Videos by According2HipHop
In a recent interview, Philly battle rap legend Cassidy opened up about his influence on the culture—specifically pointing to how his unique delivery and punchline-heavy style helped shape the evolution of Lil Wayne’s lyricism.
According to Cassidy, it wasn’t just what he said, but how he said it—his ability to punch through syllables and land intricate bars with sharp precision. “Wayne always had talent,” Cassidy explained, “but when he started tapping into that multi-syllable, punch-every-line approach—that’s the energy I was already bringing to the table.”
Cassidy emphasized that during the early to mid-2000s, his mixtapes and freestyles had a massive underground following, and Wayne was one of the many artists tuned in. “You can hear the shift,” he said. “Wayne went from just rapping to really rapping—laying punches in almost every bar. That’s what I was doing before it became the trend.”
While Lil Wayne has cited several lyrical influences over the years, Cassidy’s assertion adds an interesting layer to the ongoing conversation about who helped shape the New Orleans MC’s transition from Hot Boy to one of the greatest rappers of all time.
Whether you agree or not, there’s no denying Cassidy’s lyrical imprint on the battle rap world—and maybe, just maybe, on the rise of Lil Wayne’s punchline era too.
Here’s a clip of Cassidy sitting down with The Art Of Dialog to explain.
