“All You Need is That One Yes to Keep Going” — Meet Matt Cash

Emerging from the vibrant music scene of Chicago, Matt Cash has steadily built a reputation for blending hip-hop, R&B, and electronic music into a sound that’s uniquely his own. Now based in Los Angeles, Matt’s journey has taken him from local open mics to collaborations with big-name artists like Chris Brown and Lil Wayne. Recently, he made waves by creating music for the popular show The Baddies, where his intro tracks have become a staple, now six seasons running.

In this interview, Matt opens up about the inspirations behind his music, the challenges of navigating the industry, and how his role as a father drives him to push forward.

— Matt, you’ve had quite a journey in music, from winning the reality competition The Kandi Factory to scoring some big collaborations. What keeps you going through it all?

— I think right now, what keeps me going is my son who’s three now. I just want to prove to him that you don’t have to go the traditional route that most people go. You can do what you want if you just put your mind and heart into it. It kind of keeps me going, just to prove to him that there’s a way to be successful if you keep pushing. No matter how many no’s you get, you’ll get that one yes, and that’s all you need to keep going, really.

—  Was there someone who inspired you to think that way, or did you come to it on your own?

— I think it was just a combination of a bunch of different instances. Just living in LA. What kind of inspired me to go on my own journey was, I graduated college, and I was like, okay, so what’s next? What am I going to do? Am I going to stay in Chicago, or am I going to go for it? So I kind of just moved on my own. I didn’t have any friends or family in LA, except for one or two people. I just tested out the waters, and here we are. I just never said no.

— What are your main music influences? 

— I get a lot of influence, funny enough, from classic rock. My mom, growing up, she would play classic rock in the car all the time. So I know a lot of old school rock and roll songs, and that kind of inspires my music today—just the way I perform, and my attitude on stage. But it’s also a combination of that and hip-hop. One of my cousins gave me a Tupac CD and a DMX CD, and he was like, “You should listen to this.” I listened to it, and it kind of shaped who I am now. I’m more of a hip-hop-rock type.

— What inspires your personal style—your look, your clothing, your image?

— I don’t know. To be honest, I’ve always been one of those guys that kind of keeps up with the trends but flips them a little bit. Lately, I just like the way I look in black. I always thought, you can’t go wrong if you incorporate black into your outfit. I’ve been kind of branching out and doing what I want now instead of what people tell me to do. Some days I might paint my nails. Some days I might dye my hair pink. I just go with how I’m feeling at the time and live with the results later.

— You’ve worked with artists like Chris Brown and Lil Wayne. How did those opportunities come about?

— So, we were working with my partner at the time, Nova, who’s from Chicago too—he’s a producer and artist. We were working with this guy Ocean, who we met in LA. He had a good relationship with The Game, so we went to one of The Game’s recording sessions because he was finishing his album, Blood Moon: Year of the Wolf. We were there for like an hour, and it felt like we weren’t going to get the opportunity to present our music. But then finally, The Game was like, “I need a break, I need something fresh. What do you guys got?” And Ocean stands up and says, “What do you need?” And The Game goes, “It’s not about what I need, it’s about what y’all got.” So we played this track called ‘F Your Feelings’. It had a lot of energy, and everybody in the studio got hyped. The Game went into the booth and recorded his version of the hook, then he walked out and said, “Let’s send that to Lil Wayne for the hook, and I’ll do the verses.” The next day, they sent us the song with Lil Wayne on it, and a couple days later, they got Chris Brown to jump on there too. That was kind of our intro to the big leagues.

— You recently worked with The Baddies. How did that collab come together, and what was the vibe like?

— One of my good friends is the CEO of Zeus, the channel. I’ve been rocking with him since Zeus started, and he knows I do music. I even gave him music for his shows. One time, he asked if I could make an intro song for Baddies. I did the intro for the first season, and now we’re on season six, and I’m still making the intros. So I guess they like what I’m doing!

— You’ve talked before about tough times in LA, like dealing with a manager who damaged your reputation. What advice would you give others dealing with business challenges in the music industry?

— You never know who to trust. It’s always easier to say, “Start with someone you’ve known for a while,” but even then, people can change. My advice is to work with people who have credible sources that you can actually reference. Don’t just jump on something because it sounds great—sometimes, if it sounds too good, it is too good. You need people who will keep it real with you, even if the truth is hard to hear. Later, when something big happens, you’ll know you can trust them.

— One last question, Matt. A very serious one. So, what’s the definition of a bad bitch?

— Excellent question. [laughs] A “bad bitch” is just a girl who can handle her own. She doesn’t need a guy for money, doesn’t need outside sources—she does it on her own. She takes care of her business and keeps up with herself. She’s beautiful inside and out, not just in looks but in personality too.