Interview: Cash on Demand-Cash Diego

Whether you want to believe it or not, many of Hip-Hops biggest names are the product of family ties. Russell Simmons was the first one to believe in his brother Run and his friend DMC. Jermaine Dupri got his big break in the industry with Kriss Kross only after his already successful father opened the door for him.

Yet when people find out that an artist is related to another famous person, you tend to look at the project skeptically. Diego Cash is ready to wipe the smirks off the smiles of the haters ready to see him fall to the side. The brother of former MTV VJ La La and brother in law to All-NBA forward Carmello Anthony, you would think that he has a platinum paved road to success laid out. But you’re underestimating his grind.

The first artist off Mello’s Crossover Entertainment, Diego has gone on an all-out blitz of the underground to prove that he’s worthy of his deal. With his single “Nuvo ‘What it is’” picking up radio spins and album on the way, it looks like haters are going to need to fix their faces.

Wordonthestreetsmag.com:How did you hook up with Carmello Anthony and Crossover Entertainment?

Diego Cash: I met Mello when I was staying in New York. I’m from the Bronx and a lot of Mello’s family is from Brooklyn. So I knew him just in passing. He always had my CD. And my sister is La-La. So him and my sister got together, but me him was always cool. He had my CD and he would ride to it. One day he decided to start a label. He flew me out and we sat down and chopped it up. That was 3 or 4 years ago and we still going

Wordonthestreetsmag.com: So who is Diego Cash as an artist?

Diego Cash: My style is a little different. I live in Atlanta right now, but I stayed all my life in New York. My style is different. I don’t sound like a New York rapper and I don’t sound like an Atlanta rapper. I’m across the board.

Wordonthestreetsmag.com: Do you feel like your association with your sister and Carmello will have haters more ready to see you fail than succeed?

Diego Cash: I feel like if you don’t show me the love I deserve then you’re somewhat being closed minded. Its about music really. If you just say, “Fuck this nigga” before you hear me then you’re just a crab nigga. That’s just like some hating shit. I can see if you heard me and you thought it was bullshit then I could get that, but if you aint going fell me because of my affiliations then you just a hater.

Wordonthestreetsmag.com: I know you’re working on an album right now. Talk about who your working with on that.

Diego Cash: We working on the album “Language Arts” I got Rick Ross, Jadakiss, Style P, Raheem Devine, Macy Gray, production Cool and Dre, Sounds, Toomp, Scram Jones that’s the album. By the time were done there no telling who else is going to be on it. I put out 3 mixtapes. I got one with Dj Drama, one with Dj Smallz, and and I got one with my Dj Paperboy. We’re going to drop one at the end of this week with Dj Bobby Black and then we got one called “Supply and Demand” hosted by Greg Street with Block Ent artist Supply

Wordonthestreetsmag.com: Lets ignore the connections that you have. In reality you’re still an up and coming artist on his grind. Do you think its harder coming up right in today’s industry that say a few years ago?

Diego Cash: I say yes and no. I see it as a double edged sword. Now cause of the internet everything is instant. If you’re doing it right then you can reach people easier. But at the same time, everybody is doing it so there is more competition. Its not it was back in the day when people would be on the streets hustling their CD’s There aint too many niggas who would really be on their grind like that. With the internet you can sit back or get somebody else to sit back doing it. Its real, you have to be dedicated. I’ve been doing this for a long time and I’m still not at the level I want to be at now. But I feel like I’m in the right direction. ….My young nigga called yesterday like ‘I’m fucked up. I’m doing this and its not going the way I want it to” When you’re independent you have to stay focus. It takes time and money. A lot of people feel like Mello put me on and a lot of independent niggas trying to get their shit together. it’s a difference between freestyling on the corner and going into the booth and making a song. I know niggas who could freestyle for hours and you’d sit and listen to them and be ringing their hands. Then you would put them in the booth and tell them to make a song and it don’t come off the same.

Wordonthestreetsmag.com: What about the labels? Are you still looking for a major deal or are we going to see Crossover putting out the album?

Diego Cash: We at the point right now where we pushing the single right now. We get that bubbling, then we’ll shoot the video when we get the single where we need it to be. It all depends what they come with. If they come with the right check and the right situation then we can do it. Crossover Ent. We got our own money to put our shit out.

Check out Diego Cash at iamdiegocash.com