Baby Beesh

Baby Beesh's first album for the Houston-based Dope House imprint finds him mixing his Latin-inflected West Coast flow with Dirty South beats and flavor, courtesy of his new Texan friends. The result is quite effective. Originally from the Bay Area, Beesh was a protégé of legendary Hispanic MC Kid Frost (aka Frost). The influence is apparent in his smooth style, but Beesh doesn't let his heritage dominate Savage Dreams. Rather than make his solo debut a "Latino rap album," it is mostly a Dirty South record, full of the leering boasts and skittering beats that typify the genre. "Whodoo" is a fabulous introduction, giving Beesh space to boast about his ability to party with anyone in a car with beats you can hear 14 blocks away. "Watch How Quick" is straight-up West Coast, but "Nana Tonight" is more typical of the album's Dirty South vibe. "Nice ta Meet Ya" and "Cool Tonight," with their soulful choruses, are likely intended to have crossover potential. But it's "Too Many Things"' flirtation with pop structure that will likely appeal to a wider audience. Savage Dreams is not necessarily intended as a crossover record; indeed, the majority of its 19 tracks are delightfully raunchy tributes to Beesh and his crew's lovemaking prowess and insatiable appetite for marijuana. But the album's lighter moments illustrate well the MC's multi-genre appeal, and suggest that, while Dope House and Dirty South are the current names in his game, Baby Beesh has the talent to take his flow anywhere he wants it go. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide