WRITERS AMBITION: THE MIGHTY CASEY

INTERVIEW SHAMIKA SANDERS-SYKES

CASEY GAME (AKA THE MIGHTY CASEY) IS A RAPPER, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR WHO TENDS TO DELVE IN THE REALM OF POLITICS. HIS RECENT SINGLE "BILLY JACK HAYNES", TELLS A DEBUNKED STORY OF SOME OF THE CONTROVERSIES OF THE DRUG GAME AND THE PROPAGANDA IT USES TO COVER SOME FACTS. I SIT DOWN WITH A FELLOW WRITER AS WE TALK MORE ON HIP HOP AND THE POLITRICKS OF POLITICAL JOURNALISM.

 “I'M REALLY HOPING THERE IS A ROOM WHERE HIP HOP CAN MOVE OUTSIDE OF CORPORATE CONTROL SO IT CAN BE THAT POLITICAL VOICE BECAUSE BEFORE WHEN HIP HOP WAS REALLY MAGAZINE AND COLLEGE RADIO-DRIVEN AND THE CORPORATIONS DIDN'T UNDERSTAND IT. YOU WERE GETTING AWAY WITH THE PUBLIC ENEMY AND BDP AND MESSAGES LIKE "SELF-DESTRUCTION."” -THE MIGHTY CASEY

VALIDATED: WHAT GAVE YOU THE LOVE OF MUSIC AND WHAT WAS THE SONG THAT MADE YOU SAY "THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I WANT TO DO."

THE MIGHTY CASEY: WHAT GAVE ME A LOVE FOR MUSIC, I THINK IT’S JUST A BEAT AND ENERGY AND OF A KIND OF SOUL IN MUSIC THAT YOU CAN ARTICULATE SOMETHING YOU CAN'T REALLY ARTICULATE. YOU KNOW, THROUGH WRITING OR THROUGH TALKING TO THE ENERGY AND A PASSION IT ALLOWS YOU TO ACCENTUATE EMOTION WHETHER IT BE HAPPINESS OR SADNESS. I THINK THE FIRST SONG THAT MADE ME WANT TO DO IT IS SOMETHING FROM RUN DMC'S “RAISING HELL” ALBUM, "MY ADIDAS". THAT WHOLE ALBUM REALLY KIND OF INSPIRED ME TO WANT TO AT LEAST MAKE RAP MUSIC, LIKE I PLAY THE PIANO OR STUFF BEFORE, BUT RUN DMC... IT COULD HAVE BEEN A WHOLE BUNCH OF SONGS. IT COULD HAVE BEEN “RAISING HELL”, IT COULD HAVE BEEN "IT'S TRICKY", IT COULD HAVE BEEN "YOU BE ILLIN'". LIKE A NUMBER OF THEM, SO I CAN'T REALLY POINT TO ONE SONG BUT I CAN POINT TO THE ONE ALBUM, AND THAT WAS “RAISING HELL”. THAT WAS THE ALBUM THAT MADE ME REALLY THINK OF WHAT I WANTED TO DO. LIKE WHAT THEY'RE DOING WAS WHAT I WANTED TO DO. 

VALIDATED: YEAH, I THINK MY FAVORITE ONE IS "YOU TALK TOO MUCH." 

THE MIGHTY CASEY: “HOMEBOY YOU NEVER SHUT UP!" THAT'S A BRILLIANT ONE. THAT AND "YO BE ILLIN", JUST GREAT BECAUSE OF THE HOOKS AND THEY ARE GREAT STORIES TOO. YOU KNOW THEY WERE GREAT STORYTELLERS LIKE SLICK RICK, ANOTHER MC WHO KIND OF INSPIRED ME TO RAP, SO I ALWAYS LIKE THE STORYTELLING.

VALIDATED: AS FAR AS YOUR MUSIC GOES, YOU HAVE SUCH TRACKS LIKE "NO GUNMAN" AND THE LATEST ONE IS "BILLY JACK HAYNES". FIRST OFF, WHAT GAVE YOU THE IDEA FOR "BILLY JACK HAYNES?"

THE MIGHTY CASEY: WELL ASIDE FROM BEING A MUSIC ARTIST, I'M ALSO A JOURNALIST. I WROTE A BOOK ON INSIDE THE CIA TAKEOVER IN JAMAICA. SO NOW I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT THE CIA SELLING COCAINE, GOING UP TO HIGH PEOPLE LIKE BILL CLINTON, GEORGE BUSH AND OLIVER NORTH, AND YOU KNOW IT WAS A LOT DEEPER THAN I KIND OF THOUGHT IT WAS. SO NOT ONLY DID I LEARN ABOUT JAMAICA, BUT I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT THE CIA, AND I FOLLOW A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE WHO WOULD RESEARCH STUFF LIKE THE JFK ASSASSINATION, THE MLK ASSASSINATION, IRAN CONTRA, COCAINE WHICH YOU CAN KIND OF SEE A LITTLE BIT IN THE SHOW, “SNOWFALL”. SO I WAS RESEARCHING A LOT OF THAT AND THEN I HEARD THE STORY ABOUT AN OLD WRESTLER BY THE NAME OF “BILLY JACK HAYNES”, WHO CAME OUT AND ACCUSED THE CLINTONS OF ORCHESTRATING A HIT ON TWO LITTLE KIDS BECAUSE THEY WITNESSED A COCAINE JOB OR SOMETHING. AND I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WANT TO SAY IT SOUNDS LIKE THE CRAZIEST STUFF IN THE WORLD... "THE CLINTONS SELLING COCAINE? OH, THAT'S A CRAZY CONSPIRACY THEORY." BUT SEE HOW I DID SO MUCH RESEARCH FOR MY BOOK THAT KIND OF BACKED UP WITH BILLY JACK HAYNES WAS SAYING. I WAS LIKE "WOW." AND I GUESS YOU KNOW FROM BEING A JOURNALIST WHERE I CAN ARTICULATE MYSELF, I COULD DO IT BY WRITING A BOOK OR WRITING AN ARTICLE, BUT ALSO I FEEL LIKE THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO REALLY DON'T GET THEIR INSPIRATION TO GO OUT AND READ BOOKS AND ARTICLES. THEY MIGHT JUST GET A LOT OF THIS STUFF FROM MUSIC, TV, ETC, SO I FIGURED A WAY TO KIND OF GET THE STORY OUT THERE RIGHT. THERE ARE A COUPLE OF OTHER INTERVIEWS AND STORIES ABOUT IT. I WILL WAIT TO GET THE STORY OUT THERE, ALSO IT'S REALLY AN EXCITING FUN STORY, KIND OF LIKE THE TEKASHI TRIAL. IT WAS JUST ALL SORTS OF INTRIGUE AND BACKSTABBING AND STUFF LIKE THAT. SO IT WAS JUST AN EXCITING, INTERESTING STORY THAT I BELIEVE IS TRUE AND I FEEL LIKE ALSO WE DID A LOT OF COKE RAP, RIGHT? SO I LOVE "COKE RAP" LIKE WESTSIDE GUNN & CONWAY, RICK ROSS. THERE'S SOME EXCITEMENT LIKE AGAIN, TEKASHI. THERE'S SOME EXCITEMENT ABOUT  CRIMINALS AND DRUG DEALING THAT GIVES SONGS ENERGY, BUT I'M NOT A DRUG DEALER. I CAN'T REALLY MAKE SONGS LIKE THAT AND HAVE IT RING TRUE, BUT I KNOW A LOT ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE DRUG DEALERS, SO I FIGURED I CAME AT IT FROM BILL CLINTON'S PERSPECTIVE BECAUSE I THINK IN RAP CULTURE AND EVEN MEDIA CULTURE, WHETHER IT BE YOU KNOW “NARCOS” OR “PAID IN FULL”, WE'RE ALWAYS SEEING IN THE FACES, DRUG DEALERS OF COLOR RIGHT. WE'RE SEEING LIKE PABLO ESCOBAR, WE'RE SEEING ALL THESE LEGENDARY DRUG DEALERS WHO YOU KNOW GOT THEIR WEIGHT UP IN THE COCAINE ERA, AND WE SEE THE FACE OF COCAINE AND CRACK IS LIKE A BLACK FACE, WHEN IN REALITY IT WAS REALLY RICH, WHITE PEOPLE, CIA HIGHLY CONNECTED PEOPLE IN POWER. BILL CLINTON, GEORGE BUSH, A LOT OF THOSE GUYS WERE ACTUALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CRACK EPIDEMIC AND THE DRUG DEALERS WHO YOU KNOW WE MIGHT WATCH ON VLADTV WAS REALLY SMALL DRUG DEALERS COMPARED TO THE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, SO I THOUGHT LET ME PUT A NEW SPIN ON COKE RAP AND KIND OF PUT THAT ENERGY OF THE CIA IS SELLING THIS WORK. THE PEOPLE WHO BECOME PRESIDENTS ARE MOVING THIS WORK. IT'S NOT JUST BLACK DRUG DEALERS WHO GET ARRESTED AND DO A VLADTV INTERVIEW YEARS LATER.

VALIDATED: OKAY, SO MY FOLLOW UP QUESTION IS IF YOU SEE YOURSELF AS A POLITICAL OR CONTROVERSIAL RAPPER. AND IF YOU FIND IT POLITICAL, DO YOU FEEL THAT POLITICAL MUSIC IS A LOST ART AND WHY?

THE MIGHTY CASEY: POLITICS IS A PART OF ME. LIKE IF YOU CHILL WITH ME FOR A DAY, WE MAY TALK POLITICS FOR AN HOUR, BUT I MIGHT PLAY VIDEO GAMES, SMOKE WEED, HAVE FUN, TALK PEACE OR WHATEVER, SO I SEE MYSELF AS A RAPPER WHO IS POLITICAL. YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING. AND I DO FEEL LIKE A LOT OF THE ENERGY FROM POLITICAL RAP FROM THE GOOD OLD DAYS OF LIKE PUBLIC ENEMY, BDP, BRAND NUBIAN AND X-CLAN... I FEEL THOSE DAYS KIND OF CHANGED AND THAT KIND OF WAS A RESULT OF THE CRACK ERA WHEN YOU KNOW DRUG DEALING MUSIC WAS A LITTLE MORE PREVALENT AND EXCITING. I THINK THAT KIND OF FORCED LIKE POLITICAL MUSIC UNDERGROUND. I THINK IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE HAS MADE SOME AMAZING POLITICAL MUSIC. DEAD PREZ, I THINK EVEN FROM A CERTAIN LEVEL, YOU GETTING POLITICAL MUSIC FROM KENDRICK LAMAR AND J COLE, WHICH ISN'T REALLY DISRESPECTFUL TO THEM. WHEN YOU GET THESE GUYS, YOU KNOW THEY'RE HUGGING UP WITH OBAMA WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, I GET IT BUT I THINK THAT KIND OF HURT RAP'S ABILITY TO BE POLITICAL, TOO, BECAUSE YOU HAD OBAMA GOING TO WAR IN LIBYA AND NO RAPPERS OR THE PEOPLE WHO WERE CRITICIZING GEORGE BUSH BEFORE FOR GOING TO WAR WAS ABLE TO CRITICIZE OBAMA. SO I THINK LIKE HIP HOP'S CONNECTION TO OBAMA KIND OF HURT ITS POLITICAL BIAS BECAUSE ESPECIALLY LIKE MY IMPORTANT THING REALLY IS MORE FOREIGN POLICY AND STUFF LIKE THIS BECAUSE EVEN WHEN I'M TALKING ABOUT YOU KNOW BILLY JACK HAYNES SELLING CRACK COCAINE. NOT ONLY DO THEY DO THAT WHEN THEY SELL COCAINE AND THEY'VE BEEN RUINED THE BLACK COMMUNITY, THEY'VE ALSO RUINED THE LATINO COUNTRIES LIKE HONDURAS. ALL THESE PLACES THAT GOT ALL THESE REFUGEES RIGHT NOW ARE PLACES THAT WERE REALLY AFFECTED BY THE IRAN CONTRA AND COCAINE AND THE CIA IN THE 80’S. SO TRYING TO THINK LIKE A GLOBAL POLITICAL LEVEL IN A STATE, I THINK WE DO, YOU KNOW, BLACK LIVES MATTER WAS PREVALENT IN HIP HOP, LIKE THE ANTI-POLICE BRUTALITY IN HIP HOP, WHICH I THINK IS IMPORTANT, BUT I THINK OF THAT BIG PICTURE... HIP HOP TAKING DOWN THE SYSTEM, WHICH IS AROUND THE 90S. I THINK THAT'S DEFINITELY GONE UNDERGROUND. I THINK AS CORPORATIONS HAVE KIND OF TAKEN OVER HIP HOP, THESE SAME CORPORATIONS ARE DOWN WITH THE SAME SYSTEM THAT KIND OF OPPRESSES A LOT OF PEOPLE. SO THEY'RE NOT GOING TO REALLY SIGN RAPPERS THEY FEEL ARE A THREAT. 

VALIDATED: AND I'M GLAD THAT YOU MADE A GOOD POINT TOO BECAUSE YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT IMMIGRATION, LIKE HOW ALL THESE CORPORATIONS, ESPECIALLY THE GOVERNMENT ARE INTO DRUGS, BUT WHERE THE IMMIGRATION LAW COMES INTO PLAY AT THE MOMENT, THEY TRY TO MAKE IMMIGRANTS THE SCAPEGOAT OF WHY DRUGS ARE IN THE COUNTRY RIGHT NOW.

THE MIGHTY CASEY: THE SAME POLITICIANS WHO RAN AGAINST IMMIGRATION LIKE MITCH MCCONNELL HAD HIS FATHER-IN-LAW, WHOSE LIKE THIS RICH CHINESE BUSINESSMAN. HIS FATHER HAD A BOAT THAT GOT CAUGHT AND THERE WAS $1.6M WORTH OF COCAINE, 30 KILOS PLUS, AND YOU LOOK AT LIKE THE BUSH FAMILY, A LOT OF THESE REPUBLICANS IS FUNDED BY COCAINE, ESPECIALLY THE BUSH FAMILY. MITCH MCCONNELL, A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE. IT'S JUST A BIG FRONT, AND THEN THEY BLAME IMMIGRANTS FOR WHAT THEY ARE DOING. THAT'S WHAT A SMART CRIMINAL DOES, YOU DO THE CRIME AND THEN YOU BLAME SOMEONE ELSE, AND THEY'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR YEARS AND THAT'S HOW THEY KIND OF KEEP AMERICA DIVIDED AND CONQUERED. THEY JUST KEEP ON DOING THESE CRIMES AND THEN GET WHITE PEOPLE MAD AT THE IMMIGRANTS AND BLACK PEOPLE. I'M REALLY HOPING THERE IS A ROOM WHERE HIP HOP CAN MOVE OUTSIDE OF CORPORATE CONTROL SO IT CAN BE THAT POLITICAL VOICE BECAUSE BEFORE WHEN HIP HOP WAS REALLY MAGAZINE AND COLLEGE RADIO-DRIVEN AND THE CORPORATIONS DIDN'T UNDERSTAND IT. YOU WERE GETTING AWAY WITH THE PUBLIC ENEMY AND BDP AND MESSAGES LIKE "SELF-DESTRUCTION." 

AND NOW I THINK THAT YOU HAVE A KIND OF CORPORATE CONTROL, AND SEX AND VIOLENCE ALWAYS SELLS. THAT'S IN NOT JUST HIP HOP, THAT'S MOVIES, THAT'S TV AND VIDEO GAMES. SO IF YOU CAN GET RAP, WHICH HAS THE ELEMENT OF SEX AND VIOLENCE... THAT'S ANOTHER REASON I BELIEVE "BILLY JACK HAYNES" IT IS LIKE... FOR GANGSTA RAP, OBVIOUSLY IT'S RISKY RIGHT? YOU SEE WHAT, AGAIN PAYING ATTENTION TO THE TEKASHI TRIAL, IF YOU WANT TO HAVE THAT AUTHENTIC VIOLENT, EXCITING LIFE AND BACK IT UP, YOU'RE PUTTING YOURSELF AT RISK FOR GOING TO JAIL AGAIN AND BEEF OR WHATEVER, SO I'M TRYING TO PAINT A PICTURE. HERE IS THE VIOLENCE, HERE WITH THE DRUG DEALING, HERE'S THE REAL THING THAT'S GOING ON. I'M NOT LIVING IT, BUT HERE'S THE REAL BIG SCALE THAT EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT. AND THE SMALL SCALE DRUG TALK, "SHOOT EM UP, BANG, BANG" TALK, WHICH YOU KNOW BEEN IN HIP HOP AND I'M NOT KNOCKING IT BECAUSE IT DOES REFLECT THE REALITY OF WHAT GOES ON IN THE STREETS, BUT I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE KIND OF GET THAT NOW THAT THERE ARE GANGS AND DRUGS IN THE STREETS, BUT I DON'T GET THE COMPLETE PICTURE THAT IT'S THE CIA BRINGING IN THESE DRUGS. IT'S MASS INCARCERATION STARTING THESE GANGS, IT'S A SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE HAPPENING AND THAT IS CREATING THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS THAT WE SEE IN GANGSTA RAP. YOU KNOW THAT’S THE VIOLENCE, MISOGYNY, MATERIALISM, ETC.

VALIDATED: YOU SAID BEFORE THAT YOU DABBLE IN JOURNALISM AND TOPICS LIKE THIS IS WHAT YOU DO. SO YOU SEE THE WAY THAT JOURNALISM IS GOING TODAY, SO MY QUESTION TO YOU IS WHAT DO YOU FEEL IS WRONG IN TODAY'S JOURNALISM AND WHAT CAN WE AS JOURNALISTS DO TO MAKE IT BETTER?

THE MIGHTY CASEY: THAT'S A VERY TOUGH QUESTION. A) I THINK THERE WERE A LOT OF WONDERFUL THINGS THAT HAPPENED WITH THE INTERNET. IT'S KIND OF REALLY DEMOCRATIZED PEOPLE AND IT'S ALLOWED EVERYONE TO HAVE A VOICE. I WORKED IN MEDIA FOR NEWS ONE FOR FOUR YEARS, DID BET FOR A YEAR AND I KIND OF SEE WHAT'S GOING ON. I FEEL LIKE YOU REALLY HAVE TO CHALLENGE THE SYSTEM AND I FEEL LIKE THERE ARE SO MANY DISTRACTIONS GOING ON. IT'S REALLY EASY TO GET CAUGHT UP IN, YOU KNOW, A CELEBRITY WHO SAID THE N-WORD OR A WHITE MODEL WHO IS CULTURALLY APPROPRIATING OR A RAPPER AGAIN ARRESTED. THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THAT HAPPENED THAT IT'S REALLY EASY TO LOSE FOCUS BUT I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE STAY ON THINGS LIKE THE EPSTEIN CASE. I THINK THAT'S A HUGE CASE THAT WILL REALLY EXPOSE PEOPLE, BUT I FEEL WHEN YOU GET THIS KIND OF 24-HOUR NEWS CYCLE, WITH PEOPLE'S ATTENTION, THEY BADLY FORGOT ABOUT EPSTEIN. LIKE "THERE WAS A PEDOPHILE WHO WAS BLACKMAILING THE MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES AND HE WAS MURDER IN PRISON? OH, WHATEVER." AND HE HAD A "PEDOPHILE ISLAND" WHERE HE'S BRINGING IN ALL SORTS OF TOP LAWYERS, PRESIDENTS, PRINCES, LEADERS OF THIS INDUSTRY AND I THINK AS JOURNALISTS, FOR ME, MY THING IS AS A JOURNALIST, I'M COMING FROM TWO KINDS OF JOURNALISM, MUSICAL AND POLITICAL. IF YOU WORK FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES, THEY MIGHT NOT LET YOU INVESTIGATE BILLY JACK HAYNES SELLING COCAINE BECAUSE THEY MIGHT BE HAVING TIES WITH THE CLINTONS, SO A LOT OF JOURNALISTS MAY WORK FOR A LOT OF CORPORATIONS. YOU'RE PRETTY MUCH PLAYING A PROPAGANDA WING, LIKE THEY'LL LET YOU COVER ONLY SO MUCH. THEY REALLY WON'T LET YOU CHALLENGE CERTAIN PEOPLE WHO ARE KIND OF INGRAINED IN OUR GOVERNMENT AND OUR POLITICAL LEXICON. I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE REALLY QUICK TO WRITE OTHERS OFF AS CONSPIRACY THEORISTS. I THINK THAT THEY’RE THE MIDDLE, A REAL HEALTHY MEDIUM OF PEOPLE WHO REALLY DO THEIR RESEARCH AND COVER EVERYTHING AND DON'T SPECULATE AND THEN YOU MIGHT HAVE PEOPLE ON THE OTHER SPECTRUM, WHO WILL BELIEVE ANYTHING THEY HEAR ON ALEX JONES AND THINK ABOUT ALIENS OR FROG ALIENS TURNING PEOPLE GAY. AND THEN THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO JUST SAY "OH NO, THE CIA WOULD NEVER SELL DRUGS OR KILL ANYBODY!" AND THEY JUST REALLY BELIEVE EVERYTHING THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA SAYS AND THE GOVERNMENT SAYS DESPITE THE ABUNDANT EVIDENCE. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO DO YOUR RESEARCH. DON'T TAKE THE GOVERNMENT NOR MEDIA AT ITS WORD. CHALLENGE IT AND I FEEL IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE EXPOSE. SO FOR ME, I THINK THAT THE JOB AT POLITICAL MEDIA, IN A SENSE, IS TO WORK FOR THE PEOPLE TO KEEP THE GOVERNMENT IN CHECK, SO YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO WORK FOR THE PEOPLE. I THINK IT'S BEEN FLIPPED HERE SO THE MEDIA WORKS FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO KEEP THE PEOPLE IN CHECK. I THINK JUST RESEARCH AND I FEEL IT'S SO EASY TO AGGREGATE NOW AND I FEEL LIKE ESPECIALLY A LOT OF WEBSITES... THEY JUST CLICK ON ANYTHING, IT'S REALLY EASY TO SIT AT YOUR COMPUTER AND JUST REPOST WHAT SOMEONE SAYS, BUT I FEEL LIKE A LOT OF FLAWS IN WHAT THEY WERE SAYING, LIKE CARDI B. NEVER SAID SHE WAS NINE TREY BLOODS, BUT ALL OF THESE WEBSITES ARE REPOSTING WHAT ONE PERSON SAID WRONG. YOU GOT TO DO REAL JOURNALISM.. GOING TO THE COURT TRIALS, TAKE NOTES, INTERVIEW PEOPLE AND STUFF LIKE THAT, LIKE REAL JOURNALISM. INVESTIGATE FOR YOURSELF AND IT IS HARD BECAUSE IT'S NOT IN THE BUDGET, SO I FEEL LIKE THE WAY JOURNALISM IS GOING, YOU MIGHT HAVE THESE CITIZEN JOURNALISTS AND PEOPLE REALLY NEED THE SUPPORT JOURNALISTS. IF YOU HAVE THE JOURNALISTS WORKING FOR THE PEOPLE, IF YOU ARE A JOURNALIST WHO'S WORKING ON PATREON, OFF YOUTUBE VIEWS, HE'S WORKING FOR THE PEOPLE. HE'S NOT WORKING FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES WHO MIGHT ALSO BE WORKING FOR THE PRISON INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX AND PFIZER AND YOU KNOW, BIG PHARMACEUTICALS. I FEEL LIKE IT'S NOT JUST ENOUGH FOR JOURNALISTS, I THINK PEOPLE REALLY NEED TO SUPPORT JOURNALISTS SO THEY HAVE THE TIME, THE MONEY AND THE FREEDOM WHERE THEY CAN REALLY GET STORIES BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY IN THE INTERNET ERA AGAIN WITH DEMONETIZATION, LACK OF MAGAZINES AND NEWSPAPERS AND STUFF LIKE THAT, SO I FEEL IT'S NOT ONLY JOURNALISTS WHO NEED THE HELP PEOPLE OUT, PEOPLE WILLING TO HELP OUT JOURNALISTS AND THAT'S HOW I FEEL ABOUT NEWS JOURNALISM. I FEEL FOR MUSICAL JOURNALISM, IN MY DAY, THE NEXT BEST THING YOU COULD BE UP TO A RAPPER WAS A SOURCE WRITER FOR ME GROWING UP BECAUSE THEY WERE THE GATEKEEPERS. RAPPER, DJ, SOURCE WRITER... THOSE WERE THE THREE THINGS I WANTED TO BE GROWING UP BECAUSE THOSE ARE PEOPLE WHO KIND OF HAD AN EFFECT ON THE CULTURE AND THEY WERE REALLY WRITING ABOUT STUFF. YEAH, I FEEL LIKE THE MUSIC JOURNALIST, WE NEED MORE PEOPLE TO WRITE AND ANALYZE STUFF AND LOOK AT THE LAYERS AND INTERPRET IT AND NOT JUST KIND OF REPOST. I FEEL WE NEED MORE PEOPLE WHO WILL REALLY BREAK ARTISTS AND I KNOW THAT'S HARD BECAUSE IF YOU'RE RUNNING A MUSIC BLOG AND YOU HAVE AN UNKNOWN ARTIST, IT'S KIND OF HARD WITH A HEADLINE TO COMPETE WITH 50 CENT OR WHOEVER'S THERE. BUT I FEEL LIKE IF YOU DO GET PEOPLE WHO HAVE THAT CREDIBILITY THAT THEY KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON AND THEY KNOW THEY MAKE THE NEXT WAVE OF BREAKOUT ARTISTS AND LET THE LABELS DO IT BECAUSE, I FEEL, WITH THE INTERNET IT'S JUST LIKE POLITICS AND MUSIC, IT CAN BE A VERY GOOD THING OR A VERY BAD THING. IT ALLOWS EVERYONE TO HAVE A GOOD THING AND THE BAD THING, IT ALLOWS ANYONE TO MAKE MUSIC AND GET IT TO PEOPLE, SO NOW YOU KIND OF HAVE A SATURATED MARKET. SO I FEEL FOR MUSIC JOURNALISM, IN AN AGE WHERE ARTISTS ARE SO ACCESSIBLE TO WHERE EVERYONE JUST WANTS TO TAKE AN INSTAGRAM PICTURE WITH THE ARTIST THAT MIGHT BE LIKE HARDER FOR THEM TO BE HONEST TO CRITIQUE STUFF. SO I FEEL IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE THEM INSERT MORE MUSIC JOURNALISTS AND THEIR VOICE AND ALSO THEIR TAKE ON POLITICS. I DO REMEMBER THE SOURCE USED TO ALWAYS HAVE LIKE ONE AMAZING POLITICAL ARTICLE EVERY MAGAZINE. ROLLING STONE STILL DOES IT. IT'S A MUSIC MAGAZINE BUT THEY STILL COVER A LOT OF POLITICAL THINGS. I'D LIKE TO SEE MORE OF THE MERGING OF MUSIC AND POLITICS, I FEEL LIKE THAT'S HIP HOP. CHUCK D. CALLS HIP HOP AMERICA THE "HOOD CNN," EVEN THOUGH CNN IS MAD WACK NOW, I THINK HIS POINT WAS THAT IT WAS HIP HOP'S GENERAL SENSE OF NEWS LIKE WE WERE GETTING IN A WAY. WE UNDERSTOOD THE POLICE BRUTALITY THAT LED US LIKE THE RODNEY KING RIOTS. WE UNDERSTOOD WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE CRACK AREA THAT WAS CREATING VIOLENCE AND INCARCERATION. IT WASN'T JUST HAPPENING IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, IT WAS EVERYWHERE, SO I FEEL LIKE TO GET BACK TO THAT, WRITERS REALLY NEED TO CONSIDER THEMSELVES CURATORS AND GATEKEEPERS AGAIN, ITS SO HARD TO COMPETE WITH FOR CLICKS. I'VE BEEN PAYING ATTENTION TO IT, I'LL KEEP ON BRINGING IT BACK TO TEKASHI YOU KNOW, ANYTHING TEKASHI RELATED IS GOING TO GIVE YOU CLICKS, AND PEOPLE WANT THOSE CLICKS.

VALIDATED: WHAT IS ON THE AGENDA FOR YOU FOR THE REST OF 2019?

THE MIGHTY CASEY: SO ASIDE FROM THE NEW SINGLE OFF “I'M ANOTHER” THAT'S A B-SIDE TO THE SONG. IT'S CALLED "MARA HAD A DREAMCAST" AND IT'S ALL ABOUT VIDEOGAMES AND BLACK HISTORY. I'M SHOOTING A VIDEO FOR THAT. MANKIND, WHO I MANAGE, IS FEATURED ON “BILLY JACK HANES” TRACK AND ALSO FEATURED ON "DREAMCAST". THEY HAVE A PROJECT COMING OUT ON HALLOWEEN BASED ON COMIC BOOKS AND MENTAL HEALTH, THEY ARE REALLY CREATIVE INDIVIDUALS. SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO PROMOTING THAT. I DON'T THINK I'LL BE FEATURED ON IT. THEY ALSO HAVE A WEBSITE THAT IS A MUSIC VIDEO GENERATOR THAT I USE FOR MY ARTISTS AND MYSELF. I STILL GOT MY BOOK “INSIDE THE CIA”, IT'S BASED ON WHAT WAS GOING ON IN 1976 WITH THE CIA TRYING TO KIND OF DISRUPT MICHAEL MANLEY'S JAMAICAN GOVERNMENT BECAUSE HE WAS KIND OF HANGING WITH CASTRO AND EVENTUALLY HOW THEY DID IT TO COVER PROPAGANDA LIKE THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON BOB MARLEY. A COVER LIKE THE SHOWER POSSE. HOW THE CIA KIND OF RAISED, TRAINED BROKE OUT OF JAIL AND SUPPLIED COCAINE TO A LOT OF SHOWER POSSE MEMBERS. AND LIKE I SAID BEFORE, I GO INTO NOT JUST WHAT WAS GOING ON IN JAMAICA, BUT HONDURAS IN TERMS OF TRAFFICKING COCAINE, NICARAGUA, EL SALVADOR, COSTA RICA... IF YOU ARE IN JAMAICA IT'S STILL NEW AND I FIGURE UNTIL EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD HAS READ THAT BOOK IT'S STILL NEW.