Baby Bash

The screwed-and-chopped phenomenon moves west to Texas as Baby Bash gets his Tha Smokin' Nephew album remixed by the Choppaholix. While the screwed (slowed and pitched down) and chopped (remixed with stutters and stops) style is usually associated with Atlanta's cough-syrup sippers, Bash is a boastful weed head and the Choppaholix understand. Bash's original album was much smoother and mellow than the usual boisterous crunk that gets this treatment, so it had to make their job easier. But the Choppaholix do have some trippy tricks up their sleeves. One of the best is their love of layering multiple Bash raps, one running behind the other, and ping-ponging between the two. It's a freakish listen -- one that will have the less adventurous running toward the "stop" button -- and it's one of the most hallucinatory sounds to ever grace a rap album. They're also more active remixers than the competition, chopping some tracks drastically and breaking in for shout-outs often. The album is resequenced in a way so it really comes alive in the third quarter, making it a tough ride to screwed-and-chopped newcomers. Jump ahead to the "Suga Suga" remix, then take the ride from "Oh Wow" to the end and you've got a wonderful introduction to the "I feel like I'm melting" world of screwed and chopped. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide