Casual - Biography
Casual, born Jon Owens, is a hip-hop artist and emcee from Oakland, California. He is also a member of alternative hip-hop crew Hieroglyphics, who released the seminal 3rd Eye Vision and Full Circle albums, as well as the Hieroglyphics Imperium Label. Widely recognized as a Bay Area hip-hop legend with his hardcore battle lyrics and competitive freestyling skills, Casual's career spans over 15 years and has made him one of the most prominent faces in underground hip-hop.
His critically-acclaimed debut album, Fear Itself (Jive), was released in 1994. After he was dropped from his major label, Casual released his next albums on Hieroglyphics Imperium: Meanwhile... (1997), VIP (1999), He Think He Raw (2001), a web-only release Truck Driver (2003), and Smash Rockwell (2005). He also worked on the 1998 Hieroglyphics compilation Third Eye Vision and the 2011 project The Hierophant, (F.B.M.G) with DJ Toure featuring Pep Love, Souls of Mischief's Tajai and Thomas Pridgen. On his most recent album, Respect Game Or Expect Flames (Nature Sounds, 2012), Casual worked with veteran producer/beatmaker J Rawls, to create what Casual calls his best work to date.
