Something 4 The Weekend # 93

3rd Bass: The Cactus Album: "Sons Of 3rd Bass" [mp3]

This album hit the shelves in late 1989, in the wake of The Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique, which is a shame, because 3rd Bass were an entertaining and intelligent alternative to the "ludicrous whining" of those three Beasties...

I've voiced my disdain for The Beastie Boys numerous times in the past, but I must admit that Paul's Boutique is a dynamite album, and rightfully a classic album (most credit to The Dust Brothers, perhaps) and 3rd Bass only managed two solid-but-not-classic full-length LPs before splitting for even more marginal solo success and forays into acting...Meanwhile, Mike D, MCA, and Ad-Rock seemed destined for the Rock'n'Roll Hall Of Fame, for whatever that's worth...

But 3rd Bass deserves to be heard, and this album is not only loaded with the tight rhymes and agile rhyming of MC Serch and Prime Minister Pete Nice, but the duo worked with a ton of extremely talented people on this record...Prince Paul, Sam Sever, the Shocklees, Eric "Vietnam" Sadler, MF Doom, and DJ Daddy Rich on the turntables...

And while "the beast" has become semi-immortal (so far), at least with this particular song, "Sons Of 3rd Bass", 3rd Bass unleashed what I believe is one of the great and memorable "dis songs" in the history of Hip Hop...

Ah yes - two white guys from NYC taking aim at three other white guys from NYC...The battle for most legit white rappers in New York! LOL!

"Here's my advice to all amateurs plannnnnnnning to give a performace: speak up, and keep the act moving."

[MC Serch]

Servin the role, a sole step-child

Talk of C.C. or keep sleepin

While wakin up to noise of 3rd B-A-S-S,

BassSuccess is butter for Serch's space

Spoken slang gets played like the lottery

Your lyrics are incorrect, so you step to me

lookin for the key to release that first piece

Three times two is six, Pete is one-three

I'm the other half, known as the other trey

Tourin to wild screams, the Third Son's born

Swarm to the lyrics cause Serch is your father

Screaming "Hey Ladies," why bother?

[Pete Nice]

Sons, slim ones flee from the 3rd

Words, spoken, a silver spoon stuck in the throat

Young useless, lyrically careless

Rhyme revolves around modes of mindless

If everyone spoke of stick-up, it's pick of a Beast'

prone to a lick of a waste

Taste the flav' of the original

Orphaned trio, abandoned by lyrical

Through us, the echelon exposed with the roll with no soul

Counterfeit style, born sworn and soldout with high voice distorted

If a Beast' to wish play fetus, I'd have him ABORTED

[MC Serch]

Put to bed, three kids to a third track

Cap the front and grip, when they heard that

the crew from the L.Q. stepped to the Club Mars

Shook the Beast' and soon to be dubbed stars

Starring roles stone-faced from the brothers

Ludicrous whining, meaning when the others

stand by em, while they take the fall

The Beast' now lives in the Capitol

Record wrecks sets, Def Jam a true wrecker

The label is nothing but MC Black'n'Decker

Three boys buggin to the A.M.

You step to the Serch and I slam!

[Pete Nice]

Negative mind, paid as snakes who can't rhyme

Play the dude? It's sucker time

I stand I take a bust in my nut

and gave birth to three bastard sons

A record label, a King to 4th letter

Passin phases, non-legitimate trendsetters

Pop figures, who figured they'd get paid

Exploitin art the black man made

Played out hardcore flaws, step to stage

Your biggest fan, nine years of age

Broke out cause the swindler took your ducat

No talent on the tune, you might as well SUCK IT

[Nice]

Yo Serch, you know about that slum I'm speakin on?

[Serch]

Word is bond Pete, school em!

[Nice]

You know about that silver spoon havin

buckshot acne showin,

L.A. weak-ass sellout

Non-legitimate, tip-doggin, Jethro pseudo intellectual

Dust-smokin, pretty boy playwrite posin

Folks wiggin, whinin annoyin Def Jam reject devil

White bread no money havin slum village people clonin

step children!

[Serch]

Sam Sever, serve the rest

Yo Sam, sc-hool em!

"He is stupid, but he knows that he is stupid and that, almost makes him smart.. let's listen"

Hotcha! Hank