Kali Cass Talks About Collaborations With Bambi, Special Ent, and BNTune Studios and Her Path To Where She Is Today

The entertainment world has been introducing new female icons of the future. One of those on the rise is Atlanta native Kali Cass. Last week I was given the opportunity to find out more about her story and upcoming projects. More importantly, we got a chance to understand who she is as a person and the positive impact she strives to have on everyone.

Jazz Gordan
How did the how the shoot go?

Kali Cass
The shoot was great, amazing. All the shots were captured that was needed. It was like two productions in one. It was th production crew filming for the actual video but then VH1 was getting behind the scenes of us shooting so it was a lot of people there. But it went great though we got where we needed.

Jazz Gordan
Tell us a little bit about the song. What is the theme and stuff?

Kali Cass
Well, the song is called “Boss Ass Bitch” it’s pretty much just talking about being a boss, being bad, being a wave. Love N Hip Hop just came into play because I have this song with Bambi is on the song as well. And the people from the show wanted to bring more music back to Love N hip hop. So this was the perfect opportunity for them to come. So, Bambi is actually on the show. So the fact that me and her have a song coming out together, they wanted to come and capture us working together and bringing this song to life.

Jazz Gordan
Nice that’s super dope, super dope. Are you from Atlanta? Or where are you from?

Kali Cass
Definitely Atlanta is where I was born and raised. Never lived anywhere else. Traveled a lot. But yeah, I’m from Atlanta, on the south side.

Jazz Gordan
So what made you want to be an artist? Or what do you classify as? If it’s not an artist specifically? Or you say you’re a rapper, you know, entertainer,. And what inspired you to do what you’re doing now?

Kali Cass
Yeah, I’ve always been into the entertainment field. I like to consider myself more of an entertainer more than anything. I was in a girl group when I was younger, there’s more. After that, I got scouted for modeling around 15 or 16 years old. I’m 5’9″ so they scouting me out for that. I got signed to an agency but never was a big fan, never wanted to be a model. Like if anything, I wanted to be a Victoria’s Secret model out of anything, but I never really was too big on it. Because I know I have a lot of personality and I want it to be more known for my personality than my looks. So modeling actually got me into the door of acting because that agency also got you to apply for roles and things of that nature. So the first agency I was fine with got me my first speaking roles. I got into acting classes and I’m still acting to this day. But yeah, that kind of opened the door. And I did a lot of good shows. From there, that’s when I moved into music and ran into some of the right people. They help take my career to the next level. And that’s how I’m pretty much here now. All around general, I’ve pretty much been an entertainer. Whether it’s been from acting, I’ve done hosting things. I’ve hosted music festivals, film festivals. But yeah, I think my biggest thing I like to be called that because I entertain based on my personality, whether it’s acting, whether it’s music, whether it’s hosting, whether it’s on the interview.

Jazz Gordan
Absolutely, absolutely. No yeah, I definitely understand. From being around artists there’s different ways to classify yourself with everything that you are as a brand as well. Because a lot of things can go into it. What is your favorite part of your craft?

Kali Cass
My favorite part is definitely performing. I love to be on stage, I love to dance, I love to bring my songs to life. To bring my words to life. So I’m definitely my favorite aspect of the whole craft is when I get to go on stage and actually perform what I spent time working on, bringing it to life.

Jazz Gordan
Yeah, that’s dope. Bringing it all to life. So and and to do that, what helps you get into a creative process? Or what helps you before going on stage or before you hit the booth or something like that?

Kali Cass
Oh, that’s a really good question. Um, typically, I just like to be in my own space, before I do anything, whether that’s shooting a video, going to the studio recording, or performing, I have that have time where I’m by myself. Like performing now that can get very chaotic, because a lot of people from your actual stage production, to people who just a part of the show, to everything. That is very important to me. Having my own private mental space before I do anything, even before I go in the booth, before I perform, it’s just really important for me to get in my own head and to talk to myself. You know, before I do certain things of that nature. So I’ll probably say that’s the most important, my own mental space.

Jazz Gordan
And I won’t go into what you say to yourself because that is as part of the sauce. What would you say to yourself today, when you were dealing with the girl group and stuff like that, and the way you are now? What would you say to your younger self?

Kali Cass
I would say to my young self to always make sure that you need to be the author of your life.

Jazz Gordan
I totally get that. I sometimes ask that question, because people that read our stories dive into it. There’s different parts to have different styles of inspiration. And a lot of those things is important to identify for people. You know, to take good parts for their maturation for their journey that they can use for themselves when they want to get to where you are. With that being said, how did everything come together with you being with Special Entertainment?

Kali Cass
Yeah, long story short, I’ve just always been involved with anything in entertainment. So there was this new liquor brand that came out, and they reached out to me to be a brand ambassador for the brand. They pretty much just wanted me to take pictures and promote their new brand. It’s called Lit, by the way. They actually had Special working with the team as well. But mind you, I didn’t know him at the time. So I got really cool with the owners, they really liked me and my personality. They just started asking me questions and they found out that I did music. During this time I was back in the studio producing songs. So they were like, Hey, I know somebody who can help you out with music, and they introduced me to Special. So actually the owners of the liquor brand introduced me to him. Then we met at this dinner and ever since then we linked up at my studio, I played my music. He liked it and supported it. And here we are today.

Jazz Gordan
So this shoot? It’s part of the same project.

Kali Cass
Yes, it was part of the same project. It’s a video that turned into like a three day shoot. I’m going to have a couple of different scenes.

Jazz Gordan
So when you when is it dropping? Can you let us know or you have an idea of what period it’s going to be dropping?

Kali Cass
Um, I don’t have the exact date. I just know that I want to drop the song and the visual at the same time. Between editing, I’m looking at dropping the song in the next two to three weeks.

Jazz Gordan
Nice and I’m looking forward to seeing it. Who shot the video, the directors and team?

Kali Cass
Yeah, it’s the studio’s called BNTune Studios. And one of the directors, his name is Q they have a couple of different ones. Q and a guy named Connor.

Jazz Gordan
Yea, I met them recently. Some cool dudes, and they definitely do good work. So I wanted to ask this to control your own narrative, right? Depending on, what the press says, you’d be on different talk shows people what would you want people to say that you are? What do you want to be known as, to control your own narrative.

Kali Cass
You say, What do you I want people to know me? Yeah.

Jazz Gordan
Yeah, like what’s your genre? What’s your brand? Like, you know, people who say she’s a singer, songwriter, she’s an actress. You would say “I stand for this”, I’m a badass, you know, what I mean? Who is your audience that you want to talk to? You know, just you personally?

Kali Cass
Yeah, I mean, overall, I think one of the most important things in life is I just want, to be known as overall genuinely a good person and talented at what I do. Whether that’s music, acting, whether that’s hosting, overall, genuinely good person and talented at what I do. And, my audience is anybody who I can relate to, I don’t even like to put an age, put a demographic on it, you know, I make music for anybody who can understand and can feel me. One big thing for me, I am a feminist. I like people who like women who are bosses. That is one of my strong holds and strong points, I do try to put through my music as well. You know, doing the whole city girl thing is cool, but at the end of the day, I do stand for women who can be their own boss and make their own moves. And, you know, just standing for being a woman and making change, you know, making change in this male dominated industry.

Jazz Gordan
I love that answer. Yes, I like to ask that question to give people a chance for them to have the opportunity to tell everyone about themselves. So people can pick up on the right stuff, because, you know, all the time media will pick up what they feel is newsworthy, and leave out the truth in who artists are, what they’re really trying to do with their careers. Things can get lost in translation, even some projects that you put out, they might think that that’s the whole idea which has nothing to do with it. So I like to give you an opportunity to have that voice for that. My last question is you might be asked this a lot but like, who is your dream collaboration. Somebody that you would definitely would, put aside whatever differences or whatever is definitely a collab you would want dead or alive.

Kali Cass
Oh, I get one?!

Jazz Gordan
Yeah. Well, do both since I already know how that goes. So let’s do both.

Kali Cass
Yes, yes. So, I mean, it’s a given fact that we choose anybody. I’m definitely choosing Michael Jackson. Nobody else I would ever choose over him. And the reason I choose him, I just felt like he was a genuinely good person and he was talented at what he did. And, you know, even when he wanted things done in a certain way, we all know he was a perfectionist, but it’s the way that he did it. It’s whether he communicated and talked to people. I think he was a beautiful person inside and out. I would definitely love to do a collab with him. And I know of course, our music is a little different, but maybe we will make it work. Okay. There we go. Yeah, no, definitely Michael Jackson. Um, and for somebody who’s alive. There’s a couple. There’s a couple, so there’s three.

Jazz Gordan
I was gonna let you drop those also. But I just wanted to see what would happen if you had to, like, no matter what, out of the three, who you would have to put aside?

Kali Cass
I know. So, you know, off the top of the three is definitely going to be for me are Beyonce, Drake, or Doja. Cat. Those are my three. And they all have different reasons of why I want to collab with them. Like I said, one of the biggest things about me is I’m definitely a feminist. I love the way Beyonce’s whole story came about and how hard she worked to get to where she is. I’m a big fan of her story. And I’ve been following her for a very long time. And I just hate to kind of say that. She was like, so typical, you know, who doesn’t love her. But at the same time, she’s a big reason. You know, why I’m in music and how I moved the way I do move. And I look up to people like her. So it would be a dream to have a collab with her as well. That’s cool.

Jazz Gordan
I definitely know what you mean about her story. Because yeah, everybody loves her music and what she did as a famous person. But if you know about Beyonce, for sure, in her story, that makes a lot of sense. So that’s dope. Yes. Yeah. Now that was the last question. Like I said, I don’t want to take too much of your time. So I appreciate it. This was dope.

Kali Cass
Oh, thank you. Thank you.