Thinking of MF Doom and his previous incarnation as Zev Luv X brought me back to when I purchased "The Cactus Album" by 3rd Bass in 1989.

I have no idea how I became aware of 3rd Bass, as a metalhead living in the Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco, but I was BIG into rap at the time. NWA, Yellowman, Erik B and Rakim, Beasties, LL Cool J, The Egyptian Lover... I had a range of rap back then, and I'm not sure how I found/discovered this stuff. Probably my friend Bob.

Anyway, 3rd Bass was just ... different. Sure they were the typical, ego, posturing, NYC vibe, and excellent at spitting rhymes. But they were unabashedly and almost silly in their imperialistic whiteness, but also had the ear/cred of the NYC black rap community. So there was something about them I didn't understand... why were these white boys so good? And so respected?

I never did find out why, by the Cactus Album (actually, I had the Cactus CeeDee, which was, of course, the CD version of the LP) was on CONSTANTLY in my multi-CD changer.

spotify:album:3DdUJUcRBs6ct8omfRb0Pv

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(I should also note that I know and love every single note on Blood, Sweat, and Tears self-titled debut album, which 3rd Bass sampled heavily on the first track of the Cactus Album.)