Serch has often told the story that portions of the song had their genesis as something that Lyor Cohen asked either Serch or both Serch and Pete (depending on when the story is told) to write for Rakim after he was allegedly experiencing writer’s block. It feels like the tracks that the group produced for Slick Rick during that era, like a busier version of “Lick the Balls.” Serch and Pete pass the mic back and forth with great ease throughout the song, each feeding off each other’s lines, and each backing the other up with timely ad-libs and rhymes. “Steppin’ To The A.M.,” the group’s Bomb Squad-produced first single, is a dense collection of samples and rhythmic percussion.

The Bomb Squad and Prince Paul also produced two tracks apiece, which also lends to the Public Enemy/ Native Tongues influence. Pete Nice handles much of the work behind the boards, along with help from Sam Sever, a skilled producer known at the time for his drum programming work with Mantronix and Run-DMC. The tracks on the album are distinguished by a sample heavy approach to production that draws from eclectic sample sources. Musically, their sound fell somewhere between Public Enemy and early De La Soul/ Jungle Brothers. However, their different approaches gelled well on record. Serch was a boisterous party rocking emcee in the mold of T La Rock, while Pete Nice was an often abstract Rakim-type. Richie Rich, a disciple of DJ Clark Kent, didn’t enter the picture until The Cactus Album was near completion.Įach emcee in 3rd Bass was stylistically unique.

They came together as a group before they were eventually signed to Def Jam. Both artists had come to Russell Simmons and Lyor Cohen separately looking for deals. However, just as the Generals were looking to put out some material, the group disbanded unexpectedly and unceremoniously. Lord Scotch, credited as the first white rapper and the younger brother of novelist Jonathan Lethem. Meanwhile, Pete had been a member of a three-man crew called the Servin Generals, whose ranks included Blake Lethem a.k.a. Serch had dropped a pair of independent singles and was receiving some buzz for his efforts. The group very much sounded like the products of their environment (pun intended) when they released their debut LP The Cactus Album 30 years ago.ģrd Bass was neither Serch nor Pete’s introduction to releasing hip-hop music. In an era when being an outsider meant at best you’d get your chain snatched and at worst catch a serious beatdown, the members of 3rd Bass commanded respect. While the Beastie Boys were a product of Manhattan’s punk club scene, Serch and Pete Nice were battle tested in legendary clubs like the Latin Quarter, the Palladium, and Union Square. Meanwhile, both members of 3rd Bass came from a background where you respected the architects of hip-hop culture or that meant your ass. While I greatly enjoyed Licensed To Ill (1986), it’s not like I identified with the drunken frat boy image that the trio adopted at the behest of Rick Rubin and had channeled through songs like “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!).” The Beastie Boys took hip-hop seriously, but at the time I didn’t believe that they made serious hip-hop music. Liking the Beastie Boys became somewhat problematic during the late ’80s for these “true” hip-hop heads. That struck a personal chord, knowing that I was someone who didn’t view hip-hop music as a passing trend. The group’s emcees, who were, of course, white, were able to express themselves without coming across as exaggerated caricatures. The group was made up of Peter “Pete Nice” Nash, Michael “MC Serch” Berrin, and Richard “DJ Richie Rich” Lawson. Up until that point, “white rapper” essentially meant the Beastie Boys, unless you were a big fan of The White Boys. Happy 30th Anniversary to 3rd Bass’ debut album The Cactus Album, originally released November 14, 1989.Īs a white teenager obsessed with hip-hop in the late ’80s, 3rd Bass really meant something to me.

3rd bass the cactus album release date