Mexican rap in R&B, Hip Hop & Rap Music

"Naked" (08/20/2002) R&B Amber, Tommy BoyPersonnel: Amber (vocals); Lashawn Kwame Cremers (vocals); Thomas Goetze, Martin Schneider (acoustic & electric guitars); Jack Von Tongeren (electric mandolin, bass); Muenster Symphony Orchestra (strings); Anne-Mieke de Vroomen (grand piano, background vocals); J. Persson, N. Molinder, P. Ankarberg (keyboards, programming); Marie Claire Cremers, (background vocals); Mihai Lonesen. Producers: Wolfram Dettki, "Twin" J. Persson, Chris Cox, Barry Harris. Personnel: Amber (vocals); Martin Schneider (guitar, acoustic guitar); Pelle Ankarberg, Jan Persson (keyboards, programming); Niclas Molinder (keyboards); Marie-Claire Cremers, Wolfram Dettki (background vocals). Audio Mixer: Jan Persson. Audio Remixer: Steve Miller . Arranger: Wolfram Dettki. Slowly gaining the sort of mass pop recognition that might cement her place as a true diva, Amber's third LP sees the German singer delivering the kind of stock 21st century dancefloor material that club patrons crave. "Yes!," the first single taken from the album, unknowingly follows Kate Bush's use of James Joyce's Ulysses for a portion of the song's lyrics. While Bush's interpretation of the text is decidedly more erotic, Amber's track is undeniably infectious and features all the standard club elements of the day: massive drums, sweeping synthesizer flourishes, and the necessary dynamic shifts and vocal edits that eventually propelled the tune to the top of the Billboard dance chart. But with Chris Cox of the hugely successful Thunderpuss dance remix team on hand for production purposes, the album's stellar club aesthetics were almost a certainty. The follow-up single, "The Need to Be Naked," was equally successful. But despite having well-crafted sound throughout, Amber's lyrical material deprives most of the tracks here of any real longevity outside of their genre. Lines such as "Take off my pants, my shirt, my socks, and my shoes" may have significant resonance during clubland's wee hours, but elsewhere they only serve to denude a track of anything but the sort of inane sensuality that modern dance fare still thrives upon. ~ JoE Silva

"Reveille Park [Screwed & Chopped] [PA] [Slow]" (07/12/2005) R&B Mexican, South Park, Dope House RecordsProducers include: SPM, Uchei, Lord Loco, Shadow Ramirez. This is an example of the Southern Rap "screwed" mix style. South Park Mexican: Juan Gotti, Pimpstress, Lucky Luchiano, Tomahawk, Big Bert, Grimm. This is an example of the Southern Rap "screwed" mix style. The South Park Mexican is one of the more unique rappers in the gangsta rap genre; his smooth rhymes and excellent sense of rhythm have made his previous releases minor gems. Reveille Park is his tribute to his Latino roots. The album was released on the fifth of May (Cinco de Mayo, a traditional Mexican celebration) and consists of nothing but freestyles. Of course, the album is well-designed and produced, making it fairly obvious that there is more than just freestyles featured here. But it does seem like a large portion of this has been improved, and that sort of lyrical skill is quite impressive. Several of the songs are slow enough to see how it might not be that hard to freestyle over them, but many of the tracks are fast enough to really unveil an incredible rapping skill. The songs go a little long, and the lyrical content can be quite empty at moments. This is due to the general lack of subject matter, but the South Park Mexican does his best to connect the rhymes he spouts. Plus, there are some very obvious moments that are predetermined, and that may help the music move in the right direction. Overall, this is a very interesting and fun album that may not be up to par with his usual material, but still features a wonderfully executed gimmick and some interesting production ideas. ~ Bradley Torreano Carlos Coy's follow-up to 2001's NEVER CHANGE is harder and meaner than its predecessor, almost as if the South Park Mexican had decided to circle the wagons and forget all about trying to court popularity outside his immediate Houston circle. He's still at his best when he's trying to combine R&B with Hispanic and Caribbean influences, such as on the infernally catchy "Suckaz and Hataz," and "Lord Loco's Melody." This combination has a charm all its own, but on this outing Coy is mostly more than happy to stick to his chosen turf--drugs, guns and hoes, all set to the barest of backbeats and the sparsest of instrumentation. NEVER CHANGE showed that lurking somewhere inside SPM's cool macho interior is a wellspring of creativity, and if REVEILLE PARK finds him resting on his laurels somewhat, he's still a block or two ahead of many of his contemporaries. South Park Mexican is one of the more unique rappers in the gangsta rap genre; his smooth rhymes and excellent sense of rhythm have made his previous releases minor gems. Reveille Park is his tribute to his Latino roots. The album was released on the fifth of May (Cinco de Mayo, a traditional Mexican celebration) and consists of nothing but freestyles. Of course, the album is well-designed and produced, making it fairly obvious that there is more than just freestyle featured here. But it does seem like a large portion of this has been improved, and that sort of lyrical skill is quite impressive. Several of the songs are slow enough to see how it might not be that hard to freestyle over them, but many of the tracks are fast enough to really unveil an incredible rapping skill. The songs run a little long, and the lyrical content can be quite empty at moments. This is due to the general lack of subject matter, but South Park Mexican does his best to connect the rhymes he spouts. Plus, there are some very obvious moments that are predetermined, and that may help the music move in the right direction. Overall, this is a very interesting and fun album that may not be up to par with his usual material, but still features a wonderfully executed gimmick and some interesting production ideas. [Dope House issued a screwed & chopped remix version of the album in August 2003.] ~ Bradley Torreano

"Mexican Gangster [PA]" (09/14/2004) R&B Mexican Gangster, Thump Records

"Hillwood and Hustletown [Screwed & Chopped] [PA] [Slow]" (07/12/2005) R&B Mexican, South Park, Dope House RecordsPersonnel: South Park Mexican (rap vocals); Delwin "Mad Reel" Bell (keyboards); Dope E (drums); Angela Colter, La Tanya Figures, Michelle Eve Rhodes, Filero (background vocals). Producers: Delwin "Mad Reel" Bell, Bernie Bismark, South Park Mexican. Recorded at Track Design Studios, Houston, Texas. This is an example of the Southern Rap "screwed" mix style. This is an example of the Southern Rap "screwed" mix style.

"The Mexican 2005: The Best of Spanish Hip Hop" (03/01/2005) R&B Various Artists, Guitian Brothers Music

"Never Change [Clean] [Edited]" (12/04/2001) R&B Mexican, South Park, Dope House RecordsPersonnel includes: SPM, Baby Beesh, Rasheeda, Uchei, Coast, Ayana, Russell Lee, Icee Hot, Roger Tausz, Wally, Pete Camarillo, Marilyn. Producers: Happy Perez, Jamie Ortiz, SPM, Delwin Bell. Engineers include: Shadow Ramirez, Jamie Ortiz, Jose De Leon. Personnel: Marilyn, Ronnie Spencer, Russell Lee (vocals). Introduction by: Marilyn. South Park Mexican (SPM) continues to polish his sound with Never Change, his most crafted album yet. The Houston, TX, rapper/producer does almost everything on this album with the exception of a few outside producers and some vocalists on the album's many hooks. It's the outside vocalists who characterize this album more than anything. SPM hasn't changed much as either a producer or a rapper -- his trademark snail-paced, low-toned idiom and his mid-tempo, sparse tracks are highly evident. What has changed, though, is the way SPM emphasizes the vocal hooks -- they anchor each of his songs, with Ayana handling most of the hooks. Overall, Never Change sounds great. SPM's music has never been this crafted. However, it's also just as formulaic as it is crafted. Sure, SPM has perfected his craft, but he's also fallen victim to its confines. He seldom ventures into new territory and seems overly content polishing up his trademark sound. And that's unfortunate because as crafted as these songs are, they're also a bit too routine. Nonetheless, even if many of the hooks are as catchy as hooks are intended to be, it's worth repeating that this album sounds great. Songs like "I Must Be High" are among SPM's best, and the inclusion of a few screwed songs is also nice, particularly since they're distributed throughout the album and since they fit into the album's sedate tone. ~ Jason Birchmeier Houston, Texas native Carlos Coy, alias South Park Mexican, creates an eclectic and ambivalent mix of dangerous, misogynist raps and pro- and anti-drug cuts (in a previous, teenage life he was a drug dealer) that are often as menacing as they are entertaining. Tracks such as "Habitual Criminal" and "I Must Be High" are hard, truthful slices of Houston gangsta life (the latter with the refrain "I know that I must be high so that I can function") that reveal the pain and the attraction of the thug lifestyle. The backing tracks here are simple and spare, serving to highlight some incisive lyrics ("everybody knows that my back is not dry, if you say it is you are just a damn lie," from "Mexican Radio"). Though many of the raps cover familiar ground, cuts such as the apocalyptic opener "Screens Falling" and the aforementioned caustic "Mexican Radio" make NEVER CHANGE worth the price of admission. South Park Mexican (SPM) continues to polish his sound with Never Change, his most crafted album yet. The Houston, TX, rapper/producer does almost everything on this album with the exception of a few outside producers and some vocalists on the album's many hooks. It's the outside vocalists who characterize this album more than anything. SPM hasn't changed much as either a producer or a rapper -- his trademark snail-paced, low-toned idiom and his mid-tempo, sparse tracks are highly evident. What has changed, though, is the way SPM emphasizes the vocal hooks -- they anchor each of his songs, with Ayana handling most of the hooks. Overall, Never Change sounds great. SPM's music has never been this crafted. However, it's also just as formulaic as it is crafted. Sure, SPM has perfected his craft, but he's also fallen victim to its confines. He seldom ventures into new territory and seems overly content polishing up his trademark sound. And that's unfortunate because as crafted as these songs are, they're also a bit too routine. Nonetheless, even if many of the hooks are as catchy as hooks are intended to be, it's worth repeating that this album sounds great. Songs like "I Must Be High" are among SPM's best, and the inclusion of a few screwed songs is also nice, particularly since they're distributed throughout the album and since they fit into the album's sedate tone. In the end, Never Change is another impressive effort for SPM,