Photo by Handout/Biden Inaugural Committee via Getty Images By Cori Murray ·April 29, 2021April 29, 2021
What do FaceTime, silk pajamas and an R&B legend have in common? It was the spark for DJ Cassidy’s Pass the Mic, the celebrity at home sing-a-long where artists and musicians perform a verse of your favorite jam before “passing the mic” to the next artist.
The first special (they are categorized by “volume” on YouTube) begins with legendary Earth, Wind and Fire’s singer Philip Bailey and bassist Verdine White gifting fans with “That’s the Way of the World” from their respective homes. As the first chorus of the classic fades, Cassidy calls up Patrice Rushen, who rifts her 1982 hit “You Remind Me.” Longtime Michael Jackson collaborator Siedah Garrett is up next, singing “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You.” Deniece Williams joins in performing “Cause You Love Me Baby”—and Pass the Mic is born.
On May 9, Cassidy takes audiences on another musical journey with a Mother’s Day special on BET, his official platform for a six part series. But unlike the surprise element that’s been a big component of the events, Cassidy tells ESSENCE exclusively why he decided to share his featured guests—Patti Labelle and Johnny Gill—ahead of the special.
“I’ve always wanted Patti to take part from day one, but I knew early on that I needed to save the call for Mother’s Day,” Cassidy said. “And I’m so happy I did.”
As the godmother of soul, Labelle’s inclusion is a match made in music heaven. But if Pass the Mic fans are curious how Johnny Gill fits into a Mother’s Day theme, Cassidy’s reason is simple: “It’s about love.”
“This special is unique in several ways,” he said. “First, I usually focus on a specific era within an episode. This time I chose not to focus on a particular time or period, but a particular emotion, and that emotion is love. So much of soul music is about love. This special is also unique because it’s the first and only ballad centric show. The songs in this episode are simply the greatest soul ballads of all time. These songs are the records we know every word to, belting out each lyric at the top of our lungs. And for both of those reasons, I truly believe this special will be special, pun intended.”
It was the New York native’s love of music that originally sparked the series in April 2020. As music elite’s go-to deejay since the aughts (he spun at Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s 2008 nuptials), the idea started with him vibing with a legend.
From left: Jay Sean, Tyson Beckford, Noel Lee, Swizz Beatz, Asap Ferg and DJ Cassidy attends the VIBE 20th Anniversary celebration at No. 8 on August 23, 2013 in New York City. | Photo by Shareif Ziyadat/FilmMagic
“I was FaceTiming with my friend and mentor, Verdine White of the legendary group, Earth, Wind & Fire. We had been friends for years;he’s a mentor and a hero of mine. We usually go to dinner once a month at Mr. Chow’s in Beverly Hills. Since it was the start of the pandemic, I hadn’t seen him in a while and I called to check on him. While we were FaceTiming, the classic record, “That’s the Way of the World,” comes on my speaker. And Verdine, in red silk pajamas, lying on his couch, starts singing casually along, “Hearts of fire, create love desire…” I got a chill down my spine. I thought, how fortunate am I to have relationships with so many of my musical heroes and how fortunate am I to experience their music like this.”
Cassidy continues: “With
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