For instance, while 3rd Bass’ dissing of the Beastie Boys, MC Hammer, and Vanilla Ice is no secret, the reality of the death threat on the group from Hammer’s brother Louis Burrell, his call for a hit due to a line by Nice in “The Cactus,” comes into sharper focus here.įor readers lacking insight into the scene and 3rd Bass in particular, they might seem a bit like bullies. 2 unveils metric tons of knowledge in its 544 pages, but it also reinforces established notions (and refutes received wisdom).
A.c.e. cactus album tv#
But The Cactus Album was in fact quite popular, a rise only partially tied to Serch and Nice’s status as early white rappers they were just one in a number of acts bringing real hip-hop out of the boroughs and into the suburbs and sticks (essentially anyplace with cable TV or a satellite dish).Ĭheck the Technique Vol. 2’s first chapter.Ĭonsisting of MC Serch, Prime Minister Pete Nice, and DJ Daddy Rich (aka Richie Rich), 3rd Bass’ biggest commercial success remains “Pop Goes the Weasel” from second effort Derelicts of Dialect, a song-length takedown of Vanilla Ice. There’s also no shortage of discs from the ‘80s-‘90s crossroads that found pure hip-hop making serious moves into the mainstream a major LP in this scenario was the debut by 3rd Bass, covered by Coleman in Vol.
Octagonecologyst and Company Flow’s Funcrusher Plus.Īlong the way there’s ‘90s mainstays (Nice & Smooth’s Ain’t a Damn Thing Changed, Jeru the Damaja’s The Sun Rises in the East), lost records (KMD’s Black Bastards), and bedrock stuff ( Wild Style Breakbeats, Mantronix’s The Album). 2 running the gamut from retail smashes like DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince’s He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper and Naughty By Nature to underground cornerstones such as Dr. To elaborate, he’s thoughtfully inclusionary, Check the Technique Vol.
A.c.e. cactus album series#
Coleman’s series offers crucial contextualizing on his topics, and most importantly lets the principals relate the tale in their own words part oral history, part diligent journalism, and part judicious selection. Producer credits, thank you lists, and cleared samples were a start, and interviews and articles in Spin, Vibe and The Source brought a modicum of enlightenment, but the deep investigation, which often simply entails sincere interest and respect for the subject, becoming comfortable with the artists and then asking the right questions, was lacking for years.īoston-based writer and music lover Brian Coleman has played a huge role in overturning this neglect, first with Rakim Told Me and its eventual expansion into Check the Technique, and now via its follow-up, a volume elevated by quality and quantity to the best of the bunch. But those spending it were reliably left at mysterious loose ends. This was an easy assumption to arrive at if one’s only concern was making money. And folks devoting time, energy and dollars to keeping up with deluxe reissues and box sets in multiple genres understand that extensive annotation of and commentary upon background specifics was/is an expected component in the retail price.Īs a relatively young art form, hip-hop has suffered from experiencing its burgeoning stylistic era(s) in a business setting that wrongly assumed buyers of contemporary music (as opposed to those dropping cash on older material) cared about little more than the sounds, the labels mostly throwing context and packaging to the wayside. 2 is freshly available from Wax Facts Press.Īnybody having spent hours inspecting the treasures in a jazz-centric record shop knows LPs in the multifaceted style regularly came adorned with notes (Hentoff! Williams! Jones!) on the back of the sleeve.
Aptly subtitled “more liner notes for hip-hop junkies,” Check the Technique Vol.
To get the complete scoop on this and assorted other hip-hop achievements one needs seek out the books of Brian Coleman.
A.c.e. cactus album full#
Due to this stature one might assume the full story behind its creation has long resided in the historical record, but that’s not the case. Released a quarter century ago by the Def Jam label, Brooklyn trio 3rd Bass’ The Cactus Album stands as a hip-hop classic.
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