Cassidy Back With Swizz Beatz On New Album

Fresh out of jail, Cassidy is heading to the studio next week to begin recording his as-yet-untitled third album, he said yesterday (April 12) on BET's "106 and Park." The rapper predicts a fourth quarter release for the set, due via producer Swizz Beatz's Full Surface/J imprint.

The first single is expected this summer; another new song, "Cassidy (The Anthem)," was delivered to radio outlets in February. Cassidy was imprisoned in June 2005 and convicted of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault this past January. He was released last month.

Cassidy stressed that his experience in jail has changed his musical outlook, but only to a certain extent. "My music is entertainment and every album I did had violent lyrics but at the same time I tried to bring a message across and bring positive lyrics," he said. "I hope that fans can decipher from the negative and the positive. I'm not gonna be a conscious rapper now due to [what] I went through, but at the same time I am gonna be aware that my lyrics can influence people so I'll try to use my power in a positive way also."

Meanwhile, Swizz Beatz, who will handle the majority of production on the album, is beginning to line up guest appearances for the project. "We're actually going to do what people don't expect because he's not going to rap about jail," Swizz Beatz tells Billboard.com. "We're going to have some big features, like we did last time with Mary J. Blige. We're looking into Jamie Foxx. I mean, everybody's on the table."

Cassidy's new album will be the follow-up to his 2005 sophomore effort "I'm a Hustla," which peaked at No. 5 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 261,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album was released just weeks after Cassidy was charged with murder in Philadelphia.