3rd Bass – The Cactus Album (Reissue CD) (1989-2000) (FLAC + 320 kbps)

Besides the upper-middle-class frat-punks-in-rap-clothing shtick of the Beastie Boys and emissary/producer Rick Rubin, who both gained a legitimate, earned respect in the rap community, there were very few white kids in rap’s first decade who spoke the poetry of the street with compassion and veneration for the form. That is, until The Cactus Album. Matching MC Serch’s bombastic, goofy good nature and Prime Minister Pete Nice’s gritty, English-trained wordsmithery (sounding like a young Don in training), 3rd Bass’ debut album is revelatory in its way. For one, it is full of great songs, alternately upbeat rollers (“Sons of 3rd Bass”), casual-but-sincere disses (“The Gas Face”), razor-sharp street didacticism (“Triple Stage Darkness,” “Wordz of Wizdom”), and sweaty city anthems (“Brooklyn Queens,” “Steppin’ to the A.M.,” odes to day and night, respectively), with A-plus production by heavyweights Prince Paul and Bomb Squad, as well as the surprising, overshadowing work of Sam Sever. The duo may not have come from the streets, but their hearts were there, and it shows. The album embodies New York life. Not every single idea plays out successfully — Serch’s Louis Armstrong impression on “Flippin’ Off the Wall…” is on the wrong side of the taste line, and “Desert Boots” is a puzzling Western-themed insertion — but they are at least interesting stretches that add to the dense, layered texture of the album. The Cactus Album was also important because it proved to the hip-hop heads that white kids could play along without appropriating or bastardizing the culture. It may not have completely integrated rap, but it was a precursor to a culture that became more inclusive and widespread after its arrival.

Remastered edition with bonus track.

Tracklist:

01. Stymie’s Theme
02. Sons of 3rd Bass
03. Russell Rush
04. The Gas Face (feat. Zev Love X)
05. Monte Hall
06. Oval Office
07. Hoods
08. Soul in the Hole
09. Triple Stage Darkness
10. M.C. Disagree
11. Wordz of Wizdom
12. Product of the Environment
13. Desert Boots
14. The Cactus
15. Jim Backus
16. Flippin’ off the Wall Like Lucy Ball
17. Brooklyn-Queens
18. Steppin’ to the A.M.
19. Episode #3
20. Who’s on Third
21. Wordz of Wizdom (II)
22. Brooklyn-Queens (UK Power mix) (Bonus Track)

Download:

FLAC – Wayshare

320 kbps – Wayshare