3rd base the cactus album12/28/2023 The track was described by Allmusic as "much-needed damage control in the hip-hop community," in part because it featured Caucasian rappers openly distancing themselves from one of their peers. Ice was also criticized for his refusal to credit artists whose music he had sampled for his 1990 smash " Ice Ice Baby." The video featured punk rock icon Henry Rollins dressed up as Ice, who received a "beatdown" by 3rd Bass at the end.įueled by the heavy backlash against Vanilla Ice at the time of its release, "Pop Goes the Weasel" reached #1 on Billboard's Top Rap Singles chart, gave the group their only Top 30 single (peaking at #29 on the Hot 100), and helped propel the album to gold status. The track depicted Ice as a culture thief who watered down the sound of rap in order to pander to a mainstream audience, while depicting 3rd Bass as more respectful of the genre's traditions. Household Tool" in the liner notes), Cactus also attacked the Beastie Boys and their defection to Capitol Records.ģrd Bass's 1991 follow-up, Derelicts of Dialect, had a new target in fellow white rapper Vanilla Ice, who was the focal point of several tracks on the album, most notably " Pop Goes the Weasel". In addition to containing multiple potshots directed at M.C. The Cactus Album was released shortly after the Beastie Boys-riding high on the success of Licensed to Ill-walked out of their contract with the label. Upon signing with Def Jam, 3rd Bass inherited their label's feud with the Beasties. The video also contained insults aimed at rapper MC Hammer and record executive Lyor Cohen.Īs reported in many interviews, Serch had tried (unsuccessfully) to join up with fellow New Yorkers the Beastie Boys. Sever, Prince Paul, and the Bomb Squad produced their 1989 debut, The Cactus Album, a critically acclaimed LP that went gold and contained a minor hit in "The Gas Face." The accompanying video, which featured a bevy of humorous cameo appearances that included a young MF Doom, DJ Subroc, Gilbert Gottfried, Flavor Flav, Salt-n-Pepa, Kid 'N Play and EPMD, garnered respectable MTV airplay and the single peaked at #5 on Billboard's Top Rap Singles, though it did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. The two first performed as '3 the Hard Way', a name referred to in the song "Wordz of Wisdom" but later redubbed themselves '3rd Bass' before recording their first album. Serch performed at clubs and block parties, and released a single called "Hey Boy" on independent label Idlers. Richie Rich was a local D.J., while Nice was an English major at Columbia University and hosted a hip hop show on Columbia's student radio station, WKCR-FM. Nash), and DJ Richie Rich ( Richard Lawson) were the three founding members of the group. Album DescriptionMC Serch ( Michael Berrin), Prime Minister Pete Nice ( Peter J. See More Your browser does not support the audio element. It may not have completely integrated rap, but it was a precursor to a culture that became more inclusive and widespread after its arrival. The Cactus Album was also important because it proved to the hip-hop heads that white kids could play along without appropriating or bastardizing the culture. Not every single idea plays out successfully - Serch's Tom Waits impression on "Flippin' Off the Wall." is on the wrong side of the taste line, and "Desert Boots" is a puzzling Western-themed insertion - but they are at least interesting stretches that add to the dense, layered texture of the album. The duo may not have come from the streets, but their hearts were there, and it shows. For one, it is full of great songs, alternately upbeat rollers ("Sons of 3rd Bass"), casual-but-sincere disses ("The Gas Face"), razor-sharp street didacticism ("Triple Stage Darkness," "Wordz of Wizdom"), and sweaty city anthems ("Brooklyn Queens," "Steppin' to the A.M.," odes to day and night, respectively), with A-plus production by heavyweights Prince Paul and Bomb Squad, as well as the surprising, overshadowing work of Sam Sever. Matching MC Serch's bombastic, goofy good nature and Prime Minister Pete Nice's gritty, English-trained wordsmithery (sounding like a young Don in training), 3rd Bass' debut album is revelatory in its way. Buy the album Starting at €25,29īesides the upper-middle-class frat-punks-in-rap-clothing shtick of the Beastie Boys and emissary/producer Rick Rubin, who both gained a legitimate, earned respect in the rap community, there were very few white kids in rap's first decade who spoke the poetry of the street with compassion and veneration for the form. Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
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