Cav Crew ready to drop album of relatable rap

By Sierra Starks / Senior Staff Writer

published: Sun, 31 Jan, 2010

It’s not every day that a rap group is named after men mounted on horseback, fighting wars and defending territory. Cav Crew, coined from the term cavalry, hails from the Virgin Island of St. Croix and hopes to let the originality of its music speak for itself with the release of its debut album later this month.

Cav Crew wasn’t always a four-man rap group. Pitt sophomore Joseph “J. Bones” Arthur remembers when Cav Crew was just a name given to him and a dozen or so of his classmates in the Virgin Islands.

“In high school, each of us had a car instead of a horse,” Arthur said. Years later, four members of that same group found themselves scattered throughout the United States, connected not only by friendship, but music as well.

Arthur and fellow members Fitz “Blackie Chan” DeCambre, Reiki Bell and Jason Brown have fused their culture and their love for music together in the self-produced Time and Space.

Both time and space are a representation of Cav Crew’s journey over the past few years. The four of them have developed their talent together despite being separated.

“When we went home [to the Virgin Islands] this past winter break, it was strictly recording,” Arthur said. He explained that in the beginning, Cav Crew as a rap group was just a hobby. However, as songs began to leak through the island of St. Croix, he and his fellow members were encouraged to consider the idea of taking Cav Crew to the next level.

Two mixtapes and an abundance of positive feedback later, Arthur is grateful to the Virgin Islands. “The reason [Cav Crew] has even gotten to any serious point is because of the feedback we got from home,” he said.

The positive feedback continued as Cav Crew introduced its music to listeners in the contiguous United States. From Pitt students to those studying at Boston University, where fellow member Jason Brown attends, people were listening. And they liked what they heard.

Brown, who calls himself “Champ Brown,” explained the reason people are so satisfied with the music has everything to do with the group’s culture. “Because of where we’re from, [our music] is not like everything else you’ve heard before,” he said.

Brown is also excited for the release of the album. “It’s going to be something that people won’t expect, so I’m ready to see how they react to it,” he said.

Pushing the boundaries of its genre, Cav Crew drew inspiration from anything and everything for this album. “Everyone I come into contact with is from a different walk of life and listens to all different types of music,” Arthur said of fellow Pitt students. “I spent time with each of them and listened to their music and took different elements from each [genre],” he said. Arthur then tried to incorporate what he heard into his homemade hip-hop beats.

Arthur has been making beats since the age of 10 and has been influenced by music all his life. He declared the one thing that he noticed was that music, no matter the type, sends a message. When he and his fellow members became serious about releasing an album, they didn’t want to influence others with negativity.

“Cav Crew is trying to send a positive message,” he insisted. “With the things we speak about in our songs, we’re trying to incorporate regular life, which is something anybody can relate to.”
For Brown, life is about “having fun and enjoying the moment.”

Arthur agrees. “The main thing I always try to do is have fun. If I’m not having fun, then I won’t do my best,” Arthur said.

Cav Crew, though, is serious about its craft and is working toward a solid future in music. “If I want to do a song and I want to do it tonight, I’m going to get it done,” Arthur said. “In the past, it didn’t have to ever get done,” he said, pointing out the transition he and fellow band members have made.

Cav Crew’s Time and Space will be available this month on “several music sites.” The group insists that this album is only the beginning.

“It’s going to continue. We’re not going to drop it. You’re going to be hearing more Cav Crew in the future,” Brown said.