Traxamillion

Somewhat underappreciated in the rise of the hyphy movement has been the contributions of local producers to the sound; when Lil Jon helmed E-40's "Tell Me When to Go," many Baydestrians felt the King of Crunk stole a stylistic page from Rick Rock, the self-described "King of Slaps." Slaps — a song mainly consisting of hard snares and heavy bass, whose beat "keeps knocking down your rearview mirror" according to 40 — are a major reason why hyphy has emerged, and while Rock, Droop-E, and EA-Ski are often cited as the Yay's premier slap-nicians, Traxamillion's dope-ass album suggests the San Jose-based producer is just as responsible. Trax has the basic slap formula down, but what makes his knocks so habit-forming is his use of keyboards to create a melodic, hypnotic counter-rhythm, as on Keak Da Sneak's "Super Hyphie." That track doesn't appear on Slapp Addict, but Keak's new song "On Citas," does, in addition to now-familiar anthems like The Team's "Just Go" and Dem Hoodstarz' "Grown Man Remix," plus several newer tunes. Of those, Too $hort & Mistah F.A.B.'s "Sideshow" has generated the most street buzz, but F.A.B.'s "Yellow Bus" and Balance's "We Like the Slapps" (which updates L'Trimm's "Cars That Go Boom") are just as fresh. Trax's skills are well evident in the album's consistent bump-ability; his versatility allows him to craft a pimp-worthy slap, bust an above-average rhyme, and elevate what might be an otherwise mediocre song like the Pack's "Club Stuntin" to the height of hyphy-dom.