Jimmy Smith's Root Down (And Get It)

[iLLaSS]

So I'm sitting here, enjoying my wine and herbs and I strangely found myself listening to The Cactus Revisted by 3rd Bass (Mediamonkey was on random and well...whatever. I had never listened to it, so I gave it a go). The album (rather EP) is a collection of remixes from The Cactus Album and they were actually pretty dope. So I get to the last track (Steppin' To The AM) and it starts off with an unfamiliar Rhodes piano bit and then the familiar vocal sample "at the sound of the tone, the time will be 12am" followed by the "Time" sample from Pink Floyd, but then, and much to my surprise the beat that drops in is none other than Root Down by Jimmy Smith.

The Cactus Revisited was released in 1990

Root Down by the Beastie Boys dropped in 1994

I'm not by any means saying "ooh...they stole that shit from 3rd Bass, dawg", but I had always assumed that the Beasties tried to maintain a certain "originality" to their sampling ethic and that they dare wouldn't use a sample that somebody else had already used, especially their so-called rivals, 3rd Bass. I forgot if I heard it on the DVD commentary or read in the anthology book (or perhaps somewhere else), but I think it was MCA who made a comment about the sample that made me think that they (the Beasties) had unearthed it.

I just figured I'd share this tid-bit with y'all....



Carry on.

[mudfoot]

MC Serch from 3rd Bass released a solo album in 1992 called Return Of The Product. There is a song on this album called SCENES FROM THE MIND. This song samples Flute Thing by Blues Project, which was also sampled by the Beasties in 1994 on FLUTE LOOP.

[pshabi]

Now this is intriguing. Gonna get those tracks now.

[Micodin]

3rd Bass actually sampled the B-Boys on "Steppin' To The AM"...

In my opinion that's much more glaring as a odd choice. 3rd Bass disses the B-Boys on "Son's of 3rd Bass"

That's what I can't get my head around. Why make an entire diss song about a band... then sample their lyrics on another track? Baffling.

[MC Serch]
Servin the role, a sole step-child
Talk of C.C. or keep sleepin
While wakin up to noise of 3rd B-A-S-S, Bass
Success is butter for Serch's space
Spoken slang gets played like the lottery
Your lyrics are incorrect, so you step to me
lookin for the key to release that first piece
Three times two is six, Pete is one-three
I'm the other half, known as the other trey
Tourin to wild screams, the Third Son's born
Swarm to the lyrics cause Serch is your father
Screaming "Hey Ladies," why bother?

[Pete Nice]
Sons, slim ones flee from the 3rd
Words, spoken, a silver spoon stuck in the throat
Young useless, lyrically careless
Rhyme revolves around modes of mindless
If everyone spoke of stick-up, it's pick of a Beast'
prone to a lick of a waste
Taste the flav' of the original
Orphaned trio, abandoned by lyrical
Through us, the echelon exposed with the roll with no soul
Counterfeit style, born sworn and sold
out with high voice distorted
If a Beast' to wish play fetus, I'd have him ABORTED

[MC Serch]
Put to bed, three kids to a third track
Cap the front and grip, when they heard that
the crew from the L.Q. stepped to the Club Mars
Shook the Beast' and soon to be dubbed stars
Starring roles stone-faced from the brothers
Ludicrous whining, meaning when the others
stand by em, while they take the fall
The Beast' now lives in the Capitol
Record wrecks sets, Def Jam a true wrecker
The label is nothing but MC Black'n'Decker
Three boys buggin to the A.M.
You step to the Serch and I slam!

[Pete Nice]
Negative mind, paid as snakes who can't rhyme
Play the dude? It's sucker time
I stand I take a bust in my nut
and gave birth to three bastard sons
A record label, a King to 4th letter
Passin phases, non-legitimate trendsetters
Pop figures, who figured they'd get paid
Exploitin art the black man made
Played out hardcore flaws, step to stage
Your biggest fan, nine years of age
Broke out cause the swindler took your ducat
No talent on the tune, you might as well SUCK IT

[Nice] Yo Serch, you know about that slum I'm speakin on?
[Serch] Word is bond Pete, school em!
[Nice] You know about that silver spoon havin
buckshot acne showin, L.A. weak-ass sellout
Non-legitimate, tip-doggin, Jethro pseudo intellectual
Dust-smokin, pretty boy playwrite posin
Folks wiggin, whinin annoyin Def Jam reject devil
White bread no money havin slum village people clonin
step children!
[Serch] Sam Sever, serve the rest
Yo Sam, sc-hool em!

[mudfoot]

3rd Bass actually sampled the B-Boys on "Steppin' To The AM"...

In my opinion that's much more glaring as a odd choice. 3rd Bass disses the B-Boys on "Son's of 3rd Bass"

That's what I can't get my head around. Why make an entire diss song about a band... then sample their lyrics on another track? Baffling.


'Steppin' To The AM' was produced by The Bomb Squad (Hank & Keith Shocklee and Eric "Vietnam'" Sadler). That was the 1st single 3rd Bass ever released and it was recorded way before 'Sons of 3rd Bass'.

[Micodin]

'Steppin' To The AM' was produced by The Bomb Squad (Hank & Keith Shocklee and Eric "Vietnam'" Sadler). That was the 1st single 3rd Bass ever released and it was recorded way before 'Sons of 3rd Bass'.

Yeah, I'm aware of this. But, it still looks weak when you they were dissing the B-Boys in their videos (the guy on the ground with the No Sleep Till Brooklyn/She's Crafty LP covering his head) making a diss song and having that Sample on the same album... and it was also remixed on the EP that started off this thread.

I'm just saying any other sample could of been put in place of the MCA part. It just made them look like hypocrites. Back in the day if you sampled someone it was like giving them props. The Bomb Squad producing it or not... it was still Michael and Pete's record.

[dirtydan11]

"Exploitin art the black man made" :p


The Beastie Boys used Root Down and did it real justice, AND Flute Thing. That might as well be the ultimate diss back (although i am sure it wasn't intentional. i'm sure the beasties could care less). 3rd Bass were a good group. Serch was talented, but they were either A: jealous of the Beastie Boys or B: Wanting to separate themselves from them because race seemed to be so important to them lol (diss all the white rappers and also pop acts like Hammer)... hey look at us. we hate white people and sell outs, we're 3rd bass, the most real shit ever! forget we're white, we might as well be black.... so sad when they knew they were good but had to act so gimmicky

[pm0ney]

Man, that has to be the most forced diss record ever. That's the one thing I hated about 3rd Bass, they just tried way too fucking hard. I love Pete Nice, though. He blows Serch out of the water.

[Micodin]

Man, that has to be the most forced diss record ever. That's the one thing I hated about 3rd Bass, they just tried way too fucking hard. I love Pete Nice, though. He blows Serch out of the water.

Agreed. Pete's solo record was 99% better than Serch's.