Cassidy

There is no doubting that Cassidy’s career has been underwhelming. All the early promise he showcased in his freestyles for local Philly station Hot 97 have so far been left unrealised due to a combination of albums of mixed quality and coherance, unfortunate motor accidents and manslaughter charges. Its fair to say that the Philly native has flown under the radar for the last few years and that is unlikely to change, given the low key shows he plays these days. However, as soon as he started spitting the opening bars of “My Drink ‘N My 2 Step” at Providence’s Manchester 65 on Sunday, it was evident that he’d lost none of his adolescent dynamism and the whole venue knew it as the chorus was bellowed back at him on stage. But Cassidy has always been at his best when he’s got something to vent about and his recent beef with the young pretender Meek Mills provided the audience with a ferocious rendition of Cassidy’s recent diss track “Catch A Body.” This is a side that has unfortunately been underrepresented on record but it is clear that this intensity is one of the rapper’s greatest strengths. Even the controversial reference to Meek Mill’s late protégé, Lil’ Snupe, was swallowed up greedily by the crowd. When colossal drums of the monstrous “I’m a Hustla” signified the grand climax, Cassidy seemed at his most in control. With the audience grasping at every bar he came out with, he delivered with such vigour that you wonder where he has been all this time. As the show came to a close, it became clear that Cassidy might never ride the heights that “Hotel” gave him but that may be no bad thing, as he seems to be exactly where he wants to be.