Suga Suga

Background:

Latino-Anglo-American smooth rapper Baby Bash (formerly Baby Beesh), born Ronnie Ray Bryant, got his first big break when he signed with Universal Records in 2003 and released two albums, "Tha Smokin' Nephew" (2003), which spawned the hit single "Suga Suga" (featuring Frankie J), and "Super Saucy" (2005), which spun off the single "Baby I'm Back" (featuring Akon). He then moved to Arista Records, with whom he released the album "Cyclone" (2007), which produced the #7 hit title track featuring T-Pain.

“I don’t really worry about pressure. I just concentrate on doing my music. There’s great Latin artists, there’s great Latin singers, rappers, dancers, cooks, architects. I think it’s just a matter of time of recognition. When I first did 'Suga Suga' it felt kinda weird because people didn’t know where to place me. I don’t know if I felt reverse racism or not, but it was kind of 'He’s not black, he’s not white, and he’s not speaking Spanish.' Like I said, in this categorized type world, they didn’t know where to categorize me, but eventually the music spoke for itself.” Baby Bash

Baby Bash also writes lyrics for singers such as Paula DeAnda, Whitney Houston, Jennifer Hudson, and Frankie J. He recently released a song with Carlos Santana and Jennifer Lopez in February 2008.

Ronald Ray

Childhood and Family:

Son of a Mexican mother and Anglo father, Ronald Ray Bryant was born in Vallejo, California, on October 18, 1975. He can't recall where he got the "Bash" moniker but the nickname “Baby Beesh,” comes from the fact he drove a Mitsubishi.

Both of Baby Bash's parents were addicted to heroin and ended up in prison. His grandmother, alongside his uncles, subsequently took over raising him. He recalled, “I’ve seen my mother drugged. I’ve seen a lot of little conniving stories, so when I want to write music about struggle, the criminal aspect of life, it made it real simple because I could just go back to my childhood.” Baby Bash

Baby Bash had planned to play basketball for the junior college he attended in California during the mid-1990s, but he couldn't make it to the pros because he had torn his ankle several times and did not have surgery to fix the injury.

After his first year of college in California, Bash began selling crystal meth and finally dropped out after his first year.

Baby Bash currently resides in Houston, Texas.

Super Saucy

Career:

Originally planning to be a professional basketball player, Baby Bash, who became interested in music after his uncles and grandmother exposed him to many different types of music while growing up, began to focus on music after hooking up with producer Happy Perez. He later joined the rap group Potna Deuce and the seminal rap group Latino Velvet in the mid ‘90s.

As "Baby Beesh,” he released three independent albums, "Savage Dreams" (2001), "On tha Cool" (2002), and "The Ultimate Cartel" (2003). After successfully collaborating with SPM (aka the South Park Mexican), he signed a recording deal with Universal Records in 2003 and took the stage name “Baby Bash.”

Baby Bash soon released his first album for the major label, the gold-selling “The Smoking Nephew” (2003). It spawned the singles "Sexy Eyes (Da Da Da Da)" (featuring Russell Lee), "Shorty Doowop" (featuring Russell Lee and Perla Cruz), and "Suga Suga" (featuring Frankie J).

After recording an independent label album called "Menage a trois" (2004), Bash released a second studio album with Universal Records titled "Super Saucy." The album hit the stores on March 15, 2005, and contained the hit single "Baby I'm Back" (featuring Akon), which peaked at #19 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

Baby Bash then signed with Arista Records and immediately recorded his third official studio album, "Cyclone" (initially titled "Ronnie Ray All Day"). Released on October 30, 2007, the album debuted at #30 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and sold about 26,000 copies in its first week. It spun off the #7 Billboard Hot 100 lead single "Cyclone" (featuring T-Pain), and was followed by singles "What Is It" (featuring Sean Kingston) and "Don't Stop" (featuring Keith Sweat).

For the album, Baby Bash collaborated with his longtime professional partner, producer Happy Perez. He explained, "It's my recipe, my formula. I've been using it ever since I met Happy Perez. He did 'Suga Suga,' 'Obsession.' Without him, there'd be no Baby Bash or Frankie J. Happy P is the one that made those beats that blew up for us."

Baby Bash was also featured in other artists singles, including Frankie J's "Obsession (No Es Amor)" (2006), Natalie's "Energy" (2006), Paula DeAnda's "Doing Too Much" (2006), and Doll-E Girl's "Do It Daddy" (2007). On December 31, 2007, he performed at the halftime show of the Brut Sun Bowl game between South Florida and Oregon.

In 2008, Baby Bash was featured in Far*East Movement's single "You've Got A Friend" (2008) and Australian artist Kate Alexa's "Teardrops" (2008), which is a cover of Womack & Womacks Teardrops song. He continues to write lyrics for singers such as Whitney Houston, Jennifer Hudson, and Frankie J., and recently released a song with Carlos Santana and Jennifer Lopez in February 2008.

“Man, first thing I said was I wished my grandfather were alive ‘cause my grandfather loved Santana. I almost shed a tear just thinking about it. When they first told me it was unbelievable. I was like, 'Are you sure they got the right guy? Are you sure they want Baby Bash on there with Jennifer Lopez and Santana?' It was kinda crazy. Then I thought about the power of Clive Davis at my record label and man, it is possible. So I went ahead and did the best I could. I wanted to make sure everybody was happy and I think I did a good job and I patted myself on the back. The album came out last week. I went and bought three copies. It’s probably my biggest achievement since I got in the game.” Baby Bash

Baby Bash is also in music videos for Natalie's "Goin' Crazy" and Juan Gotti's "You Don't Wanna," Mario Vazquez's "Gallery," as well as Paula DeAnda's "Doing Too Much" and "Easy."

“I’m like a chameleon. I adapt to wherever I’m at.” Baby Bash

Currently, Baby Bash is working on a new comedy film by director David Gaona called “Primos,” alongside Chingo Bling and Danny Trejo. He previously co-starred with Trejo in an action drama film titled "Jack's Law" (2006), directed by Gil Medina.

"My advice was have an open mind. The only reason any of us Latin rappers can say we make it is because we make radio songs. Make sure its for the radio, not for your gang, for your homeboy. If you are gonna do something, have an open ear. Even egotistically in the rap game, people burn bridges. Don't burn bridges. Even if someone don't dress like you, be as cool as you. If they’re gay, don't be all hardcore and diss them cause a lot of gay people high up in the industry. If you wanna complain about not being big, be nice to everyone. Don't disrespect the women too hard. Don't burn too many bridges. Study the game, a lot of politics involved. Get your sh*t straight otherwise you'll get blackballed. It's a small world. It only takes one dude to blackball you. Have an open ear. Don't be afraid to do something new, even if your homeboys think you’re soft.” Baby Bash

Awards:
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