Smashy Trashy

Camutao and Metro, the pair of rappers making up S.A. Smash, don't have much in common with the Definitive Jux imprint they record for, led by digital beatheads like El-P and RJD2. After all, most of the duo's productions are in-house, favoring stark beats recorded at low fidelity under an assortment of untraceable, single-hook samples (closer to Anticon than Def Jux). The duo doesn't even stick to a single performance style, ranging from sex-crazed bragging to satirical gangster posturing and down-south balling to underground-type weirdness. The rapping is dense but kinetic, especially on their best self-production, "A.A." The only other winners are a pair of high-profile collaborations, the El-P production "Illy" and the Aesop Rock feature "Love to F*ck." With a few exceptions either way, these two are average rappers and average producers. ~ John Bush, Rovi