The Cactus Album
The Cactus Album | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 14, 1989 | |||
Recorded | 1988–1989 | |||
Studio | Chun King, Greene Street, Island Media, New York City | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 65:46 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | Pete Nice, MC Serch, Sam Sever, Prince Paul, The Bomb Squad (Hank Shocklee, Keith Shocklee, Eric "Vietnam" Sadler) | |||
3rd Bass chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Chicago Tribune | [2] |
Los Angeles Times | [3] |
NME | 8/10[4] |
The Philadelphia Inquirer | [5] |
Q | [6] |
Record Mirror | 5/5[7] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [8] |
Select | 4/5[9] |
The Village Voice | A−[10] |
The Cactus Al/Bum (also known as The Cactus Cee/D and The Cactus Cas/Ette depending on release format) is the debut album by hip hop trio
The Cactus Album peaked at #5 on
Background
Most of the music was produced by Sam Sever, alongside members MC Serch and Pete Nice, except for the Prince Paul-produced tracks "The Gas Face" and "Brooklyn-Queens," and "Steppin' to the A.M." and "Oval Office" by The Bomb Squad. The album generally features songs that are either lyrical showcases or are about women, such as the hidden sexual meaning of "Oval Office". The song "Sons of 3rd Bass" can be viewed as a diss to the
Swarm to the lyrics 'cause Serch is your father
Screaming "Hey Ladies", why bother?
The song "Wordz of Wisdom" was recorded under the name Three the Hard Way. The group's name was changed after they signed to Def Jam; however, the recording still made its way onto the album.
The group had a minor hit with the single "The Gas Face". The accompanying music video, which featured a bevy of humorous cameo appearances that included
. KMD were mentioned several times on the album, and they appeared in the music videos for "The Gas Face" and "Steppin' to the A.M."Track listing
All tracks are written by
2000 CD Release Bonus Track
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
22. | "Brooklyn-Queens [UK Power Mix]" | 5:31 |
Singles
- "Steppin' to the A.M."
- "The Gas Face"
- "Brooklyn-Queens"
- "Product of the Environment"
Charting singles
Year | Title | Chart positions | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rap Singles |
R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks |
Dance Music Maxi-Singles Sales |
Dance Music
Club Play | ||
1989 | "Steppin' to the A.M." | 5
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54
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50
|
—
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1990 | "The Gas Face" | 5
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—
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31
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—
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1990 | "Brooklyn-Queens" | —
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—
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—
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20
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The Cactus Vidie/Yo
The Cactus Vidie/Yo | |
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Def Jam/Columbia | |
Director | Lionel C. Martin |
The Cactus Vidie/Yo is a collection of 3rd Bass music videos, released in 1991. The video, which was distributed by Columbia Music Video, contained music videos of the album's singles as well as short skits featuring Gilbert Gottfried that appeared between the selections. The "Wordz of Wisdom" and "Triple Stage Darkness" videos were not full-length and only contained the first couple verses of the song. The video was only released on VHS.
The videos featured are as follows:
- Steppin' to the A.M.
- Wordz of Wizdom (Just a Liddle Somethin)
- The Gas Face
- Triple Stage Darkness (Give Em A Taste)
- Brooklyn-Queens
Personnel
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References
- ^ Swihart, Stanton. "The Cactus Album – 3rd Bass". AllMusic. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- ^ May, Mitchell (April 12, 1990). "3rd Bass: The Cactus Album (Def Jam)". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- ^ Gold, Jonathan (January 21, 1990). "3rd Bass 'The Cactus Album' Def Jam / Columbia". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
- ^ McCann, Ian (January 13, 1990). "3rd Bass: The Cactus Album". NME. p. 25.
- ^ Tucker, Ken (January 18, 1990). "3rd Bass: The Cactus Album (Def Jam/Columbia)". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^ "3rd Bass: The Cactus Album". Q. No. 166. July 2000. p. 136.
- ^ Fitzgerald, Muff (January 20, 1990). "Third Bass: The Cactus Album". Record Mirror. p. 19.
- ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Lowe, Steve (July 2000). "3rd Bass: The Cactus Album / Slick Rick: The Great Adventures of Slick Rick". Select. No. 121. p. 117.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (December 26, 1989). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- ^ "RIAA Gold & Platinum Database". Recording Industry Association of America. April 24, 1990. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
- ^ The 10 Best Albums By White Rappers Archived July 16, 2012, at archive.today Referenced July 26, 2010