Certified Fresh: Casey Veggies, A Young MC With OG Aspirations

In Hip-Hop, the power undoubtedly falls with the youth. And that’s no diss to the veterans who remain viable figures in the game. But tools like social media and the like that were nowhere to be found during the culture’s humble beginnings have yet to be truly championed (or conquered) by any of Rap’s godfathers.

Meanwhile, up and comers and artists on the cusp of achieving their moment are flourishing like Shaq in the paint circa ’92 because of their natural proficiency with said tools. Cite Los Angeles’ own Casey Veggies as proof.

On top of being an MC to look out for, he’s garnered a huge following from Peas & Carrots Intl. — a lifestyle brand that encompasses clothing, a brick and mortar location, and curates events — created by him and his business partners Joshton Peas and Anwar Carrots.

The method of entering the game as an MC, getting your footing, and eventually permeating other avenues with proper business ventures has become commonplace in Hip-Hop. Continuing with the basketball analogy, if an artist’s draft stock is all about their upside, Casey is certainly a lottery pick.

At just 20-years-old, the world is the Inglewood native’s proverbial oyster, and he’s coming to making an impact with a side of cocktail sauce in tow.

Who: Casey Jones, better known as Casey Veggies, was born in Los Angeles, but eventually moved to the city’s Inglewood section. Actively rapping since the age of 13, he’s among the most consistent artists in his age bracket. So much so, that Veggies caught the attention of music industry executive Sylvia Rhone, who signed him to Epic Records. Mind you, young Veggies previously had a management deal in place with Roc Nation as an independent act.

Credentials: Veggies released his first mixtape, Customized Greatly, Vol. 1, at the age of 14 in 2007. Since then, it’s been full steam ahead for the rapper. Dropping a project virtually each following year kept his name hot in the streets, but it was his 2010 effort, Sleeping In Class, that made the impact he needed to gain nationwide notoriety. Tracks like “Ridin Roun’ Town” and “I Be Over Sh*t” showed Veggies’ potential to crossover into the mainstream, and he’s only built on that momentum since.

Fun Fact: Veggies was an original member of Odd Future, and has been friends with Tyler, The Creator since connecting on Myspace in their teenage years.

Casey Veggies released a free project titled Life Changes at the top of 2013 that’s allowed him to tour much of the year. Now, it’s time to introduce himself to the masses via his major label debut, tentatively due to release summer 2014.

“I think Life Changes was a real experiment for me. And right now, I’m trying to drop a project where’s it like I’m not really experimenting — not to say that I’m not trying new things,” he said speaking on his next full-length effort. “But I know the approach of it, the release, the marketing, everything is where it needs to be.”

This is Veggies, the young mogul in the making, speaking. At this point, it’s clear that his business acumen has developed lightyears (probably due to the advancement of Peas & Carrots and managing himself independently for so long).

“I think I deserve a shot at dropping a project that just has everything right surrounding it, and really just getting the awareness up with my name. That’s what’s new with me.”

Despite his success and tons of optimism, the California native feels like many have counted him out. But the past proves this perception can change if he delivers a phenomenal body of work.

Timing wise, Casey’s album couldn’t be better scheduled. There’s a large scope on West Coast artists right now because of the brewing TDE movement, and more recently, the unprecedented power moves made by Dom Kennedy and Nipsey Hussle (the former sold his latest LP through Best Buy without the help of any major distributor and the latter successfully moved 1000 copies of the first $100 mixtape).

The competitiveness among California’s local ranks is also incubating quality work. “I think they [peers] definitely play big role, and inspire me to keep going,” Veggies admits. “It keeps me on my toes, keeps me hungry. Even though I’m like the youngest out of all the people I know that’s doing this, I know that I got to act as if I wasn’t young.”

He continued, “I got to do things as if, and come with material and come with them raps like I wasn’t.”

From his perspective alone, you have to respect Veggies’ hustle. The knowledge and self-awareness is there, and that’s half the battle. Now, it’s just about the application — often the Achilles’ Heel of bubbling rap hopefuls.

However, Veggies thinks he’s honed in on a sound that will please old fans and garner new followers to boot. “I wan’t to capture that Sleeping In Class feel, that Customized Greatly 3 feel,” he explained. The personal growth detailed in the music will be the differentiating factor. Veggies wants to, “tell them [people] more about me.

“That’s the goal: to put out a groundbreaking project.”

It’s time for Inglewood’s crowned jewel to blaze a distinct trail for himself with the music. With the help of Rhone and Epic Records, he thinks that’s an attainable feat. Veggies looks at signing to a major [label] as an experience, win, lose, or draw. “I’m trying to do it a different way, just like Dom did it different from Nipsey and Nipsey did it different than Dom,” Veggies said.

So far, so good, if that’s been his plan thus far. Casey Veggies is in the big leagues now, though. And like most rookies, his story is far from predestined, but it’ll be very exciting to watch. Play on young Veggies. Play on.

The Essentials: