VINNY VALDUCCHI - RAP/HIP HOP EXTRORDINAIRE BRINGING YOU A NEW REVIEW EVERY MONTH !!!

I know what all y'all are thinkin...what happened to Mista Valducci? Well after a last-minute two week vacation to california im back with a clear head and am better than ever. Well enough of that blah blah and on to this month's review as promised from the last article (better late than never!)...3rd Bass' "The Cactus Album". 3rd Bass definitely needs no introduction among hip hop's hardcore so forget Vanilla Ice and The Beastie Boys cuz they were the realest caucasian emcees to come out in 1989. The duo of the 2 mc's , MC Serch and Pete Nice, brought together Serch's street-wise humor with Pete's "English Major-speaking" vocals to deliver devestating blows to naysayers that think only White rap artists are "trashy pop-influenced white surburban kids with no knowledge of the street". This album is more than enough proof that that statement does not refer to them and that the album stands the test of time as when i listen to it now its sounds just as fresh as when it came out.

Gee, where do we start? The Cactus Album has so many tight songs imma just do a rundown of the essential tracks and at the end imma speak on the skits and various samples used throughout the album. First off, "The Gas Face", 3rd's signature song, has a lot of subtle venomous disses, most notably MC

Hammer and even Def Jam's co-executive owner Elroy Cohen. Just check peep MC Serch on this one "....black cat is bad luck bad guys wear black / musta been a white guy that started all that / make the gas face for those little white lies / my expression to the mountainous blue eyes / then form a face and shake my skull cap / dismiss the myth that evil is not black / but opposite spectrum this done by red man

/ with horns on his head laid down the ill plan..." The second, one of my favorites, "Soul In The Hole", just plain shows them layin down skills in top form. Serch again lays down the realness "...knowledge on the court observin what is all around / the lights go up the mic goes up the silence is now sound / hearin and fearin the momentum of the stutter step / shook to the left because the brother slept..." "Wordz Of Wisdom", which also has a remix at the end of the album, is best in the original form and latter i will tell you why. Just check Pete Nice droppin knowledge "...heart as, hard as, chinese arithmetic / avant garder not a heritic / figure out a right rhyme stick it in my cranium / Pete Nice elemental like uranium...". "Brooklyn Queens" speaks on the ladies of the BK without comin off soft and being one of the high points on the album.

"Steppin to the AM" is basically lettin you know "the time" and whats up with 3rd Bass. "Product Of The Environment" is where the boys get political explaining why people do things in relation to the environent they live in. "Triple Stage Darkness", another phat jam, takes you on a dark trip through the mind. Peep out Pete on that one "...black zone darkness void as a snakepit / so imma spit a lyric at the packed lip / sit stunned i drum lyrics in your egg case / space filled darkness a blank face / recognize unknown throne at deep depths / a Prime Minister incites a slow death..." And the last my favorite jam "Flippin Off The Wall Like Lucille Ball", has Serch doing a very good Louis Armstrong impersonation that will have you laughing throught the entire song with lyrics like ..."you got soul / comin out ya asshole..."

Lastly samples and skits. This LP has a lot of obscure and some not so abscure samples used so heres a run down. The first jam "Sons Of 3rd Bass" basically recycles Blood Sweat and Tears' Spinning Wheel, using the bassline and horn parts which are cut up. "The Gas Face" uses the piano intro to Aretha Franklin's "Respect". "Triple Stage Darkness" uses a little known track by BT Express "called this house is smokin". Wordz of Wisdom uses 2 Gary Wright tracks.."Love Is Alive" and Dreamweaver" which are not used on the remix. "Brooklyn Queens" uses The Emotions' "Best Of My Love". The first skit uses "Stymie's Theme" from the little rascals. The 2nd skit has serch talkin to russell simmons about the group. The hoods skit is a sample of a really old horror flick. MC Disagree is basically serch really messed up and talkin to somebody on an answering machine. Desert Boots skit is a funny one which samples an old western movie. Jim Backus is just someone going "is this a trick answer" Episode #3 is just a continuation of the hoods skit. Finally Whos on third is DJ Richie Rich cutttin up samples of Abbot and Costello's "whos on third"

Hopefully by now you have come to see why this album is tight so check it out when you get the chance. Next month (i promise) i will be doing an article on Run DMC's brand new album "Crown Royal". Well till next time....

Peace and please keep it real!!,

Vinny Valducci