3rd Bass — Brooklyn-Queens

JUL 01 1990 · 12:00

3rd Bass — Brooklyn-Queens (1990) Era: Golden Age Hip-Hop (1990) - NYC street rap at its creative peak, Def Jam era interracial group bridging borough identity and boom-bap aesthetics High archival value as a street-level document of Brooklyn and Queens hip-hop culture in 1990, filmed on location and capturing the urban environment of the era. Represents the Def Jam Golden Age aesthetic in a relatively unpolished, community-oriented form. The interracial group dynamic, Prince Paul production, and borough-pride theme make this a culturally dense artifact for researchers of race, place, and genre authenticity in early hip-hop history. Context: Released in 1990 as a single from 3rd Bass's debut album 'The Cactus Album' (Def Jam, November 1989), 'Brooklyn-Queens' is an explicit celebration of New York City borough identity at the height of the Golden Age. The track was produced by Prince Paul and Prime Minister Pete Nice and samples artists including The Emotions, Grandmaster Flash, and Orson Welles. 3rd Bass — comprising MC Serch (white), Pete Nice (white), and DJ Richie Rich (Black) — was notable as one of the first successful interracial hip-hop acts, and the video's street-based documentary aesthetic reinforced their credibility within the NYC rap community at a moment when authenticity of place was a central cultural currency. Director notes: The video was released in 1990 on Def Jam Recordings and was filmed on location in Brooklyn, New York City. It has a runtime of approximately 4 minutes and uses both color and black-and-white photography per IMDb. The video was later compiled into the 1991 VHS release 'The Cactus Vidie/Yo,' distributed by Columbia Music Video, which collected all singles from The Cactus Album interspersed with comedy skits.