Diego Cash is not your average Southern rapper. He despises snap music (“…it be on some bullshit”), is originally from the Bronx, NY (“I didn’t cross the Mason Dixon, I go back and forth”) and is a full-blooded Puerto Rican (“I was the only Spanish kid in school”). Yet despite his slight divergence from common Georgia culture, Diego is self-assured that these differences are just half of what makes him special. The other 50 percent belonging to what he believes is a novelty of fly, spartan street rap. And Diego’s credence comes with an interesting cosign. The 25-year-old is the debut artist off Denver Nuggets superstar Carmelo Anthony’s independent record label, KrossOver Entertainment – Cassidy being the second rapper signed.
After serving a batch of mixtapes under the alias Berg, Diego patiently preps for the release of his first single, “Girls Gone Wild” and his debut album Language Arts, which features a slew of well accredited names including: Bun B, Rick Ross, and Jadakiss. There's also the soon-to-be released mixtape, Fly Paper, which will be available on Carmelo's website, krossoverent.net. Recently, VIBE.com caught up with the charmingly gritty rapper to talk music, ‘Melo, and getting today’s hipsters to dig him.
VIBE: Why the switch from Berg to Diego Cash?
Diego Cash: It’s almost like a thing when people say TI and TIP. I’ve been Berg forever. That’s what I’ve been known as from New York to Atlanta. That was my rap name initially. When all the Young Berg stuff came out I was still running with it at first, wasn’t really worried about. But then it got to the point where every time I would put out a freestyle or do a mixtape, I would get people on there that would be thinking I was the other nigga.
If your real name’s Christian Vasquez, where does Diego come in?
I wanted to show my Spanish side a little bit and years ago I was thinking that if I had a son I would name him Diego. Then I added the Cash, thought it sounded good, and put my little dollar sign on the end to be slick [laughs].
What were you doing before you got signed?
I went to Georgia State for like a year and half, studying business management. The black man’s major (laughs). In 2003, right before Thanksgiving a nigga tried to rob me at the gas station, and as we got to fighting, boom boom, he shoots me. My intestines literally split apart, and I had to have a couple of surgeries to reattach them. When I got back on my feet it was cool, but I was looking around like what am I going to do? I missed so much school, so I dropped out. I was chilling with my niggas in the house, looking around thinking what am I going to do for myself and what am I going to do for these niggas looking for me to do something.
So how’d you link up with Carmelo?
A lot of people don’t know that Melo’s really from New York. He got the same story as me, but he moved to Baltimore when he was about 12. His brother never left New York though, and had my cds. [His brother] called me one day like, “Yo, Carmelo’s with me right now talking about he wants to do this label. Email him some songs.” So I sent him some songs and when I hit him back, he was going nuts over it. Right there Melo was like I’m going to fly you out here.
Were you skeptical about joining Carmelo, who has relatively no experience in the music industry?
I wouldn’t say it was a concern. Anytime you go into business with somebody, I’d say you’re a little skeptical, but I had dealt with so many people feeding me bullshit and not holding things down like they said they would. When Melo came to me, I knew he really had me. We can learn together, that’s how I see it. I’d rather have a nigga that doesn’t know every corner of the game, but hold me down, than the nigga that really doesn’t give a fuck about me. What people fail to realize when it comes to sports players with labels, is that he’s a CEO, he does what a CEO do. He’s not writing raps, or making beats.
So what does Diego Cash represent?
A new blood, a new breed. Niggas say I don’t really sound like nobody because I rap like I’m from up North, but at the same time am from the South. My slang different, my flow different, my whole swag different. I grew up listening to Nas and Wu Tang. But, in ATL becoming, a man, I was into some other shit. So my style is completely different. My upbringing on that is I can get on a New York beat and it will sound right. Or if I get on a South beat, it’s not like what the fuck is this nigga doing? Everything I do still sounds genuine, just a little different.. There’s a balance to it.
Do you feel pressure to fully represent both New York and Atlanta?
Somewhat. Really, I rep the East side of Atlanta, but you always hear me give reference to New York and the Bronx. All people really know about Atlanta is Bankhead or the South side. So me and my team are trying to show what the East side is about. Let’s say you know a nigga from Brooklyn and Harlem, they’re going to be totally different. I get sick of people coming to town and the first thing they say is where Bankhead? Where T.I. and them stay at? That’s cool, I’m not knocking their hoods, but people gotta know what we about too.
Pitch yourself to the millions of dudes now that wear skinny jeans, plaid shirts and listen to The Cool Kids.
They should listen to me because my music is authentic and real. But at the same time I’m a fly nigga. If they want to take it as that. I would think that’s what they relate to, not necessarily the music, their hooks, or the shit they’re talking about. It’s more so their swag and their style. So if that’s what a person wants, I’m one of the freshest niggas I know [laughs]. If you want me to put it on, I’ll put it on. And I do. Really though, if you’re 100 with yourself and are comfortable in your own skin, people cant do nothing but accept you. I know I make quality music. And I’ve never been a lame so I don’t ever worry about being one.
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