March 23, 2009 -
PRLog -- Cassius D. Kalb is no stranger to music. He inherited the artistic gene, becoming a music enthusiast at an early age watching his dad play keys and saxophone. Unlike most inner-city kids, Cassius didn’t grow up with dreams of being a rapper. Rap came to him. At just 8 months, his mom died from medical complications and he and his dad migrated from the streets of NYC to the red clay of Decatur Georgia. With soulful melodies in his heart, he began putting piano to poetry at age 7. By 13 he received numerous awards and tearful ovations for an original piece he wrote for his late mother. Despite the natural growing pains of any rising star, opportunities began to come into fruition as he landed a small part in the movie “Drum Line.” After graduating from Southwest DeKalb HS and leaving his Drum Major legacy behind him, Cassius joined the historical FAMU Marching 100. However, his musical insight afforded him several opportunities and school just didn’t seem to fit into his plans. A producer first, it wasn’t until an internship with Arista Records that he started rapping. Working under Mark Pitts, now President of A&R at Jive Records, he met Mickey “Memphitz”
Wright, who critiqued his music. Being that he couldn’t find an artist tailor made for the style he was looking to create and urged by Memphitz, Cassius started rapping over his own tracks. Now focused on putting the music back into music, Cassius is developing a sound that has him poised for legendary comparisons to the likes of Kanye West and Outkast with a hint of John Coltrane. “There is a difference between wanting to and willing to”, he says with a smile reciting the words of Hall of Fame coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. “Not everyone can do what I do, so it would be selfish of me not to share it with the world” And what does he do? Between arranging his own compositions for his Band Members Only, Cassius delivers witty lines with a bravado that mirrors a Key Note Speaker. He is coining what he calls Band Room Music, a combination of brass enthused tracks mixed with a refreshingly fun but still humble perspective we’ve yet to see and his frat boy charm is as intriguing as his unique vocal delivery. As his smash hit single Dream Girl takes flight around the globe we can look forward to a bright new face in the hip hop world. Cassius D. Kalb the All-American
