Steve 'Flash' JuonWhile Batsauce first came to my attention working with Boston emcees, the self described production nomad hails from Jacksonville, Florida and nowhere at all at the same time. He could be anywhere and he could work with anybody. There are a few people who are clearly favorites of his, like Dillon and Qwazaar, but the one I can only find one entry for is WaX. The spelling turns out to be important because he’s not to be confused with another rapper named Wax. If you’re confused the easy way to tell them apart is that the one who works with Batsauce has a MUCH DEEPER voice and much darker material like “Uzi on Fire.”
WaX sounds like a firebrand who took the best parts of Vinnie Paz and Chali 2na then created a lane entirely his own. Judging from his bio though he obviously met Bats early on as they both originally hail from Florida, and the gruff WaX was releasing dope on wax as far back as 1989 before a prison bid derailed his career. “Don’t call it a comeback” if you like but “The Soledad Brothers” feels like the “two time felon” finding his way back into the game on songs like “Judgement Day” after a long hiatus.
Unfortunately this is where my journey of discovery about WaX face planted straight to the concrete. I picked myself up, wiped the blood from my nose, and contemplated the two piece and a biscuit I had just been served on “Deeper.” A rapper with a voice this interesting and a producer this good behind him shouldn’t be so hard to find, but even the streaming numbers for “The Soledad Brothers” suggests it was completely overlooked from the release date until now. “I speak on what I see and my surroundings” says WaX in the song’s outro, and unfortunately that level of reality may just have been out of step with the sex/drugs/violence fantasies that enthrall so many rap fans.
Perhaps nothing sums up my frustration here better than “What Is Love,” where WaX calmly details his survival “amongst the wolves and the vultures” while fighting to not be “a prisoner in my own mind.” I don’t want to under sell this to you — WaX is that rarity among rappers who has REAL SHIT to say. He’s not living a false narrative or projecting a lifestyle you can’t afford. I know Batsauce recognized his talent or they wouldn’t have worked together on this project, but in 2025 we need the honesty of a rapper like WaX more than ever.
I don’t necessarily expect you to buy a copy of “The Soledad Brothers” (if you could even find one physically) but if you care about rap I do expect you to LISTEN. This might wind up being a one-off for both men involved given there’s little to nothing out there about this WaX (especially compared to the other, who got a deal with Def Jam and has his own podcast) so don’t take what’s on offer here for granted. It’s a short listen but worth every minute you’ll spend on it.