Casual | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Birth name |
Jonathan J. Owens |
Born |
December 19, 1973 |
Origin |
Oakland, California, U.S.A. |
Genre |
|
Occupation(s) |
Rapper, record producer |
Years active |
1992-present |
Label |
Jive (1993-1994) |
Associated acts |
Hieroglyphics, J. Rawls, Ron Jon Bovi |
Jonathan J. Owens (born December 19, 1973), better known by his stage name Casual, is an American rapper and record producer from Oakland, California. He is one of the founding members of the alternative hip hop collective Hieroglyphics. After his 1994 debut album Fear Itself garnered both critical and commercial success, Casual went on to become one of the most prominent members on the Hieroglyphics roster. Despite an absence of both sales and critical acclaim of his albums that followed his debut, Casual has garnered a following amongst devoted hip hop fans, particularly in the Bay Area hip hop scene, largely due to his specialisation in hardcore battle rhymes.
Influences[]
Casual considers EPMD, Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, Too $hort, Kool G Rap and the Juice Crew as influences.[1]
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
- 1994: Fear Itself
- 1997: Meanwhile...
- 2001: He Think He Raw
- 2003: Truck Driver
- 2005: Smash Rockwell
- 2011: He Think He #Rapgod
- 2011: The Hierophant
- 2012: He Still Think He Raw
- 2013: The Return of the Backpack
Collaborative albums[]
- 2012: Respect Game or Expect Flames (with J. Rawls)
References[]
- ↑ Scott, Dana (June 18, 2014). Battle Drill: The Oral History of Saafir vs. Casual's "Wake Up Show" Battle. HipHopDX.