Baby Bash 'The Smokin' Nephew' album

Baby Bash does not consider himself a rapper. "I'm more of a spitter," he offers. "I might rap, I might sing, I might make some funny noises. I don't try to freestyle (spontaneous rhyming) and battle everybody. I just try to make something that'll stick to the ribs."

Don't let the name or his baby-face fool you. Baby Bash, the next big thing from Houston's ever growing Latino Rap scene, is poised and ready to cross over to mainstream stardom with the smash single, "Suga Suga" from his new album, The Smokin' Nephew. Happy Perez, whose credits include hits for southern clientele including Master P and Mystikal, produced the entire album.

Baby Bash and Happy Perez's chemistry in the studio has resulted in a sonically pleasing blend of thumping hip-hop beats, addictive grooves and melody. "Happy P is the dopest producer ever," adds Bash. "Our formula is the beats go on and I swear to God, the beats tell me how to say it and what to say. It sets the mood. Happy puts [on] a lot of good melodies, a lot of good music?real music. He plays live bass and live guitar. I can go to a gangster low rider show and do hardcore rap songs, hop on the plane the next day go to an all American college and do my alternative, folk type rap, then go to a Ja Rule, Mary J. Blige [type] show, and do some mainstream R&B. I'm like a chameleon, I adapt to wherever I'm at."

Bash (alternately called Bash and Beesh by fans) is originally from Vallejo, CA, part of Cali's "Bay Area." He got his start in the groups Potna Deuce and Latino Velvet (which consisted of Kid Frost and Jay Tee of legendary Chicano rap group N2Deep). He was drawn to Houston after being exposed to its emerging Latin Rap scene by his work with South Park Mexican. "I did some songs with SPM and it started blowing up," explains Bash. "He had shows every weekend. I was going back and forth and I figured I might as well stay out there." He jokingly adds, "Plus, California's rent was going up like skyscrapers."

High on life, amongst other things, Bash cites musical influences ranging from hometown rap favorites like E-40, Mac Dre and Too Short, funk idols like Con Funk Shun and Sly & the Family Stone, down to Steel Pulse and even Tom Petty. "My uncles they were all homeboys. I grew up on a lot of oldies." Bash's eclectic taste explains why "Suga Suga" is such a sultry mix of soothing and funky vocals over an intoxicating baseline. But, Bash himself rhetorically asks: "You got some great rappers that are hard as fuck and vicious but can they write a hit?" Baby Bash can and "Suga Suga" isn't the only Ace in his hand.

Tracks like the Crunk-dafied "Yeh Suh!," the sensual "Sexy Eyes" or the sexcapade tales over playful guitar plucks of "Early in the Morning" not only showcase his flair for creating memorable songs but also his musical diversity. From the West Coast to Texas, the self-proclaimed "Latino Deniro" is here to make his mark, with style and substance. The beats are hot, but Baby Bash tries to really say something with his jams.

Baby Bash has been through some hard times. His Mexican mother and Anglo father weren't really around much in his youth. "My parents were in prison while I grew up," says Bash. "So my Grandma Fuarez, raised me. I was always with my Latin side of the family." Though he missed the influence of his parents in his life, he was a self-motivated artist. The fact that Baby Bash is still recording after all these years (The Smokin' Nephew is his third solo album to date) is a testament to his drive and determination.

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Baby Bash - The Smokin' Nephew