3rd Bass

Description

3rd Bass was an American rap group in the late 1980s and early 1990s, notable for being one of the first successful interracial rap groups. <p>MC Serch (Michael Berrin), Pete Nice (Pete Nash), and DJ Richie Rich (Richard Lawson) were the three founding members of the group. Richie Rich was a local D.J., while Nice was a student at Columbia University and hosted a hip hop show on WKCR. MC Serch rapped at clubs and block parties and released a single called "Hey Boy" on Idlers, an independent record label. <p>Sam Sever, a producer, convinced Nice and Serch to work together in 1987. Sever, Prince Paul, and The Bomb Squad produced The Cactus Album (The Cactus Cee/Dee), a critically acclaimed debut LP. <p>As reported in many interviews, MC Serch at one point tried (unsuccessfully) to join the Beastie Boys. Upon signing to Def Jam, 3rd Bass inherited their label's feud with the Beasties. The Cactus Album was released shortly after the Beastie Boys walked out of their contract with the label (high...