Pete Nice

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Pete Nice
Pete Nice in October 2023
Born (1967-02-05) February 5, 1967 (age 57)
Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
EducationColumbia University
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • producer
  • baseball historian
  • author
Years active1985–present[1]
SpouseRoxanne Nash
Children1
RelativesBrian Nash (brother)
Musical career
Also known asPrime Minister Pete Nice
Genres
Years active1985–1994

1998–2000

2013
Labels
  • CBS Records

Peter J. Nash (born February 5, 1967), known by his stage name Prime Minister Pete Nice or simply Pete Nice, is an American baseball historian and author, member of the

golden age hip hop group 3rd Bass
.

Early life

Peter Nash was born on February 5, 1967, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York, to Carole and Raymond Nash.[2] After a successful high school basketball career, Nash graduated from Bishop Ford High School in 1985, joining the Columbia Lions Mens Basketball Team while majoring in English. He graduated magna cum laude from Columbia in 1989.[3]

Music career

While in high school, Nash formed a rap group called Sin Qua Non with his friends Buddah B, Kibwe K, and Fresh Fred. Kibwe K's father was a friend of activist

Sonny Carson, and through that connection Nash was introduced to Lumumba Carson, later known as Professor X the Overseer of X Clan. Sin Qua Non was briefly managed by Carson before they split in 1985 due to Nash and his fellow group mates going off to college. Following the split Nash continued to be managed by Carson as a solo act alongside other artists such as Positive K, Just-Ice, King Sun, Audio Two, and Stetsasonic
.

Nash was introduced to popular Brooklyn graffitist and rapper Blake Letham (known as Lord Scotch, Scotch 79th, or KEO) and future renowned A&R

DJ Clark Kent on Columbia's WKCR 89.9 FM on Tuesdays from 12:30 AM – 1:30 AM. It was one of the first radio shows dedicated solely to Hip Hop. DJ Clark Kent introduced Nash to future 3rd Bass member DJ Richie Rich
, who would on occasion fill in as DJ.

Throughout the mid to late 1980s, Nash was a frequent visitor at multiple popular New York City Hip Hop clubs, including the Latin Quarter. It was here around 1986 that Nash was introduced to MC Serch by Lord Scotch. MC Serch, then going only by Serch, was also a solo act who had released a few songs. At this point the two were merely acquaintances with no intention of forming a group.

By 1987, following the dissolution of The Servin' Generalz, Nash continued to work on his solo demo tape. He began collaborating with MC Serch through their mutual connections to Dante Ross and Sam Sever. Through suggestion by Ross, the pair formed 3 the Hard Way, a moniker taken from the popular 1974 blaxploitation film of the same name. Unable to legally secure the name due to copyright restrictions, the group settled on the name 3rd Bass. Nash, a long time historical baseball admirer, chose the name.

With Richard Lawson the group released two gold-selling albums, The Cactus Album and Derelicts of Dialect, before disbanding in 1992. Nice teamed up with his former group mate Daddy Rich, and the pair released their only collaboration, Dust to Dust, in July 1993.

Pete Nice and author-radio jock

Chaos Recordings
, but those would be the only records released before the label folded because of creative differences with Columbia.

In October 1998, Nash reunited with MC Serch to perform at a birthday party for fashion designer

Woodstock 1999
. During this reunion period Nash recorded some music before dissolving the group again in 2000. Another brief reunion performance took place in 2013.

Today, Nash is a prominent Hip Hop historian, detailing the progression of Hip Hop from the 1970s and 1980s through rare posters, flyers, and pictures posted on his

Universal Hip Hop Museum. Nash met Paradise through Lumumba Carson in 1985 when Paradise began his work at the Latin Quarter. The two are currently coauthoring a book called The Golden Age of Hip Hop 1983–1992: An Illustrative History.[5]

Business ventures

Nash made the move from the music business to devoting his time to baseball history. He owned a memorabilia shop in Cooperstown, New York. In 2003, he published his first book, Baseball Legends of Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery, under his real name. [6] He has also been working to secure some property for an official grave site of Negro league players. His younger brother Brian was the Head Men's Basketball Coach at St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights.

In early 2008, Nash opened McGreevy's 3rd Base Bar (named in honor of Boston publican Michael T. "Nuf Ced" McGreevy's establishment), a sports bar in Boston with Dropkick Murphys' band member Ken Casey. The bar was named Best Sports Bar In Boston by Citysearch in 2009. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the bar permanently closed in August 2020.

Legal issues

Commencing in 2007 and concluding in 2009, Nash was involved in litigation with an auction house relating to the authenticity of baseball memorabilia he consigned for sale. When deposed under oath, Nash invoked the Fifth Amendment dozens of times in response to questions about the origins of specific pieces of memorabilia. The court found in favor of the auction house owner, and Nash signed a court order in which he admitted to having committed fraud.[7]

Nash was involved in a legal battle with baseball card dealer Rob Lifson.[8]

On July 1, 2014, after having pleaded guilty to misdemeanor tax fraud, Nash was sentenced in Albany County court for not paying taxes from 2009 through 2011. As a result, Nash paid $13,101 to the state in back taxes, penalties and interest.[9]

Discography

Bibliography

  • 2003: Baseball Legends of Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery[10]
  • 2005: Boston's Royal Rooters[11]

References

  1. ^ Ryan Proctor (April 20, 2013). "Old To The New Q&A – Prime Minister Pete Nice (Part One)". WordPress. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  2. ^ "Peter Nash '89: Hip-Hop Pioneer, Baseball Historian, Filmmaker". www.college.columbia.edu.
  3. Village Voice
    . Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  4. ^ "rushtown298". www.instagram.com.
  5. ^ "Prime Minister Pete Nice". www.uhhm.org.
  6. ^ "Columbia College Today". www.college.columbia.edu. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  7. ^ Wallace, Benjamin (December 9, 2009). "From rapper to baseball collector, the wild tale of Peter Nash". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  8. ^ Wallace, Benjamin. "The Bonus: From rapper to baseball collector, the wild tale of Peter Nash". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  9. ^ Mason, Justin (July 1, 2014). "Former Clifton Park rap star guilty of tax fraud". The Daily Gazette. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  10. ISBN 978-0-7385-3478-7
    .
  11. ISBN 978-0-7385-3821-1
    .

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pete_Nice&oldid=1209837487"