Happy 15th Anniversary to Casual’s third studio album Smash Rockwell, originally released September 6, 2005.
I am sure that if you ask each of the members of the Hieroglyphics crew, they’d say that in the long run, getting dropped from their major label deals was one of the best things that ever happened to them. Without the Jive or Elektra record power structure behind them, the Bay Area crew was forced to find ways to connect with their fans through alternate means.
As a result, during the mid to late 1990s, they were one of the first hip-hop collectives to really embrace the power of the Internet. They formed their own imprint, Hieroglyphics Imperium, built a website, and began selling product directly to their fans via mail order.
Hieroglyphics Imperium first started selling tapes of hard-to-find material by members of the group. This included cassettes of unreleased material, either compilations of demos or full albums that they’d recorded for their former labels. Eventually, they released their first full length of new material, the incredibly dope 3rd Eye Vision (1998), featuring all of the members of the collective.
Of course, being the trailblazer means that there’s no established trail to follow. Since they spent those early years focusing on Hiero as a larger crew, it wasn’t until the early ’00s that members of the camp began releasing solo/group projects through their own label. These days, all it takes is a Bandcamp page or a deal with a streaming service for an artist to get their music out to fans worldwide. But over a decade ago, it took a sizable budget to record, manufacture, distribute, and promote a full-length album on CD and vinyl. Hiero Imperium didn’t really release product at an increased volume until the mid ’00s.
Which is why it’s a shame that it took until 2005 for John “Casual” Owens to release his third full-length album. The dopest member of the Hieroglyphics crew and arguably one of the best emcees from the West Coast released Smash Rockwell 15 years ago, and it just feels wrong that more than a decade into his career he didn’t have more solo material. It’s probably his second-best album in his discography, ranking only behind his stellar debut Fear Itself (1994).
Depending on how you count, Smash Rockwell could be considered Casual’s fifth album. Meanwhile… (1997), one of the first Hiero Imperium releases, is a collection of unmixed and unmastered demos, some of which may have been intended for what would have been his second album on Jive. Later he released Truck Driver (2003), another compilation of more refined unreleased tracks. But Smash Rockwell was the Oakland native’s third full-length endeavor of originally recorded material, coming after Fear Itself and the perfectly titled He Think He Raw (2001).
“Smash Rockwell” is an alias of Casual’s that he used throughout this period of his career. Inspired by both the Super Smash Bros. video game and the Handsome Boy Modeling School (more on the latter later), it denotes the ruthless aggression that he utilizes throughout the project. Casual deploys a wide range of his ample skills over a varied soundscape, produced by both local affiliates and friends, as well as some heat-makers from across the country.
As always, Casual is confident and cocksure throughout Smash Rockwell. He kicks in the door with authority on “Say That Then,” which successfully sets the tone. Producer J-Zone mixes staccato beeps with blasts of horns and vocal grunts and moans to make some gritty ’70s funk. Casual contributes a mix of hard-hitting punchlines and swag-heavy player shit. In between “handing Gucci body-bags and Coogi caskets,” he boasts that “[w]e mean mug po-po, they only got Glocks.”
Casual and the rest of the Hiero crew practically defined the swagger-heavy approach to braggadocio raps in the ’90s. It’s a no-brainer that he’d continue to carry on this tradition on Smash Rockwell. “Smash Don’t Hurt ’Em,” is a fun romp, with Bedrock produced beats that are heavy on keyboards and guitars. I’m also in favor of any song that name-checks Soul Beat, Oakland’s local cable access channel of the ’80s and ’90s. He favors a more laid back and conversational delivery on “All Around the World,” effortlessly dispensing verbal body blows and uppercuts over a smooth string sample.
“Critical” is another strong lyrical exhibition, produced by Dan The Automator. Casual had previously worked with The Automator on White People, the second release by Handsome Boy Modeling School (Automator’s supergroup with fellow producer Prince Paul). “It’s Like That,” their previous team-up, was one of the better entries on that eclectic album. “Critical” is similarly dope. Musically, it feels lifted from a film soundtrack, with Casual using unorthodox flows while rhyming atop a heavy string sample.
Casual provides some of his most potent lyricism on the aptly named “Styles.” Produced by Domino, Hiero’s longtime manager and cohort, Casual literally conducts a rhyming clinic, deploying both simple and complex rhyme patterns. After flexing the “same word style” in a brief verse, he “breaks it down to a science,” demonstrating the one, two, three, four, and five syllable techniques. He ends the song by combining all of the aforementioned techniques into the “free association style.” The quasi-academic approach never fells labored, as “Styles” is one of the most vibrant entries on Smash Rockwell.
But Casual doesn’t just spend the album obliterating wack emcees. He’s an Oakland O.G. at heart and has a deep and abiding love for creating some classic rider music. The keyboard heavy “In the Whip” is in that lane, as Casual celebrates driving through the streets of Oakland in his fly ride, blowing some good weed, with the baddest girl around riding shotgun.
Causal also teams up with some fellow Bay Area founding fathers on Smash Rockwell. “Oaktown” is a bass-heavy, drum-machine driven posse cut featuring fellow Oakland legends Too $hort and Richie Rich, along with G-Stack (of The Delinquents) and E-Mac. The song is a dedication to the city of their birth, and all of its rough edges. “My town’s shitty, but I love its dirty drawers,” Richie Rich raps. “We ain’t got no mall and we still gonna ball.”
Casual later teams up with the Bay’s resident slang godfather E-40 for “Nickel and Dime Gangsta.” Seattle-based producer Jake One serves up some classic Mob Music that would sound at home on one of the Vallejo icon’s albums. Fellow Hiero family members Opio and Tajai join Casual on “Hieroller,” a solid lyrical slugfest produced by J-Zone. Zone shows his mastery of chopping quirky samples and still make them sound rugged, the three emcees drop lines over sections of piano and mechanical chirps. “I don’t play that, this high definition edition,” Casual flows. “I bust raps from a sniper position.”
Casual also collaborates with emcees from outside of the Bay Area on Smash Rockwell. He first teams with Chicago’s Psalm One on the sultry “Bitin’ & Freakin’,” passing the mic back and forth as they deploy innuendo-soaked rhymes about dominating the competition. “Y’all count your blessings, we hip-hop’s essence,” he raps. “Your style is convalescent, and I come fresh and confess.” Psalm is equally potent, declaring, “Of course I’m especially boisterous to boys and crews with joys to chew / Yo, I’ll boil you.”
Casual later journeys to New Jersey to team with the Outsidaz’ Young Zee on “Bay vs. Bricks.” Two of the most underappreciated from their respective coasts blend their styles well together. Not only does Causal’s deep bass tones contrast with Zee’s incisive nasal vocals, but also their complex deliveries combine for a heady mix. The gothic-styled piano track was created by Dante Ross, a longtime ally and advocate for Hiero (as an executive at Elektra Records, he A&R’d both of Del the Funky Homosapien’s releases on the label).
The album is at its strongest when Casual is at the center of attention. Like all great emcees, he knows how to be alternatively humorous and heartfelt. He goes for the former on “I’ll Hit That,” a tongue-in-cheek jam dedicated to his exploits with members of the opposite sex. The self-produced track has a decidedly old school feel, as Casual raps over a track that seems inspired by Freedom’s “Get Up and Dance” break, complete with a chorus of kazoos.
Casual also gets deeply earnest on the Quincy Tones’ produced “Single Mother.” Casual uses the mellow track to excoriate deadbeat dads who abandon the mothers of their children, but mostly exalts the strong women who have learned to raise their sons and daughters on their own. “So, stay strong like Winnie Mandela,” he raps, “because you did it without any damn fella.”
Casual has gone on to accumulate an extensive catalogue of albums. As mentioned before, it’s much easier to get your music to your fans these days, especially for rappers like Casual and the Hiero crew, who have spent decades cultivating their fan base. Big Head Science (2020), released earlier this year, is a solid endeavor that indicates he has no intention of slowing down.
Smash Rockwell still stands out amongst the pack. It does an excellent job at showcasing Causal’s talents and established his continued longevity as an artist. Even if his output was scant in the early days of Hiero Imperium, Casual made sure to make the most of his opportunities and dropped much overlooked gems like this one.
LISTEN: