Texas based rapper Baby Bash has remained relevant since his 2003 release Tha Smokin’ Nephew, which spawned two of the biggest crossover singles ever with “Suga Suga,” and “Shorty Doo-Wop.” Bash has been highly successful on tracks with E-40, Pitbull, Sean Kingston, Slim Thug, Akon and many more. As a Mexican-American, Bash attributes his successes to song quality over any marketing or promotions.
“The song spoke for itself, I wrote the hook and had Frankie J sing it. The song was so good they couldn’t stop it,” said Bash. “To this day I get people who still think I’m Black. I got in because of the quality of the song. I’m a big song developer more than a rapper, I never just wanted to be a rapper guy.”
It’s evident Mexican-American rappers are very different than other Latin artists, especially evident in Bash’s latest video “El Pinche,” which he attributes in similarities to “El Chapo” but features Chingo Bling, known as the king of Mexican underground rappers. Latin artists cater more to the Salsa and Reggaeton markets, where Mexican-American rappers are strikingly different, staying closer to street or gangster-rap personas.
“There’s a big difference between Latinos and Mexicans in the industry. Mexicans are looked at as different from Latinos, because we didn’t grow up listening to Spanish music, we grew up in the hoods listening to soul, R&B and rap. We grew up listening to Too Short,” says Bash. “They say ‘Latinos, oh hey throw them all in one pot’ but we’re very different.”
Bash is consistently a leader in trends, utilizing Twin Networks who creates Google Videos, for a viral video featuring E-40 with “No Time Outs.” The video uses Google footage to match the lyrics in the songs, creating a visual blend unique to each song. Since he has used the method, other artists have started to gravitate to the new style of video as well.
On Feb 25, Bash dropped a video for “El Pinche,” a mixture of street sounds and comic relief. Bling sits on a lawn-mower sipping a Starbucks Latte rapping while the others employ a typical rap scene of fly cars and scantily dressed women surrounding them.
Bash also dropped “The Plug on Maria,” produced by Simes Carter and featuring up and coming New York rapper Don Chino and Chingo Bling. The song is distinctly different than anything fans may have heard from Bash, using auto-tune in a Future-esque style hook, and repetitive lyrics over a Keith Sweat sample driven beat.
“It’s probably the most simple song I’ve done in my life. Everything repeats right now. If Future made a song called ‘Tie My Shoe’ it’d probably be a hit because people love it over a trap beat. Everything is repetitive right now,” said Bash. “You still gotta say it with a cool flow, but it came out pretty hard.”
“The Plug on Maria” is more than just a clever song title; it serves as a double entendre. Bash owns a medical marijuana company that packs pre-rolled joints and his fans have typically consisted of mostly women. “I love my women like candy, I love my music like candy and my paint candy coated,” laughs Bash.
