"...Although the duo finds cultural possessiveness understandable, neither is about to step from what he deems as his inarguable right to the music. And the demands can get deep, like it did when hellfire activist Sister Souljah rallied her young, black, and proud audience to the cries of "3rd Bass ain't down!" at last year's Malcolm X Conference. "I respect her for trying to uplift our youth," says MC Serch. "But unfortunately, she's looking at the polarization of the music. I didn't see Souljah in the Latin Quarters or the Rooftop. I could teach her a thing or two about the culture, about where the music comes from and where it's going. We were involved in the community that people never asked why. When I stepped to the LQ I was in there... I don't think we have jack shit to prove." Even in this hostile atmosphere, 3rd Bass has managed to do us lovely. Kitchen-sink mentality in full effect: the group's new album Derelicts of Dialect continues to push rap's boundaries by sampling everything from jazz to JFK; and with "Pop Goes The Weasel" headed straight for the Top 40, it seems as if the boys are about to get props despite their distaste for pop-rap..." Cont'd...
"It's depressing," says Pete Nice. "At this point, maybe two-thirds of rap is awful and the other third makes up for the rest of it. The problem is not so much with the artists but with the record labels that are starting to push artists like Gerardo and call him a rapper. The commercialization of rap makes it hard for good artists to get out there." ... But the main question remains, Where will rap be in the next decade? Serch cold-swipes me with his counterpunch. "It goes beyond making good music. As a white artist especially, I say this from the heart. If you're a thirteen-year old white kid in Kansas, then you better know twenty years of history before you make a record. And if you're making it when you're eighteen then you better know twenty-five years of legacy." - Spin
