Inside the uPlaya Music Universe™: Cashmere

Marcus Goodine has something to say. He wants to express himself through music, provide a new perspective on life, and all in all, he just wants “to be heard.” A Brooklyn native, Goodine moved to South Carolina at a young age and began listening to Jay Z, a rapper he continues to idolize. Although gospel music was a huge part of his life, hip hop is an often-used form of speech for him. Goodine, whose performing name is Cashmere, just clenched the title of Grand Prize Winner of the Music Universe™ AllHipHop Contest.

uPlaya.com: What would you say you are best known for?

Cashmere: I guess it’s the fact that I'm just being myself. I can’t talk about things that I have not done or stuff that I don’t get into because if I don’t live it, it’s not in my vocabulary….period! You know, I'm a corn ball and kind of geeky and I try to show that as well.

uPlaya.com: How did you come up with your performance name?

Cashmere: It was back in eighth grade when I was listening to Jay-Z’s first album, “Reasonable Doubt”. Me and my family were listening to all the tracks and I knew them by heart and knew what that dude was talking about… We ran across his song called Cashmere Thoughts and they all said, ‘YO that’s ya name’. I guess they felt those verses were what I was about at the time and they would always hear me quoting the lyrics, so they told me I should go as Cashmere. But in school, people looked me like, ‘Is this kid serious? What kind of name is that?!’

uPlaya.com: What does hip hop mean to you?

Cashmere: Everything. Music is my life, not just hip hop, but music period. Hip hop is just another form of speech to me.

uPlaya.com: What is your inspiration?

Cashmere: Music inspiration definitely comes from others, but my life is what I write about, so I guess my life. I never really want to blow up and be rich from being a rapper, but I do want others to hear me and be inspired by my work …You’re not going to get inspiration in a club, so I make music for your iPod, Zune, whatever you use. I want to be on people’s minds as a melody.

uPlaya.com: What words of wisdom do you have for other musicians who are just getting started?

Cashmere: Be you! Don’t follow any trends. That’s the problem with unsigned artists now. There are so many talented artists all over and definitely in my area. The problem is, everyone is starting to sound exactly the same… rappers, producers, everyone. That’s something I feel hip-hop is lacking right now: originality. I think instead of talking about the same thing everyone else is talking about, why not talk about you and be you?

Hear Cashmere's music, including his contest-winning song, "What'cha Want"