Cassidy’s history in the hip-hop game has been an interesting one to follow. Coming in to the game as a feared battle rapper, he succeeded at transitioning into a successful recording artist, making a name for himself from his first single "Hotel" feat. R. Kelly. While that particular single may not have been indicative of Cassidy’s lyrical talent, it still showed that he was an artist that could make hits for the radio and talk that street shit at the same time. Making hit songs was not at all a problem, as evidenced by songs like “I’m a Hustla,” but his first two albums lacked creativity and were filled with throwaway tracks that detracted from the overall feel.

Such is not the case with Cassidy’s new album, B.A.R.S., or the Barry Adrian Reese Story, which is easily Cassidy’s most impressive release to date. The album starts off with a 6 minute intro, where Cassidy’s two personalities, Bars and The Hustla, square off in a lyrical battle. Set to the theme of a boxing match, two fans argue in between verses over who is the better of the two. Cassidy’s lyrics on this song are more reminiscent of his freestyle material than anything else, exhibiting some creative punchlines and metaphors. After the intro, is the lead single “My Drink and My 2 Step,” where Swizz Beatz does his best T-Pain impression on the hook and Cassidy brings some positive and celebratory lyrics to the table. If you’re not moved by this song when it comes on in the club, something is wrong with you. And if you haven’t heard the Kanye remix yet, do yourself a favor and download it.

After the lyrically grounded intro and poppy lead single is the first street song on the album, “Where My N*ggas At.” Complete with an endless number of gunshots, Cassidy goes harder than ever on this track, reinforcing his street credibility with lyrics like “And I can talk that gun shit, ‘cause I’ve done shit/My nickname should be diarrhea, from how I run shit.” It’s evident from lyrics like these that despite Cassidy’s unfortunate arrest and incarceration, he still has a street side to him that could come out at any moment. After “Where My N*ggas At” is probably my favorite track on the album, “Will Never Tell (Uh Uh).” The beat, the hook, and the lyrics on this track are impeccable. Cassidy raps about snitching and the consequences of doing so and even professes “If you a rat, I ain’t fuckin witchu/ I wouldn’t even tell if I saw Bin Laden buying a fuckin missile.” Nottz absolutely kills the production on this track too.

On “Innocent,” Cassidy raps about his highly publicized legal troubles, where he was eventually convicted on involuntary manslaughter and served 8 months in jail. He breaks down the entire story, talking about how certain people were threatening his family and he had to retaliate, even though he supposedly wasn’t responsible for the shooting. Cassidy also raps about his time in jail: “Jail’s vicious. It’s hard to stay patient and stay strong/ When you get pictures of chicks half naked in they thongs/ The anticipation be makin the days long/ But I waited cause I just gotta make it like Trey Songz.” He even touches on the trial process where he says “My lawyers couldn’t lose. They proved the DA wrong/ I smiled at the trial, kept cool, and stayed strong/ Waived at my mom and swallowed my pride man/ Them guys on the stand brought tears to my eyes man/ The things they were discussing weren’t nothing but lies man.” Honest lyrics like these make a rapper like Cassidy much more personable, especially when he actually expresses his emotions during this troublesome time.

There are a number of other great songs, but it’s almost impossible to break down the details of each. “Cash Rules” with Bone Thugs N Harmony and Eve is an amazing song, produced by Hi-Tek, and the only song on the album with guest appearances, other than the occasional Swizz Beatz appearance and John Legend on the hook of “Celebrate.” Honestly, the lack of guest appearances is a good thing in this situation, as B.A.R.S. is almost more of a biography than a rap album. Any more guest appearances would’ve detracted from the main concept of the album, which is to examine different aspects of Cassidy’s personal life. He touches on his court case, his relationship with his neighborhood (“I Pray”), his relationship with God (“Leanin On The Lord”) and his place in the rap game (“Damn I Miss The Game”) among other things. We also get a taste of Cassidy’s first production effort on “All By Myself,” which is actually pretty impressive and serves as a good closer to B.A.R.S.

Overall, B.A.R.S. is a great album and easily one of the best rap albums of the year. There are a couple of weak songs, especially “I Get My Paper,” but the majority of the album is packed with bangers. There are party songs, street songs, inspirational songs, and songs that really just make you sit back and think. And while this probably won’t translate into sales, it’s good to see an established rapper like Cassidy sticking to his roots and not selling out for commercial appeal.