Concert Recap: Caskey in Jacksonville, NC (June 18, 2023)

We all have to deviate from the norm a bit every now and then, right?

While I love rock and metal music, I do have an appreciation for all genres, and Father’s Day last month marked the night of my first rap concert. After being introduced to his music by Hooligans manager Johnny Cutt, Florida-based rap artist Caskey has quickly become one of my favorite rappers, and he made his return to Jacksonville, NC on June 18, bringing with him a plethora of support artists on both the local and touring side. 

Having only been to rock and metal shows up to this point, one thing about rap shows is they go by relatively fast. When I saw that there were 6-8 openers on this bill, I was anticipating being at the venue for half the night by the time Caskey got on stage. However, that wasn’t the case – the support artists had short sets and switched out immediately after the conclusion of their sets because, unlike with rock shows, there was no need for a 15-30 minute intermission between artists to change the stage sets for each group. Thankfully, this made the night go by pretty fast, and it was a cool way to expose people to a bunch of different artists in a short amount of time.

Aside from Caskey, the other rapper on my radar that night was a local artist, Aku No Heavy, from the Wilmington/Surf City area. His brand of “trap-metal” blends the boundaries of rap and metal with his inclusion of screaming vocals and intense beats, much like nu-metal but musically leaning more into the rap genre. His short set consisted of staples like “Sideways” and (my personal favorite) “In Caspia,” and several others, making for an eclectically energetic performance.

I interviewed Aku No Heavy before his set, and he was really cool both on and off camera. It was great being able to talk with him about his musical influences from rap and metal, and it was also interesting to learn that he’s a big horror buff like me and even has his own horror apparel business, Thrillers Shock Stop. To check out his current Hellraiser-themed drop, click here.

During Caskey’s performance, it was visibly apparent how much he appreciates his fans from the jump – he immediately stepped into the crowd during his opening song, “Murder for Hire,” and even bought shots for everyone in the venue halfway through his set. He also took time to address the audience after just about every song and interacted with the crowd constantly during his time on stage. With someone as musically prolific as he is, he played a variety of songs like one of his collab tracks with Yelawolf, “Daytona,” “Martial Law,” and “A Sinner Like Me." After his set, he immediately went to the merch area and stuck around to shake hands, sign autographs, and take pictures with every single fan in the building. Most artists wouldn't go to the lengths that Caskey did to show his appreciation to his fans and to give them more of an experience than just a performance, and that just goes to show what kind of person he is.

I was able to interview Caskey after the fans left the building, and he was extremely fun and insightful to talk with, whether it was about his own music, his love for metal music, and everything in between. Aside from music, I was glad to be able to hear from him about his journey to sobriety, his desire to change his lifestyle and how he uses his platform to be a positive leader. Much like metal music, I feel that rap has an unfair reputation of being thoughtless or lacking intellectual substance, but hearing from an artist like Caskey shows that those notions aren't accurate. Not only was he a genuinely cool guy and gracious with his time, but he was very articulate and insightful, even after just getting done with performing and hanging out with fans for a couple hours. Caskey's producer, Anonymass, was great to talk with as well, having given us a quick rundown of events before the show as well as some solid professional advice — in general, he was just as easy-going as Caskey was with everything, which was greatly appreciated.

All in all, Caskey's show last month set the bar pretty high for a first rap concert. I had a great time watching the performances and hanging out with the artists (and even shooting the breeze with Johnny Cutt on camera once again between sets), and I want to thank Johnny for his help in making these interviews happen, as well as Jason King for his lighting expertise and behind-the-scenes shots (see them on his Instagram @JKingVisuals)

Check out Caskey’s latest single, “I’m a Virgin,” here

To keep up with Caskey’s tour dates and buy merch, click here

To support Aku No Heavy, click here

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