschi Ramos to Sadistik and Kristoff Krane, he's been around for a minute. Here Cas One talks new music, life goals and his early fears of being murdered for his taste in hip-hop.
RAPstation (Kyle Eustice): You have a new album coming out with Figure. What about your styles gel?
Figure and I met when we were teenagers and became great friends. When I started to take rap music and performances more seriously, he backed me up as my DJ. So we both kind of know what make each other tic musically and we both work really quickly together. We are both shitty horror movie and music snob dorks, as well. It's like if two dudes in high school that slept over at each other's houses for slumber parties every night made an album together - but with less sex. This album is going to be all hip-hop by the way. No EDM. We are making it very adaptable for a live show and have a lot of visually stimulating surprises for our live show we are working on. It's heavy on the turntables, too.
What's different about this one than your last one?
This one is more aggressive and light-hearted. I feel like my last album was kind of, for lack of better words, beautifully dark. Whereas this one is like getting hit with a flamethrower while we sit around and tell jokes about it.
You've had a lot of big life changes recently: marriage, kids, house, etc. How do you balance it all?
Everything takes a backseat to my family life. So honestly I just say no to a lot of musical offers. I tour like once or twice a year and just do spot dates. So when I'm home my wife is really supportive of me making music. She and the kids are in bed by nine o'clock now anyway.
What are you goals in terms of music? Life?
Musically, I've thought it was a bad idea to have expectations or goals because you'll always fall short. My goal is to make less goals and to enjoy the ride. I lost feeling like it owed me anything a while ago. In life, I want to live well enough for people to actually be bummed at my funeral. I want to live long enough to kill my ego before it kills me.
How have you changed since you've been in your early 20's? How has your music changed?
I'm a million times more cautious. I don't do anything new without over thinking it. Musically I've learned to be patient. I've learned to go with your second instinct instead of your first. I drink significantly less through out the week and significantly more on special occasions.
How were you initially exposed to hip-hop? Who were some of your big influences growing up?
I actually grew up in Kentucky. I was exposed through my brothers and sisters. I remember getting Doggystyle from the Columbia house program. Remember that? They'd send that sheet of stamps with album covers on them and you attach it to a postcard and you send it in and then they would send you a box of CDs you'd never pay for. I got that CD just because it had a parental advisory on it. I was a big fan of MC Hammer as a kid, as well. In my teen years, I was pretty heavily into Outkast, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Canibus, Jay-Z, Anticon, Rhymesayers and Def Jux. It was a weird mix of music, which was totally okay because I'm Midwestern.
[Laughs] So you didn't feel more sheltered growing up in the Midwest?
I felt lucky. I remember feeling like if I went to schools on the east or west coast that I would've been murdered. And with the attitude I had especially when it came to rap music, I absolutely think I would've been in some sticky situations.
How did you meet Eyedea and what led to working with some of the Rhymesayers guys?
The first time I ever met Eyedea was at Scribble Jam. Carnage introduced to me and he brushed me off really quickly and I thought he was a dick. Then I was introduced to him on the Save Yourself tour that was supporting Sadistik and Kid Called Computers' Art of Dying album. I had a completely new impression of him after living with him in a van for a month. He helped curve a lot of my anxiety and taught me a lot about being successful in the world of music. And how unforgiving this world of music we live in is, as well.
What about Ceschi?
What's weird is when Ceschi and I did a song we hadn't even met. We just knew about one another through mutual friends. I just hit him up because I couldn't hear anyone else do the chorus of that song and he went really out of his way to make it happen. We just met in person last month. I really loved that dude immediately and I don't generally feel an immediate connection with people. He's very genuine.
What do you hope your next album gets across to people?
I hope that when they're done listening to that album they feel like figure was on one side of their hand and I was on the other and we were aggressively sticking our hip-hop wieners in their ears...in the best way possible.
What does the music you make mean to you?
It's a mirror of my personality. The next album is showing a little more of my humor and anger. It means everything to me that I never become a character and always be my characteristics.
Visit www.casonemusic.net for more information.
