In 1992, Serch co-wrote and produced several tracks for Detroit rapper Boss's only album, Born Gangstaz. That same year-three years after The Cactus Album-the Beastie Boys retaliated against 3rd Bass on Check Your Head the track 'Professor Booty' contained the lyric 'dancing around like you think you're Janet Jackson,' which was interpreted as a swipe at Serch's dancing in 3rd Bass's videos.

Vanilla Ice answered back with 'The Wrath' and 'Hit 'em Hard' which he played at concerts in 1992, though the songs weren't officially released until 1994.ДЈrd Bass's final collaboration was the title track to the soundtrack of the 1992 film Gladiator before the group called it quits. The track was described by Allmusic as 'much-needed damage control in the hip-hop community,' in part because it featured Caucasian rappers openly distancing themselves from one of their peers. Ice was also criticized for his refusal to credit artists whose music he had sampled for his 1990 smash ' Ice Ice Baby.' The video featured punk rock icon Henry Rollins dressed up as Ice, who received a 'beatdown' by 3rd Bass at the end.ДЇueled by the heavy backlash against Vanilla Ice at the time of its release, 'Pop Goes the Weasel' reached #1 on Billboard's Top Rap Singles chart, gave the group their only Top 30 single (peaking at #29 on the Hot 100), and helped propel the album to gold status. The track depicted Ice as a culture thief who watered down the sound of rap in order to pander to a mainstream audience, while depicting 3rd Bass as more respectful of the genre's traditions. Household Tool' in the liner notes), Cactus also attacked the Beastie Boys and their defection to Capitol Records.ДЈrd Bass's 1991 follow-up, Derelicts of Dialect, had a new target in fellow white rapper Vanilla Ice, who was the focal point of several tracks on the album, most notably ' Pop Goes the Weasel'. In addition to containing multiple potshots directed at M.C.

The Cactus Album was released shortly after the Beastie Boys-riding high on the success of Licensed to Ill-walked out of their contract with the label. Upon signing with Def Jam, 3rd Bass inherited their label's feud with the Beasties. The video also contained insults aimed at rapper MC Hammer and record executive Lyor Cohen.ДЄs reported in many interviews, Serch had tried (unsuccessfully) to join up with fellow New Yorkers the Beastie Boys. Sever, Prince Paul, and the Bomb Squad produced their 1989 debut, The Cactus Album, a critically acclaimed LP that went gold and contained a minor hit in 'The Gas Face.' The accompanying video, which featured a bevy of humorous cameo appearances that included a young MF Doom, DJ Subroc, Gilbert Gottfried, Flavor Flav, Salt-n-Pepa, Kid 'N Play and EPMD, garnered respectable MTV airplay and the single peaked at #5 on Billboard's Top Rap Singles, though it did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. The two first performed as '3 the Hard Way', a name referenced in the song 'Wordz of Wisdom' but later redubbed themselves '3rd Bass' before recording their first album.

Serch performed at clubs and block parties, and released a single called 'Hey Boy' on independent label Idlers. Richie Rich was a local D.J., while Nice was an English major at Columbia University and hosted a hip hop show on Columbia's student radio station, WKCR-FM.

Nash), and DJ Richie Rich ( Richard Lawson) were the three founding members of the group. MC Serch ( Michael Berrin), Prime Minister Pete Nice ( Peter J.

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