Derelicts of Dialect

AMG Review of Derelicts of Dialect

Alex Henderson
All Music Guide

Although 3rd Bass didn't fully realize their tremendous potential, the Brooklyn rappers offered enjoyable, if uneven, albums. Like the group's 1989 debut, their second and final album, Derelicts of Dialect, makes it clear that the MCs weren't aiming for the pop charts -- and were loyal only to the hip-hop hardcore. When MC Serch and Pete Nice tear into such aggressive and forceful declarations as "Pop Goes the Weasel" (an inflammatory attack on Vanilla Ice), "Portrait of the Artist as a Hood," and "Ace in the Hole," it's clear why they were among the few white MCs who were successful in the young black community -- someone who heard their rapping without seeing their picture could easily assume they were black. Although the goofy "Herbalz in Your Mouth" shows some De La Soul and Tribe Called Quest influence, 3rd Bass don't allow themselves to be nearly as lighthearted, and keep things hardcore and intense.