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5/28/2007 What’s up?    I’m feeling real, real good today.  Why did you drop an EP instead of an LP?  Just to keep the buzz going. I have a real strong buzz and I wanted to keep the buzz going. We wanted to put something out that was officially Shady/Interscope that you could go to the stores and buy. It was to add more buzz to the LP, which I’m going to hit you with sometime in September or October.  With the EP, we wanted to do something different and take it back to the grassroots of hip-hop. We wanted to also put out something that you could buy in the stores. We made it a collector’s edition. People don’t do that anymore. And after people listen to this EP, there’s going to be more of a demand for the album. Even the haters will respect me after they hear this. We could have come with just an LP right now, because I have more than enough songs, but the EP made sense. I’m going to be flooding the streets real, real heavy.    Are you happy with how The County Hound EP came out?    I love it. It’s banging. All the songs are banging. I love every record on there. I just wanted to show people a different range of me from The Re-Up (Shady Records compilation). When people walk away from the EP, they’re going to be satisfied and they’re going to want more. The album is where you’re going to get my huge singles. I wanted to satisfy my core audience right now and let them know who I am. I was introduced on the The Re-Up, but now you really get to know who I am on the EP. And the songs on the EP are six, seven months old and the LP is the newer material. I just keep getting better and I want to keep getting better.  Did you have a lot of help putting The County Hound EP together or was it all you?  Me and Em and Paul Rosenberg and Dart Parker went through the songs. We decided which songs we were going to save for the album and which ones we were going to use on the mixtape. We chose two beats that The Block Boyz produced. That’s family. We played the EP for everybody at Interscope and they were feeling it. We’re getting this mixtape done too and getting that out to the public so that people can really see what I have to offer.  How have you grown as an artist since signing with Shady?    I’ve grown tremendously as an artist. I went from being an artist in a group to a solo artist. I’ve learned to use my pen for every verse and to be more diverse in my subject matter. I do what’s natural and whatever feels right. If it doesn’t come out the right way, that’s fine. I don’t have to put that record out. I’ve learned patience, humility and I’m learning how too many words can be too much where it goes over the listener’s head. And too little words can be bad also. I know how to do my hooks better now too.  And I’m going to keep killing the verses. I learned how to stay myself and the missing elements. I learned how to do a bridge and do the small things that pop out when you make a record. I’ve learned a lot and I’m surrounded with the best talent. I’ve learned a lot and I’m excited.   Why did you get the deal you got with Shady?   Because I deserved it. Because I was grinding in a group and I was getting a lot of respect in different places. I told my lawyer that I didn’t want to be nowhere else but Shady. That was the only place I wanted to be at. I think it was because I deserved it. I was destined to be there and God blessed me to be in this position. That’s all I can say. I think I deserved it and hard work pays off. And a person with a real story and who’s been through real struggles, it’s worth it to give that person an opportunity to shine. They gave me an opportunity and I sure won’t let them down. We know what kind of songs I have and it’s going to really, really fuck up a lot of people’s minds when they hear it. I can flip patterns. I got something that can please everybody from the ‘hood dudes to the girls to the backpacker MCs to my 13 year-old brother who’s rapping.  And if you don’t like my music, then you’re not a real person. The EP is so raw. There’s not one bubble gum song on there. If you don’t like the EP, you’re not a real person. Or you’re a coward. You’ve never lived a real life. Or you don’t like me for my gang affiliation. Those are the only reasons I feel that any person could have to say anything negative about my EP. It’s impossible for me to flop because we’re only printing up so many. This is my life.  Whatever people say, I don’t care. I feed off the negative energy. As long as Em and everybody up at Interscope and Shady is happy with what I’m doing, then that’s cool. I know that when I walk through a lot of different ‘hoods, I get love. I get love all over the place, from Cali to Detroit to Virginia. That’s my inspiration to keep going.  And I love the look of surprise. When I first came and got signed, a lot of people underestimated me. They didn’t know what I could do. Now, I’m changing a lot of opinions and people are jumping on the bandwagons, which they should be doing. I’m going to be showing you something. I’m going to be dropping a mixtape soon just to keep everybody going. I’m going to flood the market and reestablish the Shady name and Shady brand. Em is the boss and Em is the don. You can’t get better than that, period. He’s the man. Obie’s come out and sold records and they have successful artists in their own right.  I’m the capo of Shady. I can crack niggas in the head and have quality music. We consistently put out the best music over here, period. We’re going to keep doing that and I think I show a whole new side of Shady Records, and that’s going to surprise a lot of people.  Are you still working with the Renegadez?    Nah. The Renegadez are dead. They represent the Block Boyz now for production. I rep the Bogish Boyz. Rikanatti is doing his thing and two of the Block Boyz beats are featured on the EP. But the Renegadez are no more.  What’s going on with the Bogish Boyz?    That’s me and a whole bunch of people that aren’t necessarily rappers. It’s like a street gang. I got my homeboy Problem out of LA. He’s riding with me. I got my little brother and my brother out in Cleveland who raps. I’m bringing in people that you may not have even heard of. What I’m doing is mentoring them and helping develop them to where they’re ready to come out. But first and foremost, it’s about branding the Cashis name first. Then people will understand who the Bogish Boyz are. They’ll know that we’re much more than rap.  What are your plans for the summer?    We’ll be on the road, getting money, staying out of trouble and hopefully we’ll survive another summer. That’s my goal – to survive another summer and gear up for the release of the album.   What do you want to say to everybody?  Thank y’all for coming and checking on your guy. I really appreciate that. For people that love me, I love y’all. For people that hate me, I hate y’all. People hated Em when he first came out. But if you pay attention to what I’m saying, you’re going to love me. If you don’t, I don’t care because there are more people that are going to love me. Whenever I’m on a fan’s or a critic’s mind, it’s cool. If you’re not saying anything about me, that means that I’m not doing my job. The people that don’t understand me, they haven’t lived my life and they haven’t lived like I have. They don’t understand. They’re followers. Once you hear the music, you can’t deny the quality of it.

By Brian Kayser

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