Customer Reviews

Bars: Barry Adrian Reese Story (Sba2)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Cassidy AKA Barry Adrian Reese was a young prominent freestyle rapper. In 2004 Swizz Beatz was impressed by his talent and signed him to his label Full Surface. He released "Split Personality" and mish mish of diffrent styles where the Pop-Rap singles got into focus. The overrated single "Hotel" became a top 10 hit but it wasn't a very good album and neither was Pop-Rap what people had expected from him, but the label wanted otherwise and it became the song most associated with him. Sophmore album from 2005 "I'm a Hustla" was considerably tougher but it lacked hit singles and was quickly forgotten for the mainstream. At the time of it's release Cassidy also got charged for murder. Eventually it was changed to manslaughter and he only served 8 months before getting released. One year later he miraculously survived from a car accident that could have been fatal. These things have been major factors on how Cassidy see things today and he valuate family and faith higher then anything else. He's a changed man and that is obvious on this very personal album, kind of like Tupac's Me Against the World

Still at Swizzy's label, the production is mostly handed my him and his associates Neo Da Matrix and Nottz, but only a 3-4 songs are uptempo. The intro (B.A.R.S. vs. The Hustla) that sound like taken from a boxing match is actually very long and shows how Cassidy changed from his last album, he also sais he never lost a battle and how god is the only one he fears. As serious as this album is, there are unfortunately some major missteps, "My Drink N My 2 Step" which is the first single and trademark repetitive club song from Swizz Beatz (although Cassidy talks about his near fatal car crash here) ditto with "I Give My Paper" and "Cash Rules" the second single which is another repetitive uptempo about money from Hi-Tek with Bones and Eve as guests. An Interesting production on the violent "Where My N*ggas At" but it's no highlight. Things get more interesting on "Will Never Tell" About his trial and the hip hop ballad "Pray" where he talks about the best way to get away from trouble and how his faith helped him. This is defenitely proves that he changed during these 2 years. "Innocent Man" is an absolute standout though, it's a dancehall influenced song for the radio with British R&B singer Mark Morrison who also got locked up and had his career ruined. Fortunately this isn't the case with Cassidy but he still feels he's an innocent man and explains that he did what he had to do during the shootout. Another standout is Gospel-Soulish "Leaning on the Lord" with the wonderful Angie Stone. Here Cassidy will tell poignant life stories of others and then compare them with his own. Some simularities between this one and "Order My Steps" from Bone Thugz N Harmony's last album Strength & Loyalty can be seen. "Damn I Miss the Game" yet another standout, where he appologize for the demise if hip hop and how he was also guilty for the fall. He mentiones Public Enemy, Run DMC and other original artists that had something to say and not just the rappers of today that all sound the same. "Done for Me" is another song about how he's blessed to still be alive and how he's a changed man. A song for the ladies called "Take a Trip" with Mashonda is alright but obligatory. Kanye West stand for the next standout "Celebrate" with John Legend. It's a mellow song that sounds alot like music from Legend's last album and here we got more proof that Cassidy changed his style. "My Old Style Died And Went To Punchline Heaven". Last song is called "All By Myself and it was written and produced by himself. It isn't the best song I heard but he talks about how he was betrayed by his friends and how he was forced to take care of himself with the help of god.

Overall, This came as quite a surprise if you compare it with his previous albums. But "B.A.R.S" is much better then anything else he released before and Cassidy follows plenty of other rappers (like Chamillionaire) that suddenly got tired of the commercial hip hop and wanted to keep it real. This one Is very personal and poignant and it does have some exellent songs like "Innocent Man", "Leanin On The Lord" and "Celebrate". Unfortunately, 3-4 songs are made for radio and cut down the overall rating a little and plenty of songs are about faith (not strange considering what he's been through). However, "B.A.R.S" is very good and this is defenitely a step in the right direction, I hope that people won't overlook it considering that Jay-Z album was released on the same day. This album gives major proof tht anyone can change, including the most commercial of artists. 3'5.

It's been 2 years since cassidy made an album which was "Da Hustla" back in 2005, And he's back to prove to make a great comeback with "Bars". For the past 2 years cassidy has been behind bars for 8 months, And the car accident that happened about a year ago sort of like what happened to Kanye many years ago. With this release he can prove that he can be mature, And truthful about his personal self with the trials that he's been going through. One of my favorite personal songs has to be "Damn I Miss The Game" in which he explains how Rap/Hip-Hop is dying down the core, for Example: Women, Clothes, Bragging what they have is getting watered down, Bumblegum rap is washed up with fake, foney, untalented cats, rented girl's in their videos, well you know the rest. Cash Rulez with Eve, And BTNH which is straight inferno with quick mic skills by everyone, and just basically they all stole the show. So overall Jigga Man might sell more with that weak American Gangster CD, but in overall, Cassidy showed that he has better skills then Jay Z now, Hova just needs to really retire cause 90% of his lyrics are bogus, like we know who he his since he basically introduced his personal self in "Reasonabble Doubt"
so why would claim he's a gangster, ha ha not anymore, your rich wih your own club, liqior, shoes, clothes, and your saying that your still in the Streets, Quit Jay Z Quit.

A lot has changed for Cassidy in the last few years. When he first came out with Split Personality, a lot of people dismissed him as just another flash-in-the-pan young rapper. But since then a lot has happened, from his murder conviction to his near-fatal car accident. But Cass persevered and came back with his latest offering, B.A.R.S.: The Barry Adrian Reese Story.

Since his real name is listed in the album title, most people should know what's going to happen: the album is supposed to be a personal reflection of the artist but instead it's just a marketing ploy and it doesn't sound any different from the artist's usual fare. The opening track is another one of those cases where the intro is longer than most of the songs, and it appears that Cass is going back to his Split Personality days because his "sides" Da Hustla and B.A.R.S. are generically battling each other (but just like T.I. vs T.I.P., the personalities don't sound any different from each other). But there ARE some personal songs on here, like "All By Myself" and "I Pray". And the Angie Stone assisted "Leanin' on the Lord", where Cass tells stories about other people before he finally talks about himself, is passable.

Still, those songs aren't the most exciting either. "My Drink N' 2 Step" was a no-brainer for the first single, but the songs that follow aren't as inspiring. Actually, "Where My N's At" is fine except for the first verse, which contains the disgusting bar, "My nickname should be Diarrhea/How I run ish". And the obligatory song about snitching, "I Will Never Tell (Uh Uh)", is corny. Another manufactured track is the necessary song for the ladies, "Take a Trip", featuring Mashonda from his first album.

But one song that really doesn't sit right with me is "Damn I Miss the Game". And it's not only because of its uninteresting chorus, but it appears that Cass didn't do his research. Although I feel him when he says that society tends to blame hip-hop for violence, he brought up the supposedly wrong incarcerations of Shyne and Cool C. Huh? Shyne shot somebody in the face, and Cool C killed a police officer! The song also has Cass lamenting on how rappers today are just talking about bling and hustlin'. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't his last album called I'm a Hustla?

Cassidy seems to want to stray away from the street life with this album, and he KIND OF succeeds, but B.A.R.S. just isn't as interesting as intended. It's his best album yet, but that really isn't saying much.

Anthony Rupert

man this cd is real tight,i took my boy cd out his car,and i been playing it since.but u know i coped my own.big ups cassidy for this one on all 14 tracks

Y'know, I bought this with fairly high expectations after 'drink n my 2 step' dropped, but the rest of the CD didnt really follow through like I'd hoped. It wasnt too bad, I dont regret buying it or anything, I just expected a bit more. Cassidy's got a good flow, he's a very talented artist, but the CD as a whole just couldnt keep me interested as well as a lot of others that are out right now

I've been listening to lil wayne a lot, but someone told me to listen to some Cassidy. I listened to one track off of B.A.R.S. and decided to buy the whole album cause of how good "All By Myself" is. Cassidy actually made the beats, claps, and produced the whole track by himself.

Cassidys' the truth. One of the best albums I've ever heard.

Full of punch lines and lyrics that tend to spiral out of control `B.A.R.S.' ends up sounding very much like the Cassidy we all know but also the Cassidy we're all tired off.

Don't get me wrong, the kid is amazingly talented. He knows rap and he knows lyrics. What he doesn't know a lot about is song making. His songs, though at times can be heart thumbing tend to stray off topic a good bit and though his staccato delivery, street intelligence and word play are impressive there seems to be a lack of heart...or meaning behind everything he says. His arrogance, which is never subtle, tends to masks any efforts he makes to be honest on a track. Just look at the album cover. Entitled with his government name, as if this album was a glimpse into the real Cassidy. Yet, on looking at the picture we see a closed off, pretentious, unfeeling Cassidy. Does that seem honest? This album is the manifestation of that contradiction. His songs lack the honesty that great rappers like Jay-Z (99 Problems) bring. They feel meaningless. Of course, some people go for that appeal which is okay. Cassidy wasn't going for a meaningless, fun album though. It's obvious he wanted something real. Something that people could really vibe too. Unfortunately he fell short. It's like listening to freestyle after freestyle. Not literally of course, but each verse seems to come off the same as every other. I can't be the only one who is tired of verses where Cass is ends each line with the same word.

There are a few well made tracks though such as 'Celebrate' with John Legend and 'Cash Rulez' with Bone Thugs. Still, it seems to be the production and the featured artists that make these songs good which is beginning to be a theme with Cassidy albums.

This album ends up falling short and mostly, in my opinion, because the expectations are so high. The guy is really amazing on freestyles and has a voice and style of speech that is genius. He just hasn't brought an original sound to this album.

His 3rd album starts off solid much like "I'm a Hustla" where B.A.R.S. vs. the hustla battle in a boxing match style song. Then he continues w/ "My Drink n My 2 Step" which is a clear pop/radio song. Though its not too bad, this song along with several others (i.e. I Get My Paper) don't seem to fit the serious demeanor of this album.

And Given he's been through a trial and jail time for attempted murder along with a near fatal accident after he got out, he's definitely got alot to say. The contents of these songs shows he's more mature in his new outlook on life.

Much of his new outlook is accredited to God whom he consistently references in several tracks (i.e. Leanin on the Lord, Done For Me) and appears to be genuine. He also touches on the current state of hip hop (i.e. I Miss the Game) and how everyone is materialistic and how it lacks diversity of with no artists like Public Enemy or 2Pac, yet it doesn't come off preachy as he admits to being guilty of doing it in the past.

Though, I definitely feel this is his best effort thus far, it falls short of perfection as the production is not always up to par with Cass lyrical content and he has a few songs that seem out of place. I recommend this to anyone who bought the previous 2 albums b.c its much better than those!

Standout Tracks:
1. Innocent Man
2. Leanin On the Lord
3. I Miss the Game
4. All By Myself
5. B.A.R.S. vs. Da Hustla

While everyone else is busy writing Jay-Z reviews, providing us with limited views supported by minimal quality listens, I'm going to write an album review in Cassidy's honor.

Barry Anderson Reece, aka Cassidy, has obviously grown as a man and an artist since his last album. He has suffred through a car crash that left him in critical condition and being jail for 8 months after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Cassidy seems to have smartened up and began to bloom into an all around artist because of the accelerated learning curve that these unfortunate events seem to produce. Cassidy now realizes that he doesn't always have to spit hard, punchline rhymes to be respected. He says, "See Christ died on the cross, that's keepin it gangsta!" Today's Cassidy is an introspective student of life who has learned through his trials and tribulations. Thankfully he has survived and prevailed. He created a very good disk with this album, hopefully he will be recognized for it.

Now, onto the album. I'm going to begin with the bad elements embedded in this album (although bad is not really the right word because he does not fall flat on his face anywhere on this album, so I'll call it his average moments). So this won't be in order in a song-by-song basis. Don't be alarmed if you're a creature of habit and prefer this sense of order; yes I know the playlist sequencing.

"My Drink & My 2 Step" is the club-hit produced by Swizz Beatz that reminds me of his previous hit "I'ma Hustla." Cass spits fairly good verses talking about his accident, punchlines, ect. , while Swizz hits us with a catchy chorus and blesses Cass with a very good beat. The production is excellent. So where's the negative? Cassidy's verses are nothing spectacular and I'm not a fan of Swizz Beatz with a mic in front of him (The Jay-Z sampled chourus was a better chorus also). However behind the boards Swizz is excellent. This was a good choice of song to put out for the first single though, it will sell records. The next song is the dark "Where My ****** At" prod. by Neo Da Matrix. The beat pushes out high-hats, gunshots, snares, and background instruments that create a gloomy, but good beat. Cassidy speaks about what he will do to anyone that crosses him in the wrong way. "If I gotta I'ma pop a ****** lay a ****** down!" This song suffers again because of a weak chorus and subject. Cassidy again spits decent verses that this time will have your adrenaline pumping for a different reason. The next lower point on the album is the hustler song/overused subject of "I Get My Paper" prod. by Swizz Beatz. The chorus here is annoying with the vocalist trying to hit the highest note she can while 'singing' the boring chorus. The production here is fairly good, but seems overproduced and doesn't compliment Cassidy very well. Instruments just feel like they were thrown onto here with horns, base, congos, snares, high-hats, and whatever else Swizz could find to use. The next song "Take a Trip" is the final low point. Although I love Mashonda's voice, I am tired of Cass's attempts to create the perfect love song. To me he seems to try to hard.

The 4 Star songs include #'s 1, 4,5,& 7. The intro is another battle song where this time Cassidy the Hustler goes to combat against B.A.R.S. who is the more mature side of his personality. The punchlines here are good as usual. The best line comes from B.A.R.S. "Oh you ruthless, the record I'ma Hustla was stupid, cause Jay made more off the record than you did, Swizz made more off the record than you did, so you did somethin for nothin you dufus!" The production is also very good and the background comments are funny. This is a very good opening just as "The Problem vs. The Hustla" was. Which is a better intro? Probably the version on this album. Either way the man knows how to diss himself to indignatly, ala Eminem. Moving on, "I Will Never Tell" is going to be many listeners favorite track. It revolves around a basic topic (Another stop snitching song), but Cassidy puts flavor into it. "I Pray" is a slow, more mellow track laced with a guitar, flute, hats, base, and snares. Cassidy reflects on his past here. He emphasizes his attempt to leave the streets behind. A guest verse is supplied by Shizlansky. I've never heard of him before and his verse doesn't really impress me all that much either. My senses smell a wasted verse, but the emotional aspect of this song lifts it. "Cash Rulez" also suffers from a weaker overused chorus, but is uplifted from the rapid verses spit from Cass, Bone-Thugs, and the revived E-V-E. She is very impressive. Hi-Tek hands over a beat to bless our ears as well.

The highlights of the album begin with beautiful vocals from Mark Morrison on "Innocent Man." Cass digs pretty deep on this track, giving us some introspection on his case. The production is decent, but not the highlight here, the two vocalists steal the show; the way it should be done. Enter Angie Stone on the gospel feeling "Leaning on the Lord." Cassidy tells us three stirring stories. This is something missing from most rappers arsenal today; the art of storytelling. The three individuals in the song all begin to fall into the God's hands (aka lean toward the Lord) after rough times occur in their lives. Very deep. It heavily reminds me of Ludacris' "Runaway Love." Swizz Beatz's production compliments the two very well. "Damn I Miss the Game" is currently my favorite song. The message is very powerful, with Cass 'exposing' the sub-par rappers in the rap game. He name drops legends such as Public Enemy, Run-DMC, Melle Mel, NWA, & 2Pac. Here's a line that optimizes Cassidy's emotional state on this track: "Damn I used to love this rap ****, when ****** on some gold rope Kangol hat ****, now every rapper on that bust that gat ****, cut that cra** *****, **** that wack ****!" The introspective "Done 4 Me" follows. Here where Cassidy again speaks on his prayers and belief in God. He reflects by telling us how grateful he is that he is out of jail and alive. He also talks about rapper shootings, jail-time, and death. The names he drops here are Big L, Soulja Slim, Big Pop, Jam Master Jay, Proof, & 2Pac (R.I.P. all). "Celebrate" is another mellow laid back track with John Legend vocals on the chorus. The theme here is staying strong and the troubles will pass. It's Cassidy's version of "Keep Your Head Up". The album ends with the Cassidy produced "All By Myself." This is not the greatest beat in the world (even though it is still very good), but just knowing that Cassidy produced it himself gives him instant props. Cassidy speaks about his inner strength.

Cassidy is beginning to develop into a rapper that no longer relies on the club heavy songs to fill his album. He goes deeper than he has on any of his other two solos. This is a very good cd, that for most came out of nowhere, but hopefully he will sell well, because of this albums' quality.

Cassidy finally makes the cd we all knew he could make. Been waiting this cd from him after his first two way too commericalized cds.