Guy Lochhead, 08/10/10
3rd Bass was one of a still-small number of white hip hop groups to be accepted by the wider hip hop community. With a substantial knowledge of hip hop history, street credentials from MCing block parties and radio stations, and a song attacking Vanilla Ice (‘Pop Goes The Weasel’) they showed that white late-’80s hip hop artists didn’t have to exploit and water-down the movement for commercial success. Originally performing individually, MC Serch and Pete Nice started working together in 1987, having been introduced by Sam Sever. Their DJ was accomplished turntablist Richie Rich. After three albums – the most successful of which was ‘The Cactus Cee/D’ – they broke up in 1992. Pete Nice and Richie Rich worked together on one album before both retiring from music. Pete Nice got into baseball fandom. Serch got into films and still raps here and there. This group was significant at the time as one of the only white groups making legit. hip hop, but I don’t think their songs – mostly about how bad contemporary mainstream hip hop was and how good they are at rapping – have a big ol’ message that’s worth preserving more than other groups around at the same time. Their influence on white hip hop is big, but I feel like someone else would’ve stepped up if they hadn’t been there; the fact is not all white people are commercially exploitative dickheads. Still, 3rd Bass made good old-school block party rap, and Pete Nice looks fucking good.