Casual

Biography

Oakland rapper Casual, born Jonathan Owens in 1973, is a founding member of the *Hieroglyphics* crew. A feared freestyle battler, he broke through with the 1994 debut 'Fear Itself' on #Jive Records#, then helped build the crew's independent #Hiero Imperium# label, releasing thirteen solo albums noted for dense, multisyllabic rhymes and a playful but combative battle style that made him one of the most recognisable voices in Bay Area underground hip hop.