3rd Bass was an American
hip hop group that was active in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Formed by
MC Serch
Michael Berrin (born May 6, 1967), best known by his stage name MC Serch, is an American rapper and music executive. He is a former member of 3rd Bass and Non Phixion.
Early life and education
Serch grew up in Far Rockaway, Queens, New York ...
,
Pete Nice
Peter J. Nash (born February 5, 1967), known by his stage name Prime Minister Pete Nice or simply Pete Nice, is an American baseball historian and author, member of the Society for American Baseball Research, Hip Hop historian, and former rapp ...
, and
DJ Richie Rich
Richard Lawson (born December 24, 1969, in Jamaica), known professionally as DJ Daddy Rich or DJ Richie Rich, is an American record producer and turntablist who was best known as a member of the New York-based rap trio 3rd Bass.Wynn, RonRichie ...
, the group was notable for being one of the first successful interracial hip hop acts. Along with
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...
and producer
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay Rubin (; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is the co-founder (alongside Russell Simmons) of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records.
Rubin helped popula ...
, both MC Serch and Pete Nice were one of the very few white hip hop artists who were widely respected in the community.
The group dissolved in 1992 and again in 2000 and 2013 after short reunions. The group released two studio albums in their initial career and both of them were certified
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
.
Career
MC Serch
Michael Berrin (born May 6, 1967), best known by his stage name MC Serch, is an American rapper and music executive. He is a former member of 3rd Bass and Non Phixion.
Early life and education
Serch grew up in Far Rockaway, Queens, New York ...
(Michael Berrin),
Prime Minister Pete Nice (Peter J. Nash), and
DJ Richie Rich
Richard Lawson (born December 24, 1969, in Jamaica), known professionally as DJ Daddy Rich or DJ Richie Rich, is an American record producer and turntablist who was best known as a member of the New York-based rap trio 3rd Bass.Wynn, RonRichie ...
(Richard Lawson) were the three founding members of the group. Richie Rich was a local D.J., while Nice was an English major at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
and hosted a
hip hop show on Columbia's student radio station,
WKCR-FM
WKCR-FM (89.9 FM broadcasting, FM) is a Radio broadcasting, radio station licensed to New York City, New York, New York, United States. The station is owned by Columbia University and serves the New York metropolitan area. Founded in 1941, the s ...
. Serch performed at clubs and block parties, and released a single called "Hey Boy" on independent label Idlers.
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. Sever,
Prince Paul, and
the Bomb Squad
The Bomb Squad were an American hip hop production team known for its work with hip hop group Public Enemy.
The Bomb Squad is noted for its dense, distinct, innovative production style, often utilizing dozens of samples on just one track. The ...
produced their 1989 debut, ''
The Cactus Album
''The Cactus Al/Bum'' (also known as ''The Cactus Cee/D'' and ''The Cactus Cas/Ette'' depending on release format) is the debut album by hip hop trio 3rd Bass, released on Def Jam Recordings on November 10, 1989. The album received positive rev ...
'', 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
Daniel Dumile ( ; July 13, 1971October 31, 2020), best known by his stage name MF Doom or simply Doom (both stylized in all caps), was a British-American rapper and record producer. Noted for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and ...
,
DJ Subroc
Dingilizwe Dumile (August 3, 1973 – April 23, 1993), known professionally as DJ Subroc, was an American hip-hop artist and a member of KMD and Constipated Monkeys.
Biography
Dumile was born on August 3, 1973 at Nassau County Medical Center in ...
,
Gilbert Gottfried
Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried (February 28, 1955 – April 12, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian and actor, known for his exaggerated shrill voice, strong New York accent, and his edgy, often controversial, sense of humor. His numerous ro ...
,
Flavor Flav
William Jonathan Drayton Jr. (born March 16, 1959), known by his stage name Flavor Flav (), is an American rapper and hype man. Known for his yells of "''Yeah, boyeeeeee!''" when performing, he rose to prominence as a founding member of the rap ...
,
Salt-n-Pepa
Salt-N-Pepa (also stylized as Salt 'N' Pepa or Salt 'N Pepa) is an American hip-hop group formed in New York City in 1985, that comprised Salt (Cheryl James), Pepa (Sandra Denton), and DJ Spinderella (Deidra Roper). Their debut album, ''Hot, C ...
,
Kid 'N Play
Kid 'n Play is an American hip-hop duo from New York City that was most popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The duo was composed of Christopher Reid ("Kid") and Christopher Martin ("Play") working alongside their DJ, Mark "DJ Wiz" Eas ...
and
EPMD
EPMD is an American hip hop duo from Brentwood, New York. The duo's name is a concatenation of the members' names "E" and "PMD" or an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referring to its members: emcees Erick Sermon ("E" a.k.a. ...
, 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 video also contained insults aimed at rapper
MC Hammer
Stanley Kirk Burrell (born March 30, 1962), better known by his stage name MC Hammer (or simply Hammer), is an American rapper, dancer, record producer and entrepreneur. He is known for hit songs such as "U Can't Touch This", "2 Legit 2 Quit" ...
and record executive
Lyor Cohen
Lyor Cohen born October 3, 1959) is an American record executive and entrepreneur. Cohen has been actively involved in hip hop at various record labels for more than 30 years. He started by managing rappers for Rush Productions, then led Def Ja ...
.
As reported in many interviews, Serch had tried (unsuccessfully) to join up with fellow New Yorkers the
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...
. Upon signing with
Def Jam
Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop.
The ...
, 3rd Bass inherited their label's feud with the Beasties. ''The Cactus Album'' was released shortly after the Beastie Boys—riding high on the success of ''
Licensed to Ill
''Licensed to Ill'' is the debut studio album by American rap rock group Beastie Boys. It was released on November 15, 1986, by Def Jam and Columbia Records, and became the first rap LP to top the '' Billboard'' album chart. It is one of Columbi ...
''—walked out of their contract with the label.
In addition to containing multiple potshots directed at
M.C. Hammer (referred to as "M.C. Household Tool" in the liner notes), ''Cactus'' also attacked the Beastie Boys and their defection to
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
.
3rd Bass's 1991 follow-up, ''
Derelicts of Dialect
''Derelicts of Dialect'' is the second and final studio album by New York hip hop trio 3rd Bass. It was released on June 14, 1991 through Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place at Chung King Studios, Greene St. Recording and Calliope S ...
'', had a new target in fellow white rapper
Vanilla Ice
Robert Matthew Van Winkle (born October 31, 1967), known professionally as Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, actor, and television host. Born in South Dallas, and raised in Texas and South Florida, Ice released his debut album, ''Hooked'', ...
, who was the focal point of several tracks on the album, most notably "
Pop Goes the Weasel
"Pop! Goes the Weasel" (Roud 5249) is a traditional English and American song, a country dance, nursery rhyme, and singing game that emerged in the mid-19th century. It is commonly used in Jack-in-the-box toys and for ice cream trucks. The song ...
". 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. Ice was also criticized for his refusal to credit artists whose music he had sampled for his 1990 smash "
Ice Ice Baby
"Ice Ice Baby" is a hip hop song by American rapper Vanilla Ice, K. Kennedy and DJ Earthquake. It was based on the bassline of the song "Under Pressure" by British rock band Queen and British singer David Bowie, who did not receive songwriting ...
." The video featured
punk rock icon
Henry Rollins
Henry Lawrence Garfield (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1980, Rolli ...
dressed up as Ice, who received a "beatdown" by 3rd Bass at the end.
Fueled 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
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
status. 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.
[ 3rd Bass Biography– Allmusic.com] Vanilla Ice answered back with 'The Wrath' and 'Hit 'em Hard' which he played at concerts in 1992, though the songs were not officially released until 1994.
3rd Bass's final collaboration was the title track to the soundtrack of the 1992 film ''
Gladiator
A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...
'' before the group called it quits. That same year—three years after ''The Cactus Album''—the Beastie Boys retaliated against 3rd Bass on ''
Check Your Head
''Check Your Head'' is the third studio album by American rap rock group Beastie Boys, released by Grand Royal and Capitol Records on April 21, 1992. Three years elapsed between the releases of the band's second studio album ''Paul's Boutique'' ...
''; the track "Professor Booty" contained the lyric "dancing around like you think you're
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...
," which was interpreted as a swipe at Serch's dancing in 3rd Bass's videos.
Breakup
In 1992, Serch co-wrote and produced several tracks for Detroit rapper
Boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, a ...
's only album, ''
Born Gangstaz
''Born Gangstaz'' is the only studio album by gangsta rapper Boss. It released on May 25, 1993, on Def Jam Recordings' West Coast-based sub-label DJ West, and was produced in part by Def Jef, Erick Sermon, Chyskillz, Jam Master Jay, and T-Ray. T ...
.'' He released a solo record, ''
Return of the Product
''Return of the Product'' is the only solo studio album by former 3rd Bass member MC Serch. It was released August 25, 1992 on Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records. Recording sessions took place at Chung King Studios in New York City, at Chap ...
'', in August of that year, which included the second major label recording of
Nas
Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones.
Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to:
Aviation
* Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea
* National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia
** Nas Air ( ...
(credited in the liner notes as "Nasty Nas") and featured the single "Back To The Grill Again." Meanwhile, Nice and Rich teamed up as Prime Minister Pete Nice & Daddy Rich, and released their only album, ''
Dust to Dust'' in 1993. The leadoff single, "Rat Bastard," contained voice samples from ''
The Silence of the Lambs'' and was rumored to reflect bad blood between the pair and Serch, though it was not confirmed. The follow-up was "Kick the Bobo," which received light airplay on
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
and
BET
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...
but was unable to become a sizeable hit. Neither Nice nor Serch were able to achieve much popularity on their own after 3rd Bass disbanded.
Around the time of the split, Serch was involved with the production of the movie ''
Zebrahead
Zebrahead is an American rap-punk band from La Habra, California. Formed in 1996, the band has released thirteen studio albums to date.
History
1996–2001: Formation and early years
Zebrahead was formed in La Habra, California in summer ...
''. As recalled by actor
Michael Rapaport
Michael David Rapaport (born March 20, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. Beginning his career in the early 1990s, he has made over 100 appearances in film and television. His film roles include ''True Romance'' (1993), ''Higher Learning' ...
, Serch originally wanted to star in the film but was unable to secure the role, and ended up producing the film's soundtrack instead. After serving a stint at now-defunct
Wild Pitch Records
Wild Pitch Records was an American hip hop record label, started in 1987 by Stuart Fine, that was eventually distributed by EMI. Artists who released records on the label included Main Source, Lord Finesse, Ultramagnetic MCs, Chill Rob G, Gang S ...
, he founded Serchlite, a record label and publishing company responsible for signing another group of white New York hip-hop artists,
Non Phixion (who broke up in 2006).
3rd Bass reunited for a gig at the birthday party of Andy Hilfiger (brother of
Tommy Hilfiger
Thomas Jacob Hilfiger ( /hɪlˈfɪgər/; born March 24, 1951) is an American fashion designer and the founder of Tommy Hilfiger Corporation.
After starting his career by co-founding a chain of jeans/fashion stores called People's Place in upst ...
) in 1998. They also performed at
Woodstock 1999
Woodstock '99 (also called Woodstock 1999) was a music festival held from July 22 to July 25, 1999, in Rome, New York. After Woodstock '94, it was the second large-scale music festival that attempted to emulate the original 1969 Woodstock fes ...
, and released a non-charting single, "Hail to the Chief." There had also been talks of a new album entitled ''Ichabod's Cranium'', but any long-term reunion and album plans were ultimately scrapped.
Nice retired from the music business and opened a baseball
memorabilia
A souvenir (), memento, keepsake, or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. A souvenir can be any object that can be collected or purchased and transported home by the traveler as a m ...
store in
Cooperstown
Cooperstown is a village in and county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in the C ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
. He published a book, ''Baseball Legends of Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery,'' under his real name in 2003,
[Arcadia Publishing](_blank)
in addition to attempting to secure property for an official gravesite of
Negro league
The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...
players. Serch hosted the
VH1 reality TV series ''Ego Trip's
The White Rapper Show''. Nash also produced a documentary about the
Rooters, with interviews filmed in an old gas station in Cooperstown that he was turning into a museum of baseball fan history stocked with much of the memorabilia he was gathering.
[Sports Illustrated "From rapper to baseball collector, the wild tale of Peter Nash"](_blank)
/ref> In 2007 Nice, along with Dropkick Murphys
Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. Singer and bassist Ken Casey has been the band's only constant member. Other current members include drummer Matt Kelly (1997– ), singer Al Barr (199 ...
member Ken Casey, opened ''McGreevy's 3rd Base Saloon'', a baseball history-themed sports bar, in Boston in April 2008. In 2009 MC Serch was featured on rapper Kurious
Jorge Antonio Alvarez (born May 1, 1970), better known by his stage names Kurious or Kurious Jorge, is an American hip hop recording artist from New York City.
Biography
Kurious is of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent, and grew up in the Upper ...
's album ''II'' and music video by Amalgam Digital
Amalgam Digital is an independent record label based in East Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 2006 by Anyextee, the privately owned label had been home to a variety of artists throughout the decade before significantly downsizing in its later yea ...
.[Kurious – Benetton ft MC Serch & MF DOOM](_blank)
/ref>
On April 6, 2013, MC Serch announced on Facebook that 3rd Bass would reunite after over 20 years to tour in celebration of The Cactus Album's 25th anniversary. However, they only did two shows that year: a reunion show at a club in Brooklyn in July, and a cameo appearance on Labor Day at a festival in Indianapolis, which has proven to be their last known performance.
Discography
Studio albums
Singles
As lead artist
Promotional singles
References
Notes
Citations
External links
* 3rd Bassat AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
3rd Bass
at Discogs
Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...
{{Authority control
East Coast hip hop groups
Musical groups established in 1987
Musical groups from New York (state)
Jewish hip hop groups
Def Jam Recordings artists