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Chino XL

Erupting from the underground world Chino XL brings a presence that is etched in your mind. This East Orange New Jersey native equates his growing up in East Orange with growing up on Motown Records since such talents like Queen Latifah, Redman, Lords of the Underground only to name a couple all derived from there. Chino is definitely not a new face to hip hop, being a member of the former group “Art of Origin” inspired by artists like LL Cool J.

Chino XL possesses a street sense encased in meaningful flows. While overcoming countless challenges he still remains ultra enthusiastic about rising to the surface of his career. Chino’s natural love for the music industry makes his passion for the game that much more concrete. This artist’s knowledge of the hip hop movement is vast which makes him an expert in the game. Being down with Africa Bam Bata and the Zulu Nation while watching the evolution of hip hop completely enforces his musical talents and credibility. His talents range from all levels of the industry from playing the piano to kicking freestyles in a cipher.

Chino XL has the flows for potential greatness. Finally he acclaims himself as being ready to be felt on the hip hop forefront. Describing his style as being “relentless” Chino XL is rising and he appears to be unstoppable. This half black half Puerto Rican rapper is gunning for the top position in the hip hop world. Don’t sleep on Chino XL. He’s silently creeping on the come up from the underground to the surface.

Thank you first of all for doing this interview. When did you decide that you wanted to make your love for hip hop into a career ?

It’s so many moments when I made that decision probably when I was little and I seen LL do it. I mean I already rhymed before that but when I really figured out that I could fit in some kind of way.

I read that you were apart of the MENSA society can you explain what that is to the Hip Hop Magazine.com family.

Wow! Basically it’s a kind of like an intellectual organization let’s say for people who are interested in educational pursuits beyond schooling. And there’s a certain caliber of intelligence that you have to have to be part of the group. Personally you know I got in because my SAT was so high.

Ok what was your score ?

Pretty close to perfect.

Wow ok. What was it like growing up in East Orange, New Jersey and do you feel that you’re growing up inspired you as an artist ?

East Orange was like one big talent show, I mean in regards to music we have so many talented people in such a small area but our talent shows were like the Apollo, you know you had Whitney Houston,( I mean she was older than us I remember seeing her at a talent show) you had Latifah, you had myself, you had naughty, you had Redman, you had lords of the underground, you had channel live, the list is so extensive in my little neighborhood, and the surrounding neighborhoods. So growing up was like being signed to Motown just to be from East Orange.

That’s a lot of talent in one place. How did the group Art of Origin come about ?

Well I was playing, I play the piano or whatever and I was playing, my Uncle Bernie bought be a dx 7, I had it hooked up by my window, so I was playing some shit probably like inspector gadget and I moved into some classical piece from that and moved into some parliament funkadelic (whatever that is) and people were walking buy, nigga’s just knocked on the door and asked my mother like yo who is playing that?
lol, then one of the guys that was in the group asked me if I could come and play some keyboard on some stuff that we got, and that’s funny because this kind of digresses back to when you asked me when I decide I wanted to make it a career. I had rhymes or whatever but I wasn’t really trying to come out with it because visually there was nobody like me beside other than Tito from the fearless 4, he was the only Puerto Rican dude that had a record out I mean he was probably 10 years older than me at the time but anyway so yeah Terry Chandler who ended up being in the group The Art of Origin asked me to play the keyboard on some stuff that they had and the dude that they had rhyming that I was playing the music over was garbage, So I spit some rhymes for him and he was like you ain’t write that and I was like yeah I did and we started the group Art of Origin from there.

How much do you feel that you have evolved since the days when you were down with African Bam Bata and the Zulu nation ?

It’s funny in a way I would say it was a devolution in a sense being so young and having your ideology being so high your level of how you think life should be is romanticized cause you know they say when you young you think you know everything, in a weird way you do you might not know everything but you think you know how you want everything to be, we did the lessons you know our women were queens, our mothers were earth and we were kings, and the center of the universe and all that and um so I’ve had to in order to work with certain people and even make music people would consider listening to I’ve had to expand from a lot of those ideologies and deal with a lot of things that I wouldn’t have even dealt with at the time I would’ve looked at them as being negative

What or who inspires your music ?

I would say anything new like if I hear a drum pattern that some trip hop group from Germany or a cadence I might hear a cadence from some mc anywhere man anywhere just kind of be like oh that’s interesting it doesn’t make me wanna do like what I heard but it makes me want to take it up a step.

That’s interesting. What are some of the misconceptions that might surround your career ?

The first thing that comes to mind is you like people like consider me like a monster, I am a monster when I’m listening to my shit, or when I am writing my shit I am a monster so it’s hard for me to not I mean steer away from that perception cause that is what that is when I’m touching the Mic, or when something is wrong, or when you know but pretty much if you met me on the humble you would see that I’m not exactly like the music would make you think that I am. And also in some ways people might have seen some projects that I was attached to as not successful there ideas and my ideas of what success should be is probably completely off target. Like I never wanted to be you know,#1 in the lime light this and that that and this where people just assume that’s where everybody wants to be so when you not there they thing you didn’t make your mark me and what I wanted to do I made every mark I wanted to. And it’s not until now that I want to take the throne away from some people that got it.

Anybody in particular...

Nah, just in order to be successful people move out the way, there’s not room for everybody so it’s like you gunning for somebody’s spot, u know you get into a spot like musical chairs and once you get out that spot somebody else sits down for whatever that time period is it doesn’t last forever till they play the next song.

What would you say was you’re most challenging obstacle and how did you get the strength to overcome it ?

I had a daughter that was born with cancer umm I’m like a super hero I work out every other day I don’t take nothing but like aspirin,(so I don’t get sore)and you know for the first time I couldn’t control it at all I couldn’t do nothing but pray and allow God to do what it is he needed to do the doctors what it is that they need to do or whatever and that was like the toughest year of my life, I thought that I had been through some shit but having a gun to your head or losing all your money, or you know or a woman breaking your heart or whatever there is there’s nothing compared to the loathing that you know you may lose you child, and you know that was the hardest thing I ever had to go through and you know were blessed they removed the tumor and she’s 100% and that time was the hardest and incidentally the time when I recorded back to basics, I was living in the hospital going back in forth.

I am so sorry. How does your family embrace your career ?

Well my family is compartmentalized you mean like my mother? Well I’ve had a lot of harsh things to say about my childhood, my mother doesn’t really, of course she can’t argue with it cause it is what it is so she’s not that fond of it, as far as people coming up to her saying her son is a genius at what he does, she likes that, So as far as my music being taken as literature she like that.

Who would you like to work with in the future ?

I got my little list but I’m trying to come outta my circle right now, umm personally I think the world wants to see a record with me and Eminem, I think the world would like to see a record with me and 50 cent, I think the world would like to see a record with me and Jay z I think it would be interesting, Never got a chance to do a song with Biggie unfortunately, never got a chance to do a song with pun so next time we talk when my album comes out you gotta say dead or living and we could have a little segment here, lol Producer wise Timberland I got a remix out her that Timberland made the beat but as far as him just making a record for me I never had it.

What does” reaching the top” means to you ?

Reaching the top to me I just want to solidify my place in history, that’s what I want to do I want people to see what I have brung to the game undeniable and I want people to say yo every time what this music is supposed to be, this yellow nigga put everything he had into it every skill, every fiber everything that he could think of he gave that shit to us, when everybody else is trying to get buy and trick us into buying they product he gave everything he had, I’m like a boxer that fights 30 rounds when everybody else is only fighting 3.

Now a 2 part question what are your goals as an artist ? What would you like to accomplish in your lifetime ?

I am gonna answer the second part first, I believe in starting everything with the end in mind, and when I first started out writing uh lyrics, for hip hop, I thought to myself that I wanted to be like a wizard that got to the point where everything that I said somebody could learn something from, someone who people want to quote and that I would be some where and people would just send people to talk to me you know what I mean, being able to explain or touch somebody through words, get them through any hard time get them through any obstacle whatever they’re trying to do I can bring something to it with something that I’ve written or something I could tell them on the spot, ok and what was the first part again

So then what are your goals as an artist ?

My goal this time around, is to really bring everything full circle, I stand in an awkward position to bring a cohesion that no one else could because you know I am half black and I grew up like a black man and I am half Latin, So I am a Latino artist I’m from the eats coast but I’ve always been considered a west coast artist so I’m bi coastal, you know I speak as a son ,I speak as a father, and I speak from so many different views that I’m the type of person that could do mostly any kind of record and not be questioned as much as another person would.

How do you handle the haters ?

I understand them, you know what I mean, I believe in no pun intended, when people cheese you can read it, when a person is coming at you talking about they don’t like this and they don’t like that you can tell where they’re coming from when you put yourself in their shoes, you know if I was the dude I wouldn’t like that either if it’s unattainable to him or threatens his existence, I understand that, the whole hater thing I see it from a completely different side of the game, I’m not gonna judge anybody for any flaws I can’t recognize in myself, I know when I’m upset about something and I’m just venting and at the same time don’t be mad at somebody for doing something that you wasn’t gonna do, If somebody samples candy girl from New Edition’s album and sells 50 million, don’t be like oh that shit is whack I could did that, you weren’t gonna play yourself like that, So if they were willing to bow down and do that, that’s them you know you was never gonna do it. So you know it’s a lesson I had to learn myself.

What influence would you say the Sway and Tech morning show had on you’re career ?

Well in the beginning it was reaffirmation on what I was doing was right, and that everything you say should be the best that it could be. Then later on right now as far as the influence now an I’m working with them in such a close way, it’s just every record is important, and what you saying with a bunch of dudes that’s just gonna be underground, when you spitting on the radio, when you spitting in a cipher, complete different tool then when you making your record that’s definitely a lesson that I learned it’s a whole other level of control.

If you could describe your style in one word, what would it be and why ?

Relentless, because when I either get on the topic or I get on a tangent like the only reason I stop is because the time ran out, or the bars ran out, or the dude in front of the pro tools fell asleep.

Alright so what can we expect from you what’s to come from Chino XL ?

For me to raise a lot of eyebrows, for me to be in places and positions that people can’t believe I got there, but don’t be surprised because I’ve had a lot of love from people in the industry, they just was waiting for me to be ready, So when you see me in videos with Paul Wall, and Mike Jones, or you see me on Jimmy Kimmel or you see me with KRS Ones, because I’ve always had relationships with these people and they always had a lot of respect for what I did, but I wasn’t trying to get pushed to the front, and now that I’m trying to get pushed to the front everybody’s like ok.

Nick Cannon

Since his career began on Nickelodeon, Nick Cannon has had a hard time breaking the shackles of his childhood success. Quietly becoming a Hollywood power player, the 25-year-old loods to get his grown man on and leave the tricks for the kids.

Nick Cannon is a proud member of the 6 o’clock club. Every morning, usually in some anonymous Los Angeles hotel room, there’s a schedule that must be followed and it begins at the ungodly hour of 6AM. Thirty minutes of meditation and prayer follow his wake-up call. Then, once his mind and soul are at ease, he works the body. He used to box in the mornings, but now a few crunches and sets of push-ups are sufficient.

After a quick shower, Cannon hops into a chauffeured Ford Excursion and heads to his production company, Mr. Renaissance, located in downtown LA. During the commute, he makes phone calls, checks his e-mails and hopes that traffic isn’t too congested so he can make it to the office by 8AM. Not the typical morning routine for your average 25-year-old, but this is a day in the life of Nick Cannon.

“I’m a businessman,” says Cannon seated in a non-descript SUV inching through New York City traffic. “I’m somebody who’s out here to get his hustle on. I think people’s minds are embedded with Drumline and Nickelodeon. The perception is, ‘Oh, my kids like him.’ I’m trying to match the perception to who I really am.”

How the public views him is one of Cannon’s biggest hurdles, making him one of the most polarizing figures in the entertainment industry. In fact, on one of the message boards for film website imdb.com there’s a post titled, “Am I the only one who doesn’t HATE Nick Cannon?” With a career comprised mostly of teen-centered cable television gigs and movie roles, Nick is often perceived as just another goofy young actor—nothing more, nothing less. His attempts to branch out into more mature arenas like hip-hop with his 2003 self-titled album and action comedies like 2005’s Underclassmen have been disastrous; fueling critics’ claims that he lacks the credibility to succeed in either genre.

“The haters will come,” says Cannon. “They’re my gauge. If people hate me, then I must be doing something right. There’s a lot of envy in the entertainment industry. So when you have somebody thinking outside of the box, and doing things their own way, people tend to be like, ‘What’s so special about him?’”

“If people hate me, then I must be doing something right. There’s a lot of envy in the entertainment industry.”

Born in San Diego, California, Cannon was raised by his mother, Beth Hackett, and paternal grandmother until the age of 10. Concerned with her son’s questionable actions like stealing from liquor stores, mom shuttled young Nick east to live with his father James Cannon, a minister residing in Charlotte, North Carolina. The rules of the house were strict: no rap music and only one hour of television per day. Since his father worked late, Nick usually stayed up watching The Arsenio Hall Show.

“I would think, ‘Damn, I wish I could do that,’” he recalls. “My father had a televangelist show on public access, and I was on that. He thought I was funny, even though I was getting the material from Arsenio.”

It wasn’t until he moved back to San Diego for high school that Cannon’s comedic aspirations started coming to fruition. As a teen, he began performing stand-up comedy locally. However, his act hadn’t evolved past the cute “yo mama” jokes he told at his father’s New Man Ministry as a preteen.

“The first night I got on stage in a nightclub, I was 15 and I tried to do my 12-year-old material. The people booed me,” he says. “I didn’t want to do it anymore, but then I realized that I couldn’t quit. I went to the library the next day and just studied different things to talk about, different impressions, and looking up humor books. The next week, I ripped it with a new set.”

Graduating from Monte Vista High School in 1998, Cannon left home for the road to work the comedy circuit full time. The experience was invaluable and helped birth the mini-mogul inside the then 18-year-old. “If you’re doing stand-up, you are executive producer of your own show,” he says. “You create, you write, you get on stage with no props, no music, no script, you just go.”

Landing a spot as a warm-up act on the Nickelodeon sketch show, All That, Cannon eventually met a member of Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment production company and scored deal for a sitcom of his own with the WB network. A pilot was shot for Loose Cannon in 2001, but the show was never picked up.

“That was my first real check,” Cannon says of the pilot. “I blew it on Range Rovers, expensive rent in the Hollywood Hills, loaning [money to] family members and I went broke. Then a year-and-a-half later I got a deal at Nickelodeon [for The Nick Cannon Show].”

Cannon parlayed his stint at the kiddie network into starring roles in two successful teen comedies, 2002’s Drumline and 2004’s Love Don’t Cost a Thing. But after playing the goofy, mischievous teenager on cable and film, the budding actor feared he was being pigeonholed and decided to take his career in a new direction. Cannon’s multimedia image makeover includes tackling more mature roles, a hit MTV variety show Wild N’ Out, and a sophomore album, Stages due out this summer via his label, Can I Ball Records. Consider it a well thought out plan by a guy who teeters between being both an artist and corporate dealmaker—but leans more towards the latter.

“Nick has a real vision of what he wants to accomplish,” says manager, Blue Williams. “He’s not a slave-driver but he’s not going to wait. If he has an idea, looks up and no one is moving on it, he’s going to take the reins himself.”

This fall, Cannon will showcase the depth of his acting chops alongside Sir Anthony Hopkins, Harry Belafonte and Demi Moore in Bobby, a historical drama recounting the assassination of presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy. Written and directed by Emilio Estevez, the film finds Cannon playing one of 22 people in the vicinity of the Commander of Chief’s murder. That will be followed by The Hawk, a fight film he co-scripted and is also producing. He hopes both projects will change how casting directors and the public assess him—not to mention, erase the aftertaste of last year’s Underclassmen, which was Cannon’s first box office flop.

“Bobby gives me the opportunity to do something I haven’t done,” he says. “People are used to seeing me be funny or in a romantic comedy, but this feels like an epic. When you see my character, you don’t see Nick Cannon, you see this character. Whatever I do with business, music or comedy, I want people to know that I take my acting very seriously.”

“When you see [me], you don’t see Nick Cannon, you see this character. People are used to seeing me be funny but I want people to know that I take my acting very seriously.”

On a sunny afternoon in New York City, Nick hops out of his tinted-windowed vehicle and into the lobby of a chic midtown Manhattan hotel. Wearing a black Adidas warm-up jacket with matching sneakers and a gaudy gold dookie rope chain, he looks like Run-DMC’s younger nephew. Once upstairs though, he makes the very non-rapper choice of eschewing the Heineken and champagne stocked mini bar for a weight-gain supplement. There’s no crew in the next room leeching off him and no blunts will be smoked here. Defying every rapper cliché, Cannon has found it difficult fitting into the world of hip-hop.

“Trying to be in the hip-hop game is probably the hardest thing you can ever imagine,” he says, sitting on the edge of his room’s kitchen counter, legs mindlessly swinging back and forth like a hyperactive kid. “You are going into a business, or a world, where it’s all about keeping it real. It’s all about how raw and gritty you are and here comes this kid from children’s television, a child star actor [who] wants to be a hip-hop artist.”

Cannon’s rap career got off to an inauspicious start in 2003 with the release of his self-titled debut album. (We’ll ignore his stint in the kiddie duo, Da Bomb Squad, which opened for Will Smith). There was the pedestrian “Your Pops Don’t Like Me,” a PG-13 version of K-Solo’s 1990 classic “Your Mom’s in My Business,” and the questionable R. Kelly collaboration “Gigolo.” “My grandmother said, ‘Ain’t that the man that had the little case?’” says Nick with a laugh. “When you think about it, it is the kid from Nickelodeon doing a record with R. Kelly.”

Despite working with Pharrell, Diddy and Kellz, Cannon’s debut sold only 200,000 copies. Apparently, skirt-chasing records were too much of a jump for the Nickelodeon set. Not even Cannon’s own label took him seriously. “Jive saw me as that Nickelodeon kid,” he says. “They even coined me in their minds as, ‘the Black Aaron Carter.’”

With his music career careening towards oblivion, Cannon decided to share more of his real life on his sophomore disc. “When I went into making this music, I was like, ‘I’m just going to do me,’” he says. “Sometimes I’ll think of a hot punch line and be like, ‘It would be crazy if I said, I carry more toasters than Sears and Roebuck’s.’ But I don’t have guns with me. You want your creativity to flow but also be as real as possible. I think that’s my lane. I’m keeping it as real as I can, being me.”

“I tell him all the time, ‘Don’t worry about street cred,’” adds Williams. “‘Kids in the ghetto respect you because you make them laugh and they know you have money. Ain’t nobody scared you going to shoot them. So what?’ He can be in a ghetto and not get robbed because cats fuck with him.”

“This one girl saw the video and didn’t get the abortion. She was pregnant with twins. This song kind of opened the door for two kids to be born. At the end of the day, no record sales could top that.”

In summer 2005, Cannon released the introspective single “Can I Live,” a tribute to his mother who at one time contemplated aborting him. The song and accompanying video were unlike anything on BET’s 106 & Park countdown. Immediately attracting controversy, it features a pregnant Tatyana Ali (best known as Ashley from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) running away from an abortion clinic. But Cannon still maintains the song wasn’t meant to be championed by either side of the heated debate.

Did you think “Can I Live” would get that much attention?

Nah, man. But by the time I was shooting the video, I knew maybe it would be controversial. People from Congress called me. The head of a pro-life foundation contacted me. They purchased 10,000 copies of the video and put them in pregnancy centers. BET embraced it but a lot of other places stayed away. Even MTV, who is supposed to be so edgy, were like, “We’re not touching it. That video is a little too risqué for us.”

Is that because the video can be seen as “pro-life” and maybe didn’t fit MTV’s political views?

Maybe. I really think it didn’t fit with the image MTV had of me at the time. This is when Wild N’ Out first started and they wanted the funny over-the-top Nick Cannon. At the same time, I’ve got a record out where I’m all serious and talking about abortion. It’s like, “We’ll wait till the next single.”

Do you feel used by the pro-life side? With those 10,000 videos, they used your video to push their agenda.

It didn’t really bother me too much. It can be interpreted any way. What really touched me was this one girl on her way to getting an abortion saw the video and didn’t get the abortion. On her first ultrasound, she found out she was pregnant with twins. That’s kind of cool. Regardless of people’s beliefs, this song kind of opened the door for two kids to be born. At the end of the day, no record sales could top that.

Cannon’s maturation both on screen and on wax is telling. Just look at the way he treats his break-up and one-sided war of words with actress/singer Christina Milian like distracting tabloid fodder.

“Our relationship was one of the more successful relationships in the public eye because we didn’t over-saturate it,” he says with a straight face. “When it did end, it wasn’t like this huge break-up. We’ll always remain friends. We’re still friends to this day. If I ever have another high-profile relationship I would probably do it exactly the same way.”

Although Milian refused to comment for this article, her record “Who’s Gonna Ride,” is believed to be a thinly-veiled stab at her former beau as she sings, “You ain’t nothing but a buster/Still I found it so hard to believe I touched ya.” Although Cannon is never called out by name, his manager believes the song is just a publicity stunt.

“The first time [Nick] heard the record he was laughing because he was like, ‘I like the beat. It’s hot.’ He didn’t trip about it,” says Williams. “It wasn’t a break-up where his heart was broken or where he felt like his world was coming to an end. They were two friends who decided that at this stage the relationship wasn’t working so let’s keep it moving.”

As the sun begins to descend into the New York skyline Cannon prepares for a late night session at Sony Studios to finish mastering his album. He’s known to micromanage his music career like one of his movie projects. “It’s almost like being the CEO of a company,” he says. “You’ve got to be involved with everything from craft services to the editing. In my projects, I really try to make sure that I produce from point A to point B to make sure that everything runs smoothly and that my vision comes across.”

But what vision does Cannon want to project? It’s tough to simultaneously be a serious actor, a clown prince of comedy, and a business-minded suit. Even harder, is the prospect of following up a serious song about abortion with a superficial ode to booties like “Dime Piece.” Despite these conflicting realities, Cannon says it’s the doubt in people’s minds that keeps his fire going.

“It’s like, ‘Can I ball?’” he asks. “I really want to let that question out.” He repeats it again for emphasis. “I really want to get that question out there. ‘Can I ball?’”

Excusing himself, Cannon hops off the counter and the dookie rope chain around his neck barely moves. Walking out the room with a confident swagger, it’s as if he’s already answered his own question. Yes, he most certainly can.


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Cassandra Ventura

Cassandra Ventura, better known as Cassie, became a recording artist unexpectedly. Shortly after being introduced to music producer, Ryan Leslie, her mother requested that she record a song for her as a birthday gift. Ventura approached Leslie about producing the song, and he put together a duet for them called "Kiss Me". Leslie played it for Tommy Mottola, former chairman of Sony and record mogul behind the careers of Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson, and most notably Mariah Carey. He offered Ventura a management deal, and weeks later she struck a deal with Leslie to produce her debut album. She signed with Diddy's record label Bad Boy Records, after he heard "Me & U" played in a club.

We hooked up with Cassie for a brief (but lovely) chat at the Sanderson hotel in central London.

Did you ever think Me & U would be as much of a success as it is?

I didn’t think so at all, it was a demo track! The way it went I just ran with it and really put the song out there to the next level.

I’ve heard some people call you a diva but do you think you are one?

[Crazy laughter] This has happened in Germany and Sweden as well, everyone wants to know if I’m a diva! Diva and bitch can be the same thing or diva can be Beyonce which is just amazing. Right now people wanna call me a bitch because that’s the trend right now. I’m definitely not a diva; I’m very independent and speak my mind which is why I’m sometimes misconstrued. I don’t demand tea or yell at people. People think it’s crazy when I walk out of the car alone, they’re like “wait, you need someone to walk with you!”

How did it make you feel when people were putting down your performances and spreading rumours about Me & U? Do you think people are treating you a bit too harshly?

I think to be on national television, even when there are only a hundred people in front of you, there are millions watching you from their homes. It’s a scary feeling and a lot of it had to do with not being prepared. The single had become so big and I wanted to be just as big as the single and not upset anybody, it was a lot of pressure. Everybody was really supportive and now the negative has helped me improve my performances.

Do you find it find to meet guys now that you’ve found success?

It can be hard but the thing is it would be too difficult to have a boyfriend right now. It’s hard to make somebody understand the situation. I’ve just got a new apartment and I haven’t been there more than two or three days at a time. Hopefully I’ll find my prince one day!

I hear you have some tattoos, what do they mean to you? Did they hurt when you got them done?

[Show me her tattoos] I have one on my wrist saying “No Regrets” which I got done after I signed my deal with Bad Boy, I have several others which I can’t show you as well! There’s also a dragon on my ankle which only hurt a bit but I guess I take pain pretty well.

Do you ever get annoyed when people say you’ve only made it this far because of the people you know?

People can say all they want but I’m been in the entertainment industry since I was twelve years old, I’m now twenty so it’s been a good eight years. Ryan did have a lot to do with it because he helped on the album and Tommy Mottola is my manager so of course he’s involved in my career. It’s all how you work with people, your attitude and working the room. I’ve had great help but I’ve had to find the help at the end of the day and make it work for me.

How did you make the transition from modelling to singing?

It was ultimately working with Ryan. It was hard and exciting deciding whether I was going to make the transition or not. I knew other producers in high school but at that time it didn’t work out. When the situation came up again I was a little weary about it risking my job for something that might not work out.

What do you like doing when you have some free time to yourself?

Just hang out with my friends and doing normal things. While I’ve been in London I’ve met up with one of my best friends and I love shopping. I actually went to TopShop, I hope we get one in New York. Ryan went to Selfridges but I haven’t been there yet.

You’ve had millions of hits on MySpace, how did you do that?

People like Mary J. Blige don’t work on their MySpace but I do. I try to make it interesting for people to look at with different video clips and articles about what’s going on. I replied to mail when I started the MySpace and built up a lot of excitement, then people put the song on their own pages which started a chain.

The next single is “A Long Way 2 Go.” What’s that about? It sounds like you’re talking about a really foolish guy!

[More laughter] It is a bit! The video’s out, I think you can see it somewhere on the internet.

Where can people check you out in the internet?
They can check my official website at www.lovecassie.com and my MySpace website at www.myspace.com/cassiemyspacemusic.

- By Rashmi Shastri

Me & U

Did you ever think Me & U would be as much of a success as it is?

I didn’t think so at all, it was a demo track! The way it went I just ran with it and really put the song out there to the next level.

I’ve heard some people call you a diva but do you think you are one?

[Crazy laughter] This has happened in Germany and Sweden as well, everyone wants to know if I’m a diva! Diva and bitch can be the same thing or diva can be Beyonce which is just amazing. Right now people wanna call me a bitch because that’s the trend right now. I’m definitely not a diva; I’m very independent and speak my mind which is why I’m sometimes misconstrued. I don’t demand tea or yell at people. People think it’s crazy when I walk out of the car alone, they’re like “wait, you need someone to walk with you!”

How did it make you feel when people were putting down your performances and spreading rumours about Me & U? Do you think people are treating you a bit too harshly?

I think to be on national television, even when there are only a hundred people in front of you, there are millions watching you from their homes. It’s a scary feeling and a lot of it had to do with not being prepared. The single had become so big and I wanted to be just as big as the single and not upset anybody, it was a lot of pressure. Everybody was really supportive and now the negative has helped me improve my performances.

Do you find it find to meet guys now that you’ve found success?

It can be hard but the thing is it would be too difficult to have a boyfriend right now. It’s hard to make somebody understand the situation. I’ve just got a new apartment and I haven’t been there more than two or three days at a time. Hopefully I’ll find my prince one day!

I hear you have some tattoos, what do they mean to you? Did they hurt when you got them done?

[Show me her tattoos] I have one on my wrist saying “No Regrets” which I got done after I signed my deal with Bad Boy, I have several others which I can’t show you as well! There’s also a dragon on my ankle which only hurt a bit but I guess I take pain pretty well.

Long Way To Go

Lyrics

Cassie

Long Way To Go

I love it when they try to get intimate
Even thoguh they know I really ain't into it
(You're not into it?)
I'm not into it
I already know they game and I've been through it
See I buy my own bags, my boots, my jeans
Wear La Rok with my Rebel Yell underneath
You wanna step to me?
Said you gotta' long way 2 go
(Rock wit me now)
Hook:

Claim that you're so hott and you say you got skills in the bedroom
You try to flirt when you're so not
Had a chance you still never come through
You say you wanna come see me
Cuz' you know you're girlfriend wanna be me (uh)
I'ma tell you why you can't
Said you gotta long way 2 go
Say you wanna love me ?
Chorus:

Wanna love me?
Wanna touch me?
Think twice cuz' you gotta long way 2 go
Don't know how to act
You betta' fall back
It's like that cuz you gotta long way 2 go
It's not that deep
Take it easy
You wanna please me?
Got a long way 2 go
I'ma bad girl
You wanna get close?
Ease up cuz you gotta a long way-
Verse 2:

I love it when they try to gat scandalous
Even though they know they really can't handle it
( They can't handle it?)
They can't handle it
Try and take me out to dinner I cancel it
If you really wanna know me first of all
You should never try to get to personal
Cuz' I meant it when I said
That you gotta long way to go
Hook:

Claim that you're so hott and you say yo got skills in the bedroom
You try to flirt when you're so not
Had a chance you still never come through
You say you wanna come see me
Cuz' you know you're girlfriend wanna be me (uh)
I'ma tell you why you can't
Said you gotta long way 2 go
Say you wanna love me ?
Chorus:

Wanna love me?
Wanna touch me?
Think twice cuz' you gotta long way 2 go
Don't know how to act
You betta' fall back
It's like that cuz you gotta long way 2 go
It's not that deep
Take it easy
You wanna please me?
Got a long way 2 go
I'ma bad girl
You wanna get close?
Ease up cuz you gotta a long way-
Bridge:

Claim that you're so hott and you say yo got skills in the bedroom
You try to flirt when you're so not
Had a chance you still never come through
You say you wanna come see me
Cuz' you know you're girlfriend wanna be me
Said you gotta' long way to go
Chorus: Wanna love me?
Wanna touch me?
Think twice cuz' you gotta long way 2 go
Don't know how to act
You betta' fall back
It's like that cuz you gotta long way 2 go
It's not that deep
Take it easy
You wanna please me?
Got a long way 2 go
I'ma bad girl
You wanna get close?
Ease up cuz you gotta a long way 2 go.


Hips Don't Lie is soo cool!

Cassie Long Way To Go

I love it when they try to get intimate

Even thoguh they know I really ain't into it

(You're not into it?)

I'm not into it

I already know they game and I've been through it

See I buy my own bags, my boots, my jeans

Wear La Rok with my Rebel Yell underneath

You wanna step to me?

Said you gotta' long way 2 go

(Rock wit me now)

Hook:



Claim that you're so hott and you say you got skills in the bedroom

You try to flirt when you're so not

Had a chance you still never come through

You say you wanna come see me

Cuz' you know you're girlfriend wanna be me (uh)

I'ma tell you why you can't

Said you gotta long way 2 go

Say you wanna love me ?

Chorus:



Wanna love me?

Wanna touch me?

Think twice cuz' you gotta long way 2 go

Don't know how to act

You betta' fall back

It's like that cuz you gotta long way 2 go

It's not that deep

Take it easy

You wanna please me?

Got a long way 2 go

I'ma bad girl

You wanna get close?

Ease up cuz you gotta a long way-

Verse 2:



I love it when they try to gat scandalous

Even though they know they really can't handle it

( They can't handle it?)

They can't handle it

Try and take me out to dinner I cancel it

If you really wanna know me first of all

You should never try to get to personal

Cuz' I meant it when I said

That you gotta long way to go

Hook:



Claim that you're so hott and you say yo got skills in the bedroom

You try to flirt when you're so not

Had a chance you still never come through

You say you wanna come see me

Cuz' you know you're girlfriend wanna be me (uh)

I'ma tell you why you can't

Said you gotta long way 2 go

Say you wanna love me ?

Chorus:



Wanna love me?

Wanna touch me?

Think twice cuz' you gotta long way 2 go

Don't know how to act

You betta' fall back

It's like that cuz you gotta long way 2 go

It's not that deep

Take it easy

You wanna please me?

Got a long way 2 go

I'ma bad girl

You wanna get close?

Ease up cuz you gotta a long way-

Bridge:



Claim that you're so hott and you say yo got skills in the bedroom

You try to flirt when you're so not

Had a chance you still never come through

You say you wanna come see me

Cuz' you know you're girlfriend wanna be me

Said you gotta' long way to go

Chorus: Wanna love me?

Wanna touch me?

Think twice cuz' you gotta long way 2 go

Don't know how to act

You betta' fall back

It's like that cuz you gotta long way 2 go

It's not that deep

Take it easy

You wanna please me?

Got a long way 2 go

I'ma bad girl

You wanna get close?

Ease up cuz you gotta a long way 2 go.

Tags: cassie, long+way+to+go, music, new+music

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Cassie

The owner of an etiquette business who was handed a plastic bag supposedly containing feces in the hit movie Borat says she was told the filming would be used for a documentary in Belarus.

Cindy Streit said she filed a complaint Thursday with California Attorney General Bill Lockyer, requesting an investigation into possible violations of the California Unfair Trade Practices Act.

Streit said that a representative from a Los Angeles-based company called Springland Films contacted her Birmingham, Ala.-company, Etiquette Training Services, about arranging an etiquette session for an "international guest from Belarus Television."

Attempts to find a contact for Springland were not successful. The company had no phone listing and Streit's lawyers declined to provide copies of the contracts allegedly signed.

The attorney general's office had not received a copy of the complaint, spokesman Nathan Barankin said late Thursday.

Streit said she arranged in Alabama both a sit-down session with Borat, played by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, and a dinner party with some of her friends. Clips of both appear in the movie Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit of Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.

Though awkward at times, Streit said the dinner went well until Borat asked to use the bathroom.

"I had taught him to excuse himself. He did that correctly and went upstairs," Streit told The Associated Press. "The next thing that happened is that he came down the stairs holding this plastic bag with whatever was in it."

"My horror was that he had brought a bag of feces to my dinner table," she said.

Springland put in writing that the second of two scheduled sessions "will be filmed as part of a documentary for Belarus Television and for those purposes only," said Gloria Allred, Streit's lawyer.

Streit, 59, said she requested an investigation by the attorney general instead of filing a lawsuit in hopes of setting a precedent that will make movie studios think twice before using other ordinary citizens for "reality movies." However, she said she wouldn't rule out a lawsuit.

A handful of people who appear in the movie have filed lawsuits or made complaints.
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