D.C.

Recovered and recording, the Hustla speaks for the first time on his near-fatal car accident. A VIBE exclusive.

It's a rainy October night in 2006. Cassidy is riding in an SUV en route to pick up a member of his team. Driving through the rain, on their way to the studio to work on the rapper's third album, the four passengers are laughing and listening to music. "Watch out!" is the last thing Cassidy hears, just before a BOOM! A truck crashes into them, bending the SUV into a U-shape.

When Cassidy wakes up two weeks later, he can't remember any of his rhymes.

March 2007. He wears his Stall & Dean fitted cap backward, cocked to the left. Still that smooth-faced Philly rapper - despite visible scars trailing from his eye to behind his ear. His smile's gorgeous enough to get eyelashes batting. Five months since the accident, he moves and speaks with confidence.

Cassidy sat down with VIBE recently and spoke candidly about the changes he's gone through over the last few years. From being charged with murder in 2005, to his near-fatal car accident in '06, Cass is back. With more meat on his bones and a new spiritual focus, for the first time, he bears his account of his accident - or at least what he can remember. Though sustaining brain injuries, broken bones, and blisters from ripping out IVs during treatment, his recovery was a rather fast one. He showed his scars, did some signature dance moves from the "I'ma Hustla," video, laughed and smiled. No reason to feel pity. More reason to get ready for his comeback.

There have been many accounts from other people of the accident you were in. What happened?
I was coming from my house in Jersey. I was going to go pick up another guy that's down with my team. It was a late night and there were three other people in the truck with me. It wasn't a truck - it was more like an SUV. I was sitting directly behind the driver. We're in the truck talking and listening to music. Once we got into the accident, I couldn't even remember getting into the truck. I hit my head so hard that I suffered brain injuries. My bones were broken and bruised. I know that a commercial vehicle a little bigger than a SUV hit us - one of those U-Haul trucks. I think we were on a highway, but I'm not sure. I think he ran the light or ran the stop sign and swerved out of control and hit me right on the door that I was sitting on. I remember someone saying to me, "Yo watch out." So I looked to where it was coming from and then, boom! It hit me. My face broke the window, and that's how I got cuts all over my face. After that, my head hit the door and that's how it broke all the bones in my jaw and head. I hit the actual truck. I guess. As soon as I hit my head the first time, I was in a coma instantly. I was sitting in the second row, but when the ambulance came it was like my feet was in the second row but I was laying in the third row. I was blacked out. I was in a coma. I started choking on my own blood; there was blood all over my face. The dudes that were with me had to take it into their own hands and at least move me to the side so the blood would run out of my mouth.

From what you've been told, what was the reaction from those who were there?
I was completely out of it. The guys I was with kind of got scared and thought that it was over for me. That's how the news got out that it was a fatal accident. Without people knowing the real information they just jumped to conclusions. Doctors thought I was going to be brain-dead, but after about three MRI tests, they found that my brain was bruised but there wasn't any terminal damage. The same way it takes time for the outside of your body to heal, it's going to take time for the inside to heal.

Considering the damage to your brain, did you suffer any memory loss?
After about four to six weeks I started to recover. I slowly got my memory back. I didn't have amnesia. I could remember certain things, but I couldn't remember everything. If I would see a friend, I probably couldn't remember their name. I couldn't remember any of my rhymes, none of my music. It was hard for me to remember those things but it gradually started to come back. Almost two months later, I pretty much had my memory back. I could remember things that I did in the house before I got in the truck, but I just couldn't remember getting in the truck. I couldn't remember the accident.

Did doctors explain why you were put in a medicated coma?
When I was 'bout to wake up out of my real coma, they put me in a medicated coma because they had to give me so many stitches and run a lot of tests. They didn't want to wake me out my coma and risk mental damage, so they put me in a medicated coma. Sometimes I would fight out my coma. I'd wild out and rip the IVs out my arm. Every time I did, my vein would bust.

What was your first thought when you regained consciousness?
I thought, where was everybody? Where was all the people that was suppose to be there holding me down? Where were the ones who were supposed to come visit me? The people that are supposed to call and check on me, where are they at? There was a lot of people that I thought should have been there that weren't. I also remember thinking that I wanted to leave the hospital.

How would you explain the treatment you received from nurses and doctors?
Once I was out of the medicated coma about nine or ten days later, I told my mom that I wanted to leave the hospital. The nurses were sneaking around. They were acting like they were going to wash me up, but instead; they'd take pictures of me and put it on the Internet. I was getting a lot of treatment I didn't need. They were trying to generate money because they knew it was a lot of money that was around the case. I had just came home from jail and being stuck in that little room, made me feel funny. When my family agreed to let me leave, I still had stitches in my face. I put my arms around my son's mother and just hopped out of the hospital.

You weren't officially discharged from the hospital?
When they saw me leaving they shut the elevator off to go downstairs. So I started looking for the stairs. I ended coming across the elevator that the nurses and surgeons use. By the time we got to the front door, doctors, nurses, and security guards started running towards me telling me that I can't leave. My mom started screaming and arguing with them and then I just left.

How did you plan to recover from home?
I got a private doctor and he would either come to my house or we would go see him. He'd send me to different doctors for different work. I don't know how long they would have kept me in the hospital, but I couldn't do it. I didn't feel right being there. They told me I was going to be down and out for at least four to five months, but the short period that I was recovering shocked the doctors. I'm just happy that I'm not brain dead.

What's one of the first things you did when your health allowed?
Probably two to three weeks later I was able to start eating again. I ripped the bone in the back of my jaw, so I couldn't really open it to eat. I couldn't even go to McDonalds and get a Big Mac. Everything I had to eat didn't necessarily have to be soup, but it had to be extremely small enough. It was frustrating not being able to eat how I wanted to.

How did you feel emotionally about not being able to remember your raps?
I never went through anything like that. I've been hurt before, but I never went through a situation where I lost memory. It's like something you see on TV. I always had faith that its just going take me time to recover. Eventually, I started to remember things. I kept the faith that I was going to beat the murder case and I kept the faith with the accident. Four to five days after I came out the medicated coma, I started to remember things about my singles. Since I performed them and heard them so much they were the first rhymes I was able to remember. Then I started remembering songs that were on the album that I didn't perform as much.

How far along is the new album?
Before I got in the accident I guess I recorded 80% of the album. I felt like I needed to go back into the studio and record more music to update the album and talk about the things that happened in between those times. I'm back in the studio with a lot of producers I never got to work with before, like Timbaland, Scott Storch, Cool and Dre, the Runners, and Just Blaze. It'll probably be done around the end of August.

What can fans expect?
This album is a lot deeper than any of the other albums I've put together. I've got a lot to talk about and a lot of heartfelt music. Not just about my accident or my jail situation but about my family, my friends, and the Lord. I think it's my best project yet.

You've been out of the game for a couple years; do you feel any anxiety?
You know what I like about this situation that I'm going through right now? Instead of me coming out and selling five million my first time around, I'm happy that I'm growing slowly and that I went through what I went through early in my career so that success could come later. Jay-Z came out with his first album and it didn't go gold until later on, then the album continued to grow. I think that's how my career is going. It's just gradually growing. I'm not in a rush to come out and then come out wrong.

I read in article that your album will not resemble the punch line king we're use to?
I'm still lyrical. I mean, I can't even write a rap that'snot lyrical. The things that I'm talking about are going to be different and more mature. The people that love me for my punch lines are still going to love me because they know that there's no other rapper that can say the things that I'm saying. When you go through what I went through and get past it, most people in the industry would use it as motivation to be negative. I'm using it in a more positive way, so its shocking.

Is this album more spiritual?
We're here for a purpose and we're here to please God, first and foremost. I try to bring both negative and positive to the table because that's how life is. If I'm always negative, then the people that need the positive message can't learn anything from me. I just put everything in the Lord's hands. I already showed everyone I'm a thorough nigga, so I don't have to keep putting music together to prove that.

Are you eager to be getting back into the game?
I'm getting excited just to be here. A lot of things I was taking for granted, like just sitting in the house with my kid all day everyday. I just appreciate watching TV all day and just being able to go to the refrigerator and get a soda. In jail you can't drink anything, you can't even eat what you want, or lay on a comfortable bed, or just watch TV. Now I ain't been out in two years but people still recognize me and still got nothing but love for me. I've got friends, family, and the Lord, so I'm good. I'm happy.

Did your experience in jail and the accident help you get in touch with your spiritual being?
When I was in jail I was able to go to church everyday, sometimes twice a day. There are times now that I just sit there and pray with my girl and my son. I definitely stay reading my bible and praying.

Do you feel like the same rapper you've always been?
I'm better than ever. I don't want people to think I can't bring the same things to the table. Going to prison and the accident made me grow in such a short period of time. My next album is going to be my best project. I'm feeling better than ever. The Lord first, my family and friends and my business last. That's what it is.

musydee

props he very religious now good read

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musthecapo.co.uk

Braza

propzzz..................

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Geol0gic

hmm a more spiritual cassidy? interesting.

_RottenApple_

Prolly End Up Like Mase

savageassnigga

that shit is long

h_a

cassidy's the real shit man his album gonna be serious

iLiCiT

Thats some deep shit. Good looks on that!!

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Mr.Smith

All I can say is damn. Good to hear thw kid is ok.

MC B STREETZ

aint feelin cassidy

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"I'M A LOUDMOUTH NIGGA BUT MY RUGER SILENT" -TONY YAYO A.K.A TALK OF NEW YORK
"ALL YAYO ENEMYS ARE ALL OF MY ENEMYS" - MC B STREETZ A.K.A YAYO'S NINJA

digity

Already...props...

HarlemzFynest

propzzzzzz

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"ITS LIKE A GAME, RED LIGHT GREEN LIGHT,GOT MY GUCCI ON RED LIGHT GREEN LIGHT,NEW AIR FORCES RED WHITE GREEN NIKES,MEXICO FLAG RED WHITE GREEN STRIPE"-LOSO

Phantastik

Propzz great read.. and dont get no betta then those producers he quoted to be on his album "I'm back in the studio with a lot of producers I never got to work with before, like Timbaland, Scott Storch, Cool and Dre, the Runners, and Just Blaze. "

Cassidys Back!

one8seven

G00d Read...

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We will always be better than you.

"It's funny. Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, You start missing everybody." - Holden Caulfied, The Catcher In The Rye

markforlife

good look man ima hit the rep up

Dj_Paragon

good to know that cass is back to work

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par·a·gon (pār'ə-gŏn')
n.
A model of excellence or perfection of a kind; a peerless.

I am God

propz Cassidy is ill..

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^^^^
Throwback

SmOkEy420

cass got shit poppin again hes a lyricaL ass mah fucker

Tht_Nigga_PAP

props good read

blackjin

propssssssssss its gonna be a sick album

Fiddy uk

propz on the info, cass is fire.