You probably know Chase N. Cashe for his production work for Drake, Lil Wayne, Eminem, and R. Kelly. But he also defines himself as “a musician through and through,” looking to expand people’s perception of him to include his own rapping abilities.
Even with his deep roots in music, Chase N. Cashe doesn’t shy away from calling himself a businessman. He says he was inspired by “anyone who came from an untapped territory and wanted to do independent business.” And for years, he has been committed to getting people to include his hometown, New Orleans, into conversation about cities that are making waves in music.
Loquacious with a tendency to explain even the smallest memory with great detail, Chase N. Cashe talks about how unrealized sports dreams and Hurricane Katrina ushered him along the path to music, what it was like to earn a platinum record at age 19, and how he feels that he’s “more driven than ever.”
Where were you born?
I was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. I’m from the part of New Orleans that people call The West Bank, which is the West side of New Orleans.
What did you think you’d be doing growing up?
Playing sports. And anyone who knows me will tell you that. I played everything—baseball, football, basketball, soccer for a time. I’m just a competitive person. People always thought I was going to play sports or be a comedian or actor. From the time I was young, I was always a funny person, an entertainer. I was always in talent shows, dancing as a youngster, but I didn’t really think I would do music. I fell into music my junior year going into my senior year.
What is your profession? How do you define it?
I would consider myself a businessman in the business of music. Pharrell is who I looked up to. That was the person I based my blueprint after. My music was inspired by the Jay Zs, the T.I.s, the Master Ps, Cash Money—anyone who came from an untapped territory and wanted to do independent business, that’s what I was inspired by.
I’m a musician through and through. I play piano, I play a little bit of drums, I’ve worked with the greatest of all greats to the newest of all news. I’ve helped break artists, and I’ve worked with legends. So I consider myself a musician. That’s what I do for a living.
Who’s been your favorite person to work with?
My favorite person to work with would have to be Hit-Boy. We’ve just done so much together. We don’t work that much anymore because we’re in two different spaces as artists and businessmen running our own labels. Hit-Boy is the person I’ve had the most fun with because we made the most history together, between us doing “Drop The World” for Lil Wayne and Eminem, and producing for Beyoncé, and Jennifer Lopez, and Brandy—you name it.
From the time we were kids, we were working with all the big names—music that came out, music that didn’t come out, music that came out on the radio, music that came out in movies. Hit-Boy is someone that personally I always hold dearly, and is the person I needed to work with, and the most fun that I’ve worked with. I was there at the start of Drake’s career. I was around at the start of A$AP Rocky’s career. I got to watch Kendrick [Lamar] and go on tour with all of them together.
Was there a particular person or event that influenced your desire to do what you’re doing now?
Growing up in New Orleans, I didn’t really have too many options—it was either play sports or get a job. The only job I’ve ever had in my life was working at Foot Locker, and that’s because I have a shoe fetish, and I’ve always been into fashion and shoes from a sports perspective.
The thing that made me pursue music was the fact that I didn’t have anything else to do. I couldn’t go get a job at the moment because there wasn’t any employment in New Orleans—the whole city was messed up. The hurricane made me take it seriously, because I honestly didn’t see another route for myself. Music, it was just something inside of me.
Once I started doing music, I guess I showed so much passion and dedication because I was literally doing it every day, all day, not doing anything else. I had stopped playing sports. I stopped going out and socializing with friends. My grandmother passing and the situation I was in with Katrina just motivated me to take a step and move to Hollywood and do something daring. I didn’t know what I was getting into. I just knew that Hollywood and Los Angeles was a scene where people did music. I knew that’s where record labels were located, so I just moved there.
What words characterize New Orleans to you?
Unique, misunderstood, and mysterious. Those words describe it to a complete T, if you haven’t been here. If you’ve been here, the one word I can say is one-of-a-kind. If you’re not from here, you can fall into the thinking that it’s just a bunch of crime, a bunch of negativity here, people are only here getting drunk and partying all the time—which is completely untrue. New Orleans is one of the blackest cities in the South, one of the few cities in the South that still have original stores from the 1800s, family-owned businesses from hundreds of years ago. This city really belongs to the people. It’s the only place that I could say hasn’t really changed much even in the midst of gentrification. After living in New York for a few years and seeing how Brooklyn has changed and Harlem has changed, I can tell you for sure people down here are not having it. We keep our culture alive.
That’s what I love the most: there’s a history that’s untold within our spirits. It ain’t really written down. It’s something that’s carried in our blood, and I think that’s the most important thing to me that I’m trying to put in our artistry, that I’m trying to put out to the world: this alternative side of New Orleans that people don’t get to see because they only come down here for jazz festivals. I’m trying to provide a piece of New Orleans hip hop for the world to enjoy. I want to be the representation for when people want a taste of New Orleans.
How many of those characteristics do you find in yourself?
I’m every bit of those characteristics. I think it’s the only reason why I’ve been able to go everywhere outside of my hometown and get respect. I got respect in other cities before I got it in my own, because at the time there wasn’t an opportunity to hit New Orleans and do a musical thing because of Katrina, so I had to go elsewhere. So for seven years, I grinded in L.A. and a lot of times, I was the only person they ever met from New Orleans. I’m representing New Orleans through and through when I’m not there, and when I’m there, because like I said, there’s not too much representation of New Orleans in the hip hop game right now.
Do you think that because people associate you with production, making the transition to rapper, for them, is an issue?
Yeah. And when you do production, you’re getting your name through other people. When I’m producing my own records, you see my name first and you’re like, “Ahh well, I don’t know him for rapping.” I think that’s why I had to get visual. I don’t think anyone has my look in the music business. So my look, along with my mind and my message, I feel like will strike people.
This woman who moved from Jamaica to Brooklyn said, “Oh my god, you look like Bob Marley. I remember when I met Bob Marley: he was wearing a soccer jersey and Adidas pants, just like you’re wearing right now.” I get people who tell me I look like Jesus. I don’t take that lightly [laughs]. I put out eight bodies of work all independently, with my own money. I’m producing half of it. I jumped in the game 2005, 2006. So you can say I’m 10 years in, I’m 27 years old—that’s beautiful to me. I remember listening to Eminem and Jay at the prime of their career at 27. I remember Jay Z dropped music a lot of people slept on. I look at people like Pusha T and 2 Chainz, who were dropping quality music for the longest, and when the time was right, it all connected. I’m secure in where I am, but I’m more driven than ever. I’ve done so much work, that when I finally connect the dots, I swear to God I’m going to the sky.
Photos courtesy of Chase N. Cashe