Patiently Waiting
“I
t doesn’t matter where you’re from,” says the soft-spoken native of a small town called Grambling, LA. “It’s the effort you put into it.” Over the last several years, Louisiana Cash (otherwise known as Ca$h) has put in double the footwork of the average rapper coming from a major market. Whether he’s passing out mixtapes, traveling to industry events, opening shows, or just parking lot promoting, “C.A. Dollar” makes every effort count. And even though his grassroots hustle spread throughout Dallas, Shreveport, parts of Kentucky, and beyond, the hometown hero never denies his origins, even though he’s often mistaken as a Dallas artist. “I made ‘Walk Wit a Dip’ after I had put out like 5 or 6 singles that just weren’t catching on,” he explains, of his current single. “The DJs in Dallas really picked up on it first before it spread back home to Louisiana, and then it spread to Kentucky.”
Through lots of trial and error, Cash finally entered the Billboard charts. With the help of his management team, Hustle Fam Music Group, and ISG Ent., the indie label he’s been with since leaving his former rap group, Cash recently shot a video for “Walk Wit a Dip” and secured a major deal with Jive Records. “This wasn’t an overnight process,” Cash recalls. “Coming from a small area, there’s not really a market [there] so I had to do extra work.” With everything he’s learned thus far, Cash knows that having a recording contract is only a stepping stone, not the ultimate destination. Prior to planning for his debut album, Cash is concentrating on showing his full range of talent by introducing more music to his fans. Mixtapes with DJ Chuck T and DJ Smallz are currently in the works. His D.O.D. (Death of Dance) mixtape with Smallz makes a bold statement considering the popularity of his radio single. “The dance movement is oversaturated,” he
claims. “We’ve gotta go back to making that good music, because that’s the only way to build.” And even though he has girls “Walkin’ Wit a Dip” throughout the South and Southwest, Cash doesn’t want to be known as a dancerapper. “When I first made ‘Walk Wit a Dip,’ it wasn’t a dance – I don’t really dance,” he says. “I’m happy it caught on, but it’s more to my music than that. I want people to buy into my story.” Coming from his modest beginnings in North Louisiana, Cash’s childhood aspirations of stardom are materializing day by day – it’s a classic rags-to-riches story he hopes will encourage others. “I got a story just like every other nigga comin’ from the projects, raised by a single parent,” he acknowledges. “I want to tell people to keep pushin’, keep movin’ forward, and anything can happen.” Words by Ms. Rivercity Photo by Sketch
OZONE MAG // 57