There’s a saying that there is nothing new under the sun, but Leimert Park emcee Cashus King’s new project, HeavenManEarth, executes things in a way that presents reasonable doubt. Proposed and produced by longtime producer Cinematagraffiti, the song condenses 11 tracks into one project that seamlessly transitions from one concept to another. 

Dedicated in memory of Christopher Mims, one of Cashus’s closest friends who passed last year, the project takes aim at some of life’s most universal dilemmas and attempts to provide a perspective on them. He examines everything from the existence of God to the futility of life and gives it the space it needs. Featured on the album alongside Cashus is his manager and emcee in crime, former Maryland resident and Atlanta transplant, Jeff Johnson.

For Cashus, who first came on the scene in 2009, the project reflects a tradition of existentialist philosophy that he’s frequently referenced in his music on songs like “Belief in God”, “No Allah” and “Pot Ash”. Embracing his penchant for thoughtful, piercing prose and descriptive imagery, the project centers the discussion in the beginning with bars such as:

“Earth is the blessing, man is the sin.

Past is the blessing, present is the gift,

HeavenManEarth we exist.”

Unwilling to back down from life’s toughest questions, Cashus greets listeners with an interesting enigma during the third transition after stating his belief in agnosticism.

“You rep God like a mascot, a brown-nosed, but God got no ass to kiss,

I often wonder in the abstract, does mass exist?

The matter doesn’t matter, all that mans is his or hers?

The seismic mental and physical damage caused by the pandemic and Cashus’ own personal troubles allowed him to be in a more vulnerable space than ever and this project brings to mind the best pieces of his style: Honesty, wit, and inquiry all wrapped up into an 11-minute album. Concepts aside, the sonic implications for this project will challenge listeners to catch the nuances of knowledge and sound wrapped into each individual song.