If you haven't heard of Cas One, you will (and technically, you just have). The Evansville, Indiana-based artist has been a phantom of sorts, appearing on a track with Sadistik, Kristoff Krane and the late Eyedea called "Savior Self," rapping alongside vets like Brother Ali and sharing the stage with heavy-hitters such as producer Figure. Born Jacob Snider, his debut album, 2005's Liberation, introduced the world to an introspective, lyrically gifted 19-year-old who has since had two children, gotten married and taken the time to hone his craft. 2013 finds Cas One preparing to release his highly anticipated sophomore effort, The Monster and The Wishing Well, a 16-track opus that defies the traditional definition of hip-hop and gives it a fresh meaning. His lyrics are painfully honest and insightful while the production is infectious. Not a single sample is used on the entire record. The Monster and the Wishing Well drops October 29.
Please visit https://soundcloud.com/caswunn and http://www.casonemusic.net/ for more information.
Cas One took some time to answer a few questions for RAPstation. Ladies and gentleman, without further ado, Cas One...
Tell me a little bit about your upbringing. What or who got you into music?
I think probably my brother Paul. I remember thinking he had really cool taste in music. I think because he made fun of the music that I listened to. So I would dig into his shit and try to figure out what made his cooler than mine. So I would pull my own ideas searching through his taste. My mom always played music in our house though. I vividly remember jumping off of furniture to songs that didn’t deserve that type of behavior.
How do you think growing up in the Midwest influenced your style/sound?
Growing up, I wasn't aware that coasts even had a style. We were behind a bit. A lot of southern shit gets play here and I always loved and respected it just like East Coast music because there wasn't any stigma of it being not as gritty or 'head-noddy' as their stuff. The first time I really knew that Midwest had its own style was when I was in high school and Twista was getting a lot of play. The Midwest is still the melting pot of rap. And I really like that.
Do you remember that moment when you figured out you wanted to be an emcee?
I was in middle school and listening to ATLiens and Andre 3000 said a line "they call it horny cause its devilish" and I remember that fucking my world up. I thought about that shit so much. And I remember thinking I wanna make people think like this. Looking at that line now it doesn't seem as significant, but then, well...
What's your songwriting process like?
I get a beat. Then I get angry that I stopped smoking cigarettes in my house. Usually, if I sit down to write I do it all at once. There are a few songs I go back to or completely rewrite. But usually it's all in one shot. I really miss smoking when I write. Why did you bring this up? You work for cigarette companies.
How did you meet Eyedea?
I met Eyedea on the savior self tour when Sadistik had released his album with kid called computer "the art of dying"
You are clearly very funny and witty. How important of a role does your sense of humor play in your music?
Well, thank you. I don't think it plays a huge role in my writing. I think it plays more of a role afterwards. I think it might give me an air of more approachability that some musicians might not have. I always wanna put off the vibe that I want to talk to people. I wanna laugh with them more than I want to talk to them about who to vote for.
Where are you hoping to take your music career? Is your dream to quit your day job and survive off of it?
That's tough. I don't want to tour all the time. I think to completely live off of music you have to be on the road A LOT. I would be down for two to three months away from home. More than anything, I want to make music that I'm proud of. I don't want to be unhappy thinking about what direction I need to go to make a million dollars come this year. In a dream world, I could pack my wife and kids in a bus with me and run around the globe making a whole lot of new friends. But that's why the world is realistic; to tell you that your dreams are stupid and to fix your kids a bowl of cereal in your living room like a normal dude.
You mentioned P.O.S. being one of your favorite rappers. Would you say he's an influence? Why or why not?
No. But I wish I made his album Never Better. I try pretty hard to hide my influences. I love his music but he doesn't influence my music because I think we have a lot of conflicting ideas about things. I like stuff. He likes to fuck my stuff.
On the new record, you touch on some pretty heavy subjects in a very enlightening and honest ways. Since Eyedea passed away from an overdose, what are your feelings towards the substance abuse? Do you feel artists have any sort of social responsibility to put more positive messages out there considering so many young kids are dying from drugs (especially in the EDM/festival world)?
For a long time I debated if I was ever going to answer questions like this and I am just now comfortable enough to do so. I think that artists are entitled to bring their reality to your attention. I think that there is a way to communicate saying no to drugs that is not preachy and that is desirable to hear. I don't think that it is every artist’s responsibility to convey that message. I also don't think it's any artists job to glorify abusing something. I think moderation is absolute key to everything a person does. I won't ever tell anyone not to try drugs. I will always tell people why I don't do certain drugs. I drink and I smoke. I'm not a poster child for this. However, I don't think Eyedea glorified any of that. I think his death was a mistake that wasn't supposed to happen. I hope that people realize that this horrible shit can happen to anyone. Even legends.
What does making music mean to you on a personal level?
It's the only thing that taught me I was relatable. Now I hope to pass that feeling onto other people. Music made me the person that I am. It's got a hand in literally every relationship with every human being I've met in the last ten years. And sometimes I argue with it. And sometimes I spit on it. And sometimes it doesn't let me cuddle it when I go to bed.
By Kyle Eustice for RAPstation.com
Exclusive: Cas One - The RAPstation Interview
If you haven't heard of Cas One, you will (and technically, you just have). The Evansville, Indiana-based artist has been a phantom of sorts, appearing on a track with Sadistik, Kristoff Krane and the late Eyedea called "Savior Self," rapping alongside vets like Brother Ali and sharing the stage with heavy-hitters such as producer Figure. Born Jacob Snider, his debut album, 2005's Liberation, introduced the world to an introspective, lyrically gifted 19-year-old who has since had two children, gotten married and taken the time to hone his craft. 2013 finds Cas One preparing to release his highly anticipated sophomore effort, The Monster and The Wishing Well, a 16-track opus that defies the traditional definition of hip-hop and gives it a fresh meaning. His lyrics are painfully honest and insightful while the production is infectious. Not a single sample is used on the entire record. The Monster and the Wishing Well drops October 29.
Please visit https://soundcloud.com/caswunn and http://www.casonemusic.net/ for more information.
Cas One took some time to answer a few questions for RAPstation. Ladies and gentleman, without further ado, Cas One...
Tell me a little bit about your upbringing. What or who got you into music?
I think probably my brother Paul. I remember thinking he had really cool taste in music. I think because he made fun of the music that I listened to. So I would dig into his shit and try to figure out what made his cooler than mine. So I would pull my own ideas searching through his taste. My mom always played music in our house though. I vividly remember jumping off of furniture to songs that didn’t deserve that type of behavior.
How do you think growing up in the Midwest influenced your style/sound?
Growing up, I wasn't aware that coasts even had a style. We were behind a bit. A lot of southern shit gets play here and I always loved and respected it just like East Coast music because there wasn't any stigma of it being not as gritty or 'head-noddy' as their stuff. The first time I really knew that Midwest had its own style was when I was in high school and Twista was getting a lot of play. The Midwest is still the melting pot of rap. And I really like that.
Do you remember that moment when you figured out you wanted to be an emcee?
I was in middle school and listening to ATLiens and Andre 3000 said a line "they call it horny cause its devilish" and I remember that fucking my world up. I thought about that shit so much. And I remember thinking I wanna make people think like this. Looking at that line now it doesn't seem as significant, but then, well...
What's your songwriting process like?
I get a beat. Then I get angry that I stopped smoking cigarettes in my house. Usually, if I sit down to write I do it all at once. There are a few songs I go back to or completely rewrite. But usually it's all in one shot. I really miss smoking when I write. Why did you bring this up? You work for cigarette companies.
How did you meet Eyedea?
I met Eyedea on the savior self tour when Sadistik had released his album with kid called computer "the art of dying"
You are clearly very funny and witty. How important of a role does your sense of humor play in your music?
Well, thank you. I don't think it plays a huge role in my writing. I think it plays more of a role afterwards. I think it might give me an air of more approachability that some musicians might not have. I always wanna put off the vibe that I want to talk to people. I wanna laugh with them more than I want to talk to them about who to vote for.
Where are you hoping to take your music career? Is your dream to quit your day job and survive off of it?
That's tough. I don't want to tour all the time. I think to completely live off of music you have to be on the road A LOT. I would be down for two to three months away from home. More than anything, I want to make music that I'm proud of. I don't want to be unhappy thinking about what direction I need to go to make a million dollars come this year. In a dream world, I could pack my wife and kids in a bus with me and run around the globe making a whole lot of new friends. But that's why the world is realistic; to tell you that your dreams are stupid and to fix your kids a bowl of cereal in your living room like a normal dude.
You mentioned P.O.S. being one of your favorite rappers. Would you say he's an influence? Why or why not?
No. But I wish I made his album Never Better. I try pretty hard to hide my influences. I love his music but he doesn't influence my music because I think we have a lot of conflicting ideas about things. I like stuff. He likes to fuck my stuff.
On the new record, you touch on some pretty heavy subjects in a very enlightening and honest ways. Since Eyedea passed away from an overdose, what are your feelings towards the substance abuse? Do you feel artists have any sort of social responsibility to put more positive messages out there considering so many young kids are dying from drugs (especially in the EDM/festival world)?
For a long time I debated if I was ever going to answer questions like this and I am just now comfortable enough to do so. I think that artists are entitled to bring their reality to your attention. I think that there is a way to communicate saying no to drugs that is not preachy and that is desirable to hear. I don't think that it is every artist’s responsibility to convey that message. I also don't think it's any artists job to glorify abusing something. I think moderation is absolute key to everything a person does. I won't ever tell anyone not to try drugs. I will always tell people why I don't do certain drugs. I drink and I smoke. I'm not a poster child for this. However, I don't think Eyedea glorified any of that. I think his death was a mistake that wasn't supposed to happen. I hope that people realize that this horrible shit can happen to anyone. Even legends.
What does making music mean to you on a personal level?
It's the only thing that taught me I was relatable. Now I hope to pass that feeling onto other people. Music made me the person that I am. It's got a hand in literally every relationship with every human being I've met in the last ten years. And sometimes I argue with it. And sometimes I spit on it. And sometimes it doesn't let me cuddle it when I go to bed.
By Kyle Eustice for RAPstation.com
