Consisting of the white rappers MC Serch and Pete Nice, plus DJ Richie Rich, 3rd Bass signed to the iconic Def Jam label for their 1989 debut, The Cactus Album. The project was spearheaded by the funky Prince Paul-produced "The Gas Face" (a track that also saw Zev Love X making his debut long before he became MF Doom). 1991's follow-up LP, Derelicts of Dialect, veered in a darker direction, complete with the group taking aim at Vanilla Ice. After that the crew disbanded, with the two emcees throwing shots at each other in their solo releases.