For Casey Veggies, even a smaller, more intimate crowd wasn’t too much of a change. “I used to do shows with 50 people in it, a n***a never too good for this,” he said on Friday night at the Highline Ballroom.

This was the second performance for Casey Veggies and Pac Div – the artists are currently openers for the three month old The Blue Slide Park Tour. The show was meant for fans that didn’t get to see them earlier. CV rapped a set quicker than usual, possibly because just hours before he was worn out by thousands of fans awaiting for independent Pittsburgh hustler Mac Miller to hit the stage at Best Buy Theater. Still, he kept his energy up and jokes flowing when the small audience gave him mellow claps after every song. “This is like some spoken word shit,” he said. Snaps were his next request and it started to feel like the Nuyorican.

Casey follows a new generation of rappers from the West Coast swagging out the industry. On “Ridin’ Roun’ Town” off his debut Sleeping In Class, Casey’s hypeman shouted “Swag!” after every line with the crowd habitually mouthing along. It felt like the adlib spoke to more than just hard-hitting punchlines. “Ridin’ roun’ town, mo’ change, mo’ steelo [swag!] /New girl with me, but I keep it on the d’lo [swag!].” There can never be enough swagger to pass around in the Peas and Carrots camp, especially when lines are this emphatic, catchy and straightforward.

On “Euphoria II,” CV took a personal route, revealing that he wrote this song one day while he was in his room. He spit effortless bars that switched up the entire mood of the show, trading smoker anthem rhymes with talks about his natural high. “CDC” featuring an absent Dom Kennedy shifted us back to the LA takeover and “30,000,” his finale, had the crowd jumping.

Pac Div (Like, Mibbs, and BeYoung) are a rap trio from southern California with laid-back flows that translate well to their performance. Backed by Casey’s DJ, their 2011 mixtape Mania! and the group’s debut album The DiV were the focus of attention, running through standouts from both: “Super Nergoes,” “Anti-Freeze,” “Fallin’,” and “Posted.” They also made a couple comments about the modest turnout. Like came with arguably the best tweet-ready quip, “We can definitely go to Wingstop now!”

A bigger show might have been more rewarding for the trio, but to see the three of them wild out Highline as if it was packed was impressive. They pumped in humor, shared stories and looked very comfortable on stage. Add the theatrics from all members and it’s clear that Pac Div want to build a reputation as lively entertainers.  The looser tracks from their mixtape catalog – “Broccoli,” “Don’t Forget the Swishers” – had accompanying gestures that had the crowd mimicking. At one point, Mibbs stepped off the stage and everybody huddled around him. The intimate show just got a little bit closer.

Another side of Pac Div is that they’re talented lyricists. “Whiplash” is a smooth metaphor for hard work paying off. “Mayor”, one of their most successful singles, makes you realize they would be entertaining executives. More requests from the crowd were geared toward their classic tracks, but nothing topped their last song “Fa Real.”

There was no encore and no surprise appearance from young Veggies to perform any of their collaboration tracks. By the end Pac Div looked exhausted. But as the lights were dimming down, the group stuck around to take photos, sign autographs and just mingle with their fans. Despite their exhaustion from performing two shows in one night, this last effort was appreciated by the Highline crowd.

The post Concert Review: Casey Veggies and Pac Div at Highline Ballroom appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Photo By: Andy J. Scott

Last night over at the Roc Nation headquarters in New York City, Casey Veggies held a listening session for the re-release of his third mixtape as a deluxe album, Sleeping In Class. CV and the whole Peas and Carrots family – Anwar Carrots and Joshton Peas – came straight out of LA to give the East Coast a taste of his latest work. Finally emerging after the DJ played a few tracks off Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch The Throne, he thanked everyone in attendance, announcing that the album has reached number four on iTunes. Explaining the album’s five additional songs were part of wanting to say more after his December 2010 release, CV kicked off with “Forever,” which he said as an artist, “I just want to be forever.”

Read the rest of the review after the jump. You can purchase Sleeping In Class on iTunes.

Casey’s narration through the album was preliminary explanations for every track. Sleeping In Class is distinctively an LA-inspired album, filled with feel good anthems made-ready for listeners to swag it out. On “Ridin’ Roun Town,” Casey declares his youth and love for dark-skin women, “she sweeter than Tampico,” before launching into “Hear Me Screamin’.” It’s a track that definitely serves as a sum of what the album brings – a dedication of cementing his place in hop-hop.

The first wave of West Coast features comes in the form of Dom Kennedy in “Get Through.” It has imagine-filled quips that describe simply “getting through life, a life song,” he said. The next, “30,000,” is a heavy banger with featuring artist Nero, who was caught in the crowd lip-syncing his rhymes. This track was a high point in the album, a song that oozes with braggadocio that will circulate the club scene.

Often, Casey stopped his hosting duties to wade through listeners and pose for photos, each giving him praises over the booming speakers. There are many moments when his album would be perfect for the confident teenager finding a deep relationship or a onetime fling. The pair “Go Ahead” and “Time Flies” is examples of his introspection about women. The former has him rapping about not wasting any time on physical desires, while the latter delves into his anguish of the one that got away.

Late in the album, longtime mixtape collaborator Tyler, the Creator snarls his way on “DTA.” Casey said that it’s produced by Tyler and essentially a song about not trusting anybody. It’s one of those records where listeners actually hear a much tamed Wolf Haley, compared to his “Bitch Suck Dick” exploits seen on Goblin. The album’s clear standout is “Euphoria II,” a soothing sample for Casey’s raps that amplifies life’s pleasures and “the natural high.”

After “And Ever,” the continuation of the intro track that shows more of a hungry rapper, CV went right into the bonus tracks. The “Ridin Roun Town” remix set the stage for the talent of LA, who has him sitting back to have C-San, Kennedy and Kendrick Lamar steal the show. Kennedy’s laid-back flow and Lamar’s technical rhymes make this remix possibly the album’s next single. Another nice collaboration with a like-minded contemporary is Mac Miller on “Can I Live,” in which name drops to “Mr. Vegetables” shows signs of their chemistry as they embark on The Blue Slide Park Tour this week.

Sleeping In Class is very much an album that showcases Casey’s constant grind since his beginnings. He made sure to let fans know about “The Weight of The World”: “This is my personal favorite, this is how I feel right now,” he said. With a room filled with family, friends and supporters, Casey should feel the weight of the world on his shoulders. But as he thanked all of his guests for coming, you can tell this kid doesn’t fear pressure. He’s humble enough that his music will surely take him to where everybody knows about the story behind Peas and Carrots. Hint: It’s not just vegetables.

The post Casey Veggies Debuts “Sleeping In Class” for East Coast appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

The young’n Casey Veggies decided to give a  free download for his Twitter followers last night fittingly called “Swag Worth A Mill,” which is produced by Mr. Supreme. Download it here.

Casey’s swag is upping in value – with the deluxe version of Sleeping In Class approaching its release date of September 20 and recently working with street hitmakers Lex Luger and Juicy J – you can expect the sprouting emcee to be in full bloom real soon.

The post New Music: Casey Veggies – “Swag Worth A Mill” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

via 2dopeboyz

Casey Veggies is re-releasing his debut album, Sleeping In Class, for a September 20th drop.  The re-release comes with a fresh, new cover and some new tracks to boot.  No question the cover art is dope, but the jury is still out on these new joints.  Only time will tell.

Check out and download the original HERE

The post Album Cover Of The Week: Casey Veggies – Sleeping In Class (Deluxe Edition) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.