Gay Rapper’s Delight: Cazwell and Friends Join Forces on ‘Fresh,’ Fun Album

At first, people were a little shocked.

People, gay and straight, asked, “Did he really just say what I think he said?”

Years later, his edgy gay anthem, “All Over My Face,” has been played all over Logo, on the Internet, and in every gay bar in Atlanta. Who is he? He’s Luke Caswell, of course, better known as “Cazwell,” and he has mastered the art of writing songs that stick in people’s heads.

It’s hard to believe it has been four years since we last saw him and his oiled-up guys dancing around that ice cream truck! Since he burst onto the gay music scene in 2006 with his album, Get Into It, Cazwell has also sung about where he buys his socks (“on 14^th Street”) and eating “Rice and Beans.” He also famously saw Beyoncé at Burger King (“and she was eatin’”).

His songs make you laugh. They make you dance (or at least tap your foot). They make you think. With his new album, Hard 2 B Fresh, fans are sure to be singing along and thinking about “blocking your number” and “dancing like you got good credit.”

This new album is chock full of collaboration with artists such as Cherie Lily, Peaches, Naaldekoker, Roxy, Alyssa Edwards, and Manila Luzon. With or without these guest artists, Cazwell is sure to entertain with 17 tracks on this new album.

Get ready, Atlanta. Cazwell is back!

David Magazine: Let’s first talk about your new CD after four years, Hard 2 B Fresh. Which track is your favorite, and why?

Cazwell: It changes from day to day. Today my favorite track is “Spicy.” I’ve just really been into [that track] lately. I’m going to be performing it, and I released a video. I also really love the song, “I Blocked Your Number.” That song has, like, every ingredient I love in a song. There’s heart to it; there’s a story to it; the beat’s dope. It’s a true story. I will say I am in love with this album. I’m glad that I did it right, and I love every single song on it. To me it’s a really strong album. I love it even more than my last one.

DA: It’s got a lot of songs on it. That’s great!

Cazwell: Yeah, I know it has been a while since I dropped like a full body of work, but I’ve been dropping a single or video two or three times a year, just to keep the machine going. To be able to drop a big chunk of work for people to judge me on is good.

DA: “No Selfie Control” really makes fun of today’s self-obsessed culture. Do you take a lot of selfies?

Cazwell: Yeah, I definitely take a lot of selfies. I like taking selfies. I think they’re fun and ridiculous and obnoxious. Some days I take more than others. A lot of people have no selfie-control, so it’s relatable.

DA: If a guy you’re interested in is too obsessed with taking selfies, is that a turnoff, or even a deal breaker, for you?  

Cazwell: That’s an interesting question because I wrote that song about an ex-boyfriend of mine who was totally obsessed with taking selfies. In the video I put my phone on a moving ceiling fan and timed it so I could take selfies while I was lying on the bed or the floor, and that’s what he used to do. It doesn’t really bother me so much when people take pictures of themselves, but I don’t like people who have to tell all their personal information on social media. That’s a lesson I learned. I’ll never again date somebody and put all my romantic information out there. If a relationship is precious to me, then I keep it private.

DA: I heard Rupaul’s Drag Race Season 6 winner Bianca Del Rio inspired the title of the song “Dance Like You Got Good Credit” during a dance contest in a club where you both were performing. Can you give our readers another behind-the-scenes story about one or two of the new songs?

Cazwell: “I Blocked Your Number” definitely came from a breakup I went through last year. I literally had to block my ex-boyfriend’s number. I just kind of broke down in the song the breakup and what went down and why it happened. That’s the story behind that. As for “Dance Like You Got Good Credit,” the title was definitely inspired by Bianca Del Rio. She’s awesome. I do think it’s hilarious, and you have to laugh at the state of bad credit and the economy in this country. I think there’s something funny about the fact that we go broke trying to look gorge’ for other broke people. Everyone’s so afraid of looking poor, and everyone’s so afraid their financial status will be known. There’s a lot of shame in debt and being behind in your bills, and we try to fake it by wearing expensive clothes and $900 shoes and things like that. We have the wrong state of mind. So to tell someone to dance “like you got good credit” and put all those financial troubles on the back burner, that’s what that song is all about. Look at what happened to Teresa Giudice on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, ya know?

DA: Do you think Teresa and her husband got what they deserved, or was the judge too hard?

Cazwell: Wow, I could talk about reality TV for a long time. I was shocked that she got jail time! I thought she would get probation. It’s heartbreaking to watch any mom get sent away, and Teresa will be away from her four kids for a year and three months. She has a routine that has to do with sun up to sun down taking care of her kids. I think it’s mentally going to fuck her up. I feel really bad for her because I don’t think she’s smart enough to think of a way to fuck over banks and bank loans. I honestly think her husband was like, “Here, honey, sign this.” She cooks and cleans and does what she’s told to do. I don’t think she’s very financially savvy in any way, shape, or form. She should have been smarter.

DA: Will there be a tour to promote this CD? When can we expect to see you in Atlanta?

Cazwell: Oh yeah, I love playing in Atlanta, and I love playing at Jungle! I really hope they’ll have me down soon. I’m putting together a southwestern tour and an Australian tour. All that’s pretty much going to start happening in November and through the holidays.

DA: What is one of the best things about being in and performing in Atlanta?

Cazwell: The weather! It’s beautiful there in October. You guys are super smart to have your Gay Pride in October because it is not totally hot, and no one else is having their Pride. It’s a really cool time to have Pride.

DA: Going back a little, were you surprised that Logo refused to show “All Over My Face”? Do you ever worry about offending anyone?

Cazwell: I don’t think that video specifically offended people as much as the fact that no matter how the song was edited, you couldn’t escape that it was about getting jizz on your face. Or someone else’s face. In that case I understand. Little kids watch TV, and they shouldn’t hear or see something like that. Logo eventually did play it, but they waited until after 11 p.m. or something like that. I do not like offending people. It doesn’t make me feel good when somebody comes up to me after a show and says, “When you said this, it really offended me.” As a gay guy, I know what it feels like to be offended. To create that feeling for someone else does not make me feel good. I want to be loved and I want my music to be loved, but I can’t be afraid of offending people just for being a gay guy. It’s going to happen. Gay men are just as entitled to talk about the sex they want as straight men. When straight men talk among themselves about the bitches they slap in the ass or the type of titties they like, no one holds that against them. Gay men should feel just as entitled to express that. When “All Over My Face” dropped, that feeling was created. Gay men related to that song in a way. Gay men are always looking for a reflection of themselves.

DA: As an openly gay artist, are you pleased with the progress being made for LGBT people in music, TV, movies, and sports? What will it take for equality to finally happen?

Cazwell: I am pleased. Of course, it’s always moving slower than we want. But you know, half the country has legal gay marriage now, and things are happening and moving in a positive direction. It makes me feel really good about the future. I think we all have to thank the Internet for that. The Internet made the world really small. It’s hard to see a four-year-old boy wrap a towel around his waste and do all the moves to Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies’ and then on the other hand say being gay isn’t natural. It has really opened the doors and forced people to open their eyes about gay people. Before, everyone in the family stayed in the closet, and there was no one gay on television. If you just stayed in your small, conservative circle, you didn’t know anyone who was gay or transgendered. Now it is really humanizing people.

I think the real struggle that the gay community needs to focus on is trans issues, especially for trans women of color. There is someone being murdered like twice a month if not more, and they tend to not find the murderer. I don’t know why. It’s like the case goes cold or no one really cares. In August 2013 Islan Nettles, a female transgender of color, was murdered in Harlem across the street from a police station. The police officer pulled Paris Wilson off her while he was pounding her in the face.   She went to the hospital. She went into a coma. She died three days later, and he didn’t even get an assault charge. There were witnesses, police officers, a camera. It’s like, what else do we need? What’s the problem? I really think we have to continue to fight and defend our trans brothers and sisters.

DA: What musicians, gay or straight, do you most admire, and why?

Cazwell: I’m really into a lot of the gay rappers who are coming into the scene. I pay attention to it. Some of them are just so tight. I’m a big fan of Cakes Da Killa, Mykki Blanco, Leaf, Big Dipper, and Princess Nokia. There are also straight rappers and producers that I like, of course. There’s Katie Got Bandz. I really love her voice. I also pay attention to what Diplo does, and Yellow Claw. The people I listen to the most are probably the people and producers I’ve worked with. I’ve been blessed to work with Richie Beretta. I did four or five songs with him. He works with Major Lazer and Diplo. I’ve also worked with Naaldekoker. We did “The Biscuit” on this new album. He is from South Africa and works with Die Antwoord. I’m a big fan of them. I listen to these people all the time, and I listen to Mixcloud and a lot of the big DJs in New York, like Nita Aviance and Juliana Huxtable. Just like up and coming DJs doing sick parties here in New York.

DA: You seem very comfortable in front of the camera. Do you have any goals of being an actor?

Cazwell: I have goals of anything that has to do with show business and getting paid. Haha! I’d like to be an actor, but I’d also like to be able to contribute to the script. I’d like to have some control and flexibility with the character. I’d love to start acting and do more things on TV in general. In particular, I’d like to do comedy. I think I’m pretty good at comedy.

DA: What’s next for you? Is there anything else you’d like our Atlanta boys to know?

Cazwell: People should know that my album is amazing, that it’s the best album of the century! My album saves lives and cures diseases. Just kidding, but people should buy the album on iTunes and let me know what songs they like. I take that into consideration when thinking about singles to drop or when I’m making a video. I’m also working on an underwear line for Christmas time. I should have some ice cream truck underwear out there.