Written By: Nadia Oualnan
West London rapper Ca$par is carving out his own lane — blending sharp lyricism, heavy-hitting beats, and a grounded perspective that sets him apart from the crowd. Born in LA and raised in London, his sound bridges both worlds, balancing introspection with raw energy.
From dropping viral freestyles on Instagram to earning nods from UK heavyweights like Tinie Tempah, Chip, and Wretch 32, Ca$par’s rise has been organic but unstoppable. His latest release, “Demon Flow,” captures that balance perfectly — mixing spiritual themes with street grit and unapologetic confidence.
I caught up with him to talk about the meaning behind his name, growing up in West London, shooting cinematic visuals in Italy with his dad, and why he’s keeping rap at the heart of everything he does.
Let’s start with your name, Ca$par. It’s such a cool artist name. What’s the story behind it?
“Thank you, first of all. I basically just… was sitting on the toilet one day, I think, and it just came to me. I originally just changed it to my Instagram name — I thought, oh, that’s a cool name for my Instagram, Caspar the Friendly Gross, because my last name is Gross. Like, Ca$per Friendly Gross. And then, as time has gone on, it’s made more and more sense why I’m called Ca$par. So it’s just one of those weird things where it didn’t really happen for a reason, but later down the line, it seems like it did, you know?”
You were born in LA but moved to London. How was that transition for you — personally and musically?
“I think on a personal level, I was very young, so at first it was quite hard — obviously, moving country, leaving all my friends, and having to sort of start over. I guess I was, like, seven when I moved here, so at first I found it hard to transition.
“It’s funny because musically, I guess I moved here, and at the time, I was listening to bands like The White Stripes a lot. Then when I came here, I started listening… I think I was eight, so I must have been here for less than a year or something, and I started listening to rap.
“I remember listening to The Streets — the song “Let’s Push Things Forward” — but it was a remix with the Roll Deep Crew on it. And I started listening to that with Dizzee Rascal, Wiley, and everyone. At the same time, I started listening to Eminem’s Curtain Call on my dad’s iPod.
“So growing up, when I got into my teenage years, definitely living in London had an influence on my music. I used to go to a lot of grime concerts and grime shows, and I was really into grime when that was happening. If I were living in LA, that would’ve been different — I would’ve been more on the trap stuff.”
You’ve mentioned West London before. Would you say growing up there influenced your sound or style?
“Well, yeah — the thing is, West London’s great, but it’s really annoying as well. I love Shepherd’s Bush. I don’t love… I love West London, but I’m not a fan of Notting Hill and those sorts of areas. They’re all right — Carnival’s the best day of the year, I think — and there’s a lot of great influences coming from there. But I think nowadays it’s just too Disneyland vibes, you know?
“It’s touristy and too fake, and there’s just, like, rich… it doesn’t really have that sense of community anymore, whereas Shepherd’s Bush still has that. I love Shepherd’s Bush, and growing up here, I guess I know — I’m close with my neighbor, we make music together, we go to the studio together.
“Around here, I go to Ochi a lot — it’s a Caribbean place — and they’ve got pictures on the wall of all the reggae and dancehall artists. It’s just inspiring, I think, living around here with the community and everything.”
Congratulations on your headline show at Notting Hill Arts Club! What was that experience like for you?
“That was really great. The reason I enjoyed it the most was because I felt like I was showcasing talent in the most… with all the ability, you know? I had people warming up before me that I really rate as rappers, even if they might not have the same amount of Instagram followers or whatever as me.
“I just thought it was amazing — that feeling of being able to showcase other people.”
Was there a standout moment for you on the night?
“Watching the rappers warm up before me — and the cypher at the end, where everyone got on stage. It just felt like an old-school grime rave. The DJ was playing 140 tunes, and the MCs were all going hard. Everyone was appreciating it and watching. It felt like a real cultural moment. I was just really proud to be able to showcase other people, you know.”
You’ve had support from legends like Wretch 32, Chip, and Wiley — that must feel amazing. How does it feel to get recognition from artists like that?
“They’ve shown me love — like commenting on my Instagram videos. A big one recently is Tinie Tempah showing a lot of support, which means so much to me.
“When I was young, we’d always go to parties and listen to “Pass Out” and “Trampoline”. It’s cool later down the line to be able to meet him and have him support my music. All the people I respect showing me love means a lot — I hold them in such high regard. The next step is being able to work with them.”
Did that motivate you to push harder in your music?
“I wouldn’t say it’s a core motivation — there are other things that motivate me more. It’s just nice to see that people you like and respect like your work. It’s a nice affirmation that you’re on the right path.”
Earlier this month, you dropped “Demon Flow”. What inspired that track?
“Basically, me and Hargo — he’s a producer I’m working with on this project — were in the studio making a beat. Funnily enough, what inspired me was a video of Lil Yachty doing a walkout. It’s a really famous video — the best walkout ever. The bass in that video sounded really hard, and I wanted to make a song with that kind of heavy bass that people can just bounce to live.
“So I asked Hargo to go for something heavy, and we did the bassline together. Lyrically, I start writing and see what happens — it’s more subconscious. The song has themes of religion, God, and demons because I’m working on a new project with Hargo called Give It to God, and it’s all exploring those themes.”
Was there a specific mood or message you wanted listeners to take away?
“I guess I want my music to empower people — when they listen, they feel really good about themselves. It’s feel-good music, but not pop. It’s like you feel almost like a king when you listen. Everyone deserves to feel good?”
The visuals for “Demon Flow” are strong, especially the church scenes. I believe your dad filmed it?
“Yeah, it was. We had a lot of fun — we were in Italy for a family wedding, and I thought, since the countryside has such a strong Catholic feel, I might as well shoot a video there. My dad’s a cinematographer and teaches photography, so we borrowed a camera, drove around Italy, looked for spots, and filmed.
“It was really fun — we even snuck into a castle at one point before the police came. It was a great experience.”
You mentioned working with producer Hargo. What’s your creative process together like?
“It depends. Sometimes we sit and make the beat together — other times, he does his thing and I add ideas. Once the beat’s finished, I write the song and then we record it all in one go.”
Do you usually go into the studio with a clear vision, or do you just vibe and see what happens?
“Sometimes I go in with a vision — like yesterday, I had an exact idea while I was at work, recorded myself singing it, and told Hargo I wanted to make something like that. We ended up capturing that same essence. Other times, we just vibe and see what happens.
“For this project, I want all the beats to explore the same themes — they need to sound different but have the same essence.”
Fans love your Instagram freestyles. Can we expect more?
“Yeah, definitely. I’ve written, like, 82 of them — maybe a couple left. These days, I have less time for freestyles because I’m focused on making music, but I’ll definitely keep dropping them. They might be less frequent, but I’ll keep the consistency.”
Do you see freestyling as a way to test new sounds or to keep the energy flowing for your fans?
“It was a way to work on the craft of rapping and build a platform. To work with great producers, there needs to be something in it for them — so I had to build a fanbase first.
“I used freestyles to rap over my favorite beats, get attention, and then work with good producers — like Hargo. Everything’s going to plan so far.”
The UK scene is full of talent right now. How do you feel about collaborations, and are there any artists you’d like to work with?
“I’m open to it, but I’m not dying to collab. I really like Coops, Jim Legacy, and Pozer — people like that. But it’s not really about names; if someone’s got a good verse, I’m down. Right now, though, I’m focused on my own music.”
Before we wrap up, is there anything you’d like to share with our readers?
“I think the scene is going toward dance and electronic music right now — and that’s cool — but my passion lies within the art form of rap. I want to focus on making rap music.
“That said, I’ll still give fans what they want — I’m kind of working on a one-for-you, one-for-me basis, until what you want and what I want become the same thing.”
Check out Ca$par’s work below!