Cassidy - Split Personality - Rap / Hip-Hop - CD

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Here's another of those eagerly anticipated debut albums. After stirring up interest with his mixtapes, guest appearances, and first single ("Hotel"), young Philly rapper Cassidy (aka Barry Reese) cuts loose with an album that shot to the top of Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The disc features Cassidy in different "modes" and is divided into three sections called "Cassidy," "Tha Problem," and "B. Reese." The first section, which features "Hotel," catches the artist in a mellow frame of mind, while the other two sections are more in the harder-edged vein for which he is best known.

You gotta love the soul-rap (and superfly bass) of the opener "My Interpretation." Cassidy, rhymes about using rap to explore themes other than sex, gangsta violence and bling-bling ("They gotta expand their mind and rhyme somethin' different"). It's a great warm-up for what's to follow, namely the smooth "Hotel" (featuring R. Kelly) with its unmistakably Latin flavor, and one of the album's highlights, "Lipstick." The latter track is ultra-cool, funk-rock-laden rap. Once again, the bass is featured like a lead instrument -- a unique characteristic of the album.

There are some top-flight guests on Split Personality. Snoop Dogg shows up on "Make U Scream," a dreamy, R&B-rap, guy/girl vocal interplay. Snoopy lays down his rap with that distinctive twang a minute-and-a-half in. But oh baby, the really bumpin' stuff comes home to roost on the track, "Tha Problem." A heavy drum-n-bass joint with infectious hooks and plenty of Philly boasting, it's a party starter all the way.

"Can I Talk To You" brings in the inimitable Jadakiss and brings back the big-time soul vibe. Brass and bass take you back in time -- extract the rap and this track could have been in the original Shaft film from 1971. It's an awesome mix of retro and nuevo. No less awesome is the staccato soul of "I'm Hungry" with its ba-boo-boom bass line and "I'm hungry" chant refrain. This cut's also exceptional for its message: an unequivocal "NO" to poverty. It's a social statement with a warning: "You got cake I'm gonna eat a slice."

Cassidy uses samples on about half of the tracks and uses them well. He doesn't overburden the groove but actually completes it with the excerpts he chooses. The penultimate track, "Around Tha World," samples "We've Got A Good Thing Going" and delivers another new-meets-old number that resonates with the female cooing of the Motown girl groups of the '60s. It's a sweet track and, as the title suggests, it's a shout-out to just about everybody.

Split Personality is an album with spirit, atmosphere, energy and, yes, plenty of personality. An excellent debut disc, it sounds like the offering of a veteran star. Can't wait for the follow-up.

By Adrian Zupp