The Cactus Album
| The Cactus Album | ||||
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| Studio album by 3rd Bass | ||||
| Released | November 14, 1989 | |||
| Recorded | 1988-1989 at New York, New York Chung King Studios, Green Street Studios, Island Media Studios |
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| Genre | Hip-hop | |||
| Length | 65:46 | |||
| Label |
Def Jam/Columbia/CBS Records CK 45415 (North America) 466003 (international) |
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| 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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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  |
| Chicago Tribune |  |
| Christgau's Record Guide | A− |
| Q | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  |
| Select | 4/5 |
| The Cactus Vidie/Yo | |
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| Video by 3rd Bass | |
| Released | July 1, 1991 |
| Genre | Hip-hop |
| Length | 19:00 |
| Label | Def Jam/Columbia |
| Director | Lionel C. Martin |
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 3rd Bass, released on Def Jam Recordings on November 14, 1989. The album received positive reviews from the hip hop press, and the group gained some publicity by being arguably the second white group to achieve hip hop credibility, after the Beastie Boys. It was certified gold by the RIAA on April 24, 1990, the same day as Biz Markie's The Biz Never Sleeps, which was released two weeks prior to The Cactus Album.
The Cactus Album peaked at #5 on Billboard's Top Hip Hop/R&B Albums chart and at #55 on the Billboard 200 chart. In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums. A decade later, Rhapsody included The Cactus Album in its list of "The 10 Best Albums By White Rappers".
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 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 Beastie Boys (who had recently severed ties with 3rd Bass' record label, Def Jam) in that it references them in many lines such as this one uttered by MC Serch in the first verse.
The song "Wordz of Wisdom" was recorded while the group performed under the name "Three the Hard Way." Their name was changed after they signed to Def Jam, however, the recording made its way onto the album.
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