Casanova Gives His First Tell-All Interview From Prison

Casanova shouldn’t be letting his time behind bars decide his outlook on life. The Brooklyn rapper, who’s presently serving a 15-year jail sentence for racketeering and narcotics offenses, is “preventing my battle,” as he places it, with a smile on his face. Cas speaks to XXL in his first interview from jail and will get candid about many matters, together with his expenses, insisting that Tory Lanez is harmless of capturing Megan Thee Stallion regardless of him being discovered responsible and connecting with the youth to make the proper decisions.

Whereas incarcerated at Nevada Southern Detention Heart in late January, Casanova was in good spirits as he opened up concerning the bid he is doing. He reveals that the Final Prisoner Undertaking, a nonprofit group redressing the harms of hashish criminalization, helps him attempt to get house.

In 2023, Casanova was sentenced to 188 months in jail for racketeering and narcotics crimes associated to his function within the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation Bloods Gang. As a part of the racketeering conspiracy, he participated in a capturing in Florida on July 5, 2020, and a theft in New York Metropolis on Aug. 5, 2018, and conspired to visitors over 100 kilograms of marijuana. He surrendered to authorities in 2020, after being needed by the FBI.

“I believe everyone within the federal system has regrets and I believe my remorse shouldn’t be understanding the regulation,” he tells XXL. “And I do not imply the common regulation. I imply the federal regulation, as a result of state-wise, I am good. I might’ve promoted marijuana. To clear this up, I do not actually have a marijuana sale. I haven’t got a sale. So, off of Instagram, they simply threw out a quantity and mentioned I used to be promoting this quantity of medication. I haven’t got a direct sale. I haven’t got none of that. They simply seen me selling marijuana on Instagram and mentioned, ‘Oh yeah, you are promoting marijuana.’ You understand, a whole lot of rappers promote marijuana they usually’re not in jail, however once more, since I used to be tied to a gang, they simply checked out it like, ‘You understand what, let’s wrap this man up and no matter now we have to wrap him up with.’ That is the place the racketeering is available in. Federally, it is unhealthy, however state-wise, it isn’t unhealthy.”

Loads of rappers have been exhibiting like to Cas since he is been locked up. Based on him, A$AP Rocky, Chris Brown, Fabolous, Bobby Shmurda and Maino, amongst others. Cas has additionally stored word of the individuals who have not linked with him on the within. “The folks that did not, I kinda obtained the scope on them,” Casanova shares. “I did rather a lot for everyone and I all the time made positive everyone was good in each side or kind. It feels good to get the love again. So far as household assist, my spouse is there. She’s strolling it down with me.” A real definition of a ride-or-die.

He is been conserving busy whereas incarcerated in numerous methods. Final December, the 38-year-old rhymer dropped the 12-track album I Get I Now. Casanova says the fabric was recorded earlier than he was arrested in 2020. With the assistance of his staff and EMPIRE, the label behind him, Cas was in a position to get his music to the followers. Figuring out, enjoying chess and talking to family members are additionally a part of his routine. One factor Cas hasn’t performed is put his rhymes down on paper. The MC admits he hasn’t “wrote in perpetually.” Casanova’s purpose is to create music with a extra optimistic message as soon as he is again exterior. “Now I kinda imagine in manifestation greater than ever and I really feel like I manifested this on myself, as a result of all my songs are jail-related, gang associated or tremendous violent,” he conveys about his music having a direct hyperlink to his time in jail. “I kinda manifested this. Phrases are highly effective. I imagine within the tongue now. I gotta go extra optimistic after I get out.”

In the course of the dialog, Casanova introduced up Tory Lanez unprompted. A good friend and collaborator on Cas’ music “2 AM” that includes Davido, Cas believes Tory is harmless of capturing Megan Thee Stallion. Tory was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in jail in 2023 for capturing Megan in her foot in 2020. The capturing and sentencing, together with any updates that adopted, have been a polarizing matter of dialogue in hip-hop and past.

“Tory Lanez is my inspiration as a result of he is not giving up the battle,” says Casanova, who additionally revealed that Tory despatched Cas cash whereas in jail. “They are saying in all of the vital books, ‘The one factor value preventing for is your freedom.’ Talking of Tory Lanez in jail, he is so sturdy but so little. He is actually sturdy on his innocence. He is saying that he did not do it. And someday folks imagine him and someday folks do not. However, you recognize, I went via a complete drive stuffed with, ‘You continue to saying this? You continue to harmless?’ and I had no alternative however to say, ‘You understand what, I believe he is harmless.'”

Nevertheless, Casanova understands he might be confirmed improper. “I want him the perfect and I hope he did not do it,” Cas provides. “It will break my coronary heart if he did it. Possibly he is liar, I do not know.”

As Cas seems forward on the time he has left to serve—the rapper believes he’ll do 65 to 70 good of his general 15-year sentence—he has an enormous purpose to attain inside. Casanova is presently writing a kids’s guide on making proper and improper choices. “I simply need to attain out to the youth,” he expresses. “I can change two of out 10 folks, that means the youth, then I did my job.” Placing within the work.

Try Casanova’s complete dialog with XXL under.