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 referenced 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.
MC Serch (Michael Berrin), Prime Minister Pete Nice (Peter J. The group released two studio albums in their initial career and both of them were certified gold by the RIAA. The group dissolved in 1992 and again in 20 after short reunions. Along with fellow Beastie Boys and producer Rick Rubin, both MC Serch and Pete Nice were one of the very few white hip hop artists who were widely respected in the community. Formed by MC Serch, Pete Nice, and DJ Richie Rich, the group was notable for being one of the first successful interracial hip hop acts. 3rd Bass was a hip hop group that was active in the late 1980s and early 1990s.