SEPTEMBER 2019

Biggie Babylon
Mark Kassa
Chaldeans are leaving their mark on the music scene
BY STEPHEN JONES
The Chaldean community
presents an impressive pool
of music talent from multiple
generations, all over the country. Two
of the foremost Chaldean musicians
are gifted emcee, Biggie Babylon, and
edgy guitarist, Mark Kassa of Slight
Return. Both artists see music as a way
to inspire Chaldeans like them who
have similar dreams but may feel hesitant
to pursue them because of lack of
Chaldean representation in music.
Biggie Babylon
I pulled up to the house.
Anyone who hasn’t lived under
a rock for the past 30 years can sing
along after hearing those lyrics on
top of the DJ Jazzy Jeff instrumental
for “Yo Home to Bel Air”, the theme
song to the NBC sitcom The Fresh
Prince of Bel-Air. What they may
be less familiar with is the 6 foot 2,
350-pound Biggie Babylon draped in
a 90s-inspired ensemble and riding in
the backseat of a taxi for the video
to his newest single, Pulled Up Fresh,
a Chaldean rebirth of the chart-topping
hit from more than 25 years ago.
This sort of creativity is the reason
why Babylon has attracted the
attention of DJs at radio stations
all over the world, including Eminem’s
Shade 45 on Sirius radio. The
San Diego rapper believes his name
should be mentioned with the best
hip-hop artists in the world.
“Our thing is to make music that
competes with all the other major
artists out there,” said Babylon. “We
don’t want people saying ‘oh, that’s
just another Chaldean rapper’. I want
Chaldeans to realize that I’m on the
same level as these other guys first and
then see that I’m one of their people.”
Part of what drives Babylon is the
lack of Chaldean representation in
hip-hop. He wants to inspire up-andcoming
Chaldean artists who love
hip-hop to go after their dreams, and
he plans to do that by becoming one
of the best rappers in the world.
“My goal is to become the biggest
artist in the world when it comes to
music,” said Babylon. “I’m going for
the Grammys because I know if I do
it, I’m opening the doors for other
talented youngsters out there that
have a passion for this.”
In addition to music, Babylon is
also a brand ambassador for Babylon’s
Garden, a cannabis shop in San Diego.
Babylon hopes to use the same
larger-than-life personality that he
displays as the face of Babylon’s Garden
to transition into acting after he
becomes an accomplished musician.
Babylon’s The Greenprint album
features production from multiplatinum
producers and is available on all
major digital platforms.
Mark Kassa of Slight Return
Detroit-native Mark Kassa is the lead
guitarist and vocalist for Slight Return,
a funk and rock band that gets
its inspiration from the likes of Jimi
Hendrix, Rage Against the Machine,
Santana, The Red Hot Chili Peppers
and Robin Trower.
Slight Return was formed after
Kassa graduated from Musicians Institute
College in Hollywood.
Although they are now known
as one of the funkiest bands on the
Detroit scene, Slight Return did go
through a period when their future
was uncertain.
Early on, Slight Return received
attention from many of the major record
labels, including Sony and Atlantic.
Family obligations caused the
band to pass on a deal at the time,
but they continued to make music
until their vocalist passed away from
cancer.
After this tragedy, Kassa and
Slight Return disbanded until Kassa’s
wife challenged him to start up the
band again and feature as the lead
vocalist. Kassa accepted her challenge
and Slight Return has been
rocking ever since, recording with
some of funk’s biggest draws including
George Clinton, Billy Cox and
Dennis Coffee.
Kassa attributes his success in
large part to two elements of his upbringing,
his Detroit roots and the
Chaldean community that raised him.
“My family has had a store on
Linwood and Davison for more than
30 years,” said Kassa. “I spent basically
my whole life there, listening to
the 70s funky stuff, and that groove
stuck with me the whole time.”
Kassa boasts an impressive portfolio
with more than 100 professionally-recorded
songs. He has recorded
one album with his first band, Tower,
and eight more with Slight Return.
Slight Return’s single “Vicious
Tides” featuring Andy Vargas (lead
vocalist for Santana), Tony “T
Money” Green and legendary drummer
Dennis Chambers has been in
the top 20 of the Global Rock DRT
Charts for more than three months,
peaking at number 13.
You can find Biggie Babylon on
Facebook and follow him on Twitter
and Instagram at @BiggieBabylon. You
can find Slight Return on Facebook and
follow them on Twitter and Instagram
@slightreturnusa.
28 CHALDEAN NEWS SEPTEMBER 2019