Cassidy is renowned for his usage of metaphors and similes in his raps, but the Philly native remains a fan of the craft and those who laid the groundwork with their own music, flair and style. During an appearance on The Bootleg Kev Podcast, Cassidy shared his list of his favorite punchline rappers, which was comprised of artists who made their mark in the ’80s and the ’90s.
When asked by the host to name his Top 5, The Hustla appeared to have already had his picks prepared, as he instantly reeled off a handful of New Yorkers without much hesitation. “Lord Finesse, Big L, Canibus, Big Daddy Kane, and Kool G Rap.” While his list is devoid of artists from the modern era, Cass says that was intentional, as he wanted to show appreciation for the pioneers who helped influence his own style. “I named dudes that kinda came before me,” he explained. “That was my inspiration.”
He also credits himself with building upon the influences of the old guard and cultivating it all into the style he helped popularize during the early ’00s. “You never heard a artist doing it like back-to-back, line after line, after line, before you can dissect,” he said. “Before you could dissect one punchline, you already getting into another one and they connect,” he added. “Like they never really seen rappers doing that. My inspiration is what inspired me to want to create that style.”
Emerging from Swizz Beatz’s Full Surface Records, Cassidy was one of the more prolific artists on the mixtape circuit at his peak, wowing listeners with his lyrical proficiency and incessant use of punchlines. He believes that he helped popularize the use of one-liners like never before, prompting other rappers to follow suit in the wake of his success.
“I think ever since I came out, I just changed the trajectory of how shit was going,” the battle rapper offered. “I made it more competitive, made you have to be more lyrical, made you have to have more punchlines and lyrics, and piece up more syllables just to sound like you was spittin’. Because before, you ain’t have nothin’ else to compare it to, but when you can listen to me doing it like this, if you supposed to be lyrical, you gotta be doing it to a certain level. So around that time I came out, you started to see a lot of people change.”
Watch Cassidy’s interview on The Bootleg Kev Podcast below.