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Pete Nice | |
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![]() Pete Nice in October 2023 | |
Born | Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. | February 5, 1967
Education | Columbia University |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1985–present [1] |
Spouse | Roxanne Nash |
Children | 1 |
Relatives | Brian Nash (brother) |
Musical career | |
Also known as | Prime Minister Pete Nice |
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Years active |
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Formerly of | 3rd Bass |
Peter J. Nash (born February 5, 1967), known by his stage name Prime Minister Pete Nice or simply Pete Nice, is an American baseball historian and author, member of the Society for American Baseball Research, Hip Hop historian, and former rapper and record producer. Nash gained recognition as one-third of Def Jam's golden age hip hop group 3rd Bass.
Peter Nash was born on February 5, 1967, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York, to Carole and Raymond Nash. [2] After a successful high school basketball career, Nash graduated from Bishop Ford High School in 1985, joining the Columbia Lions Mens Basketball Team while majoring in English. He graduated magna cum laude from Columbia in 1989. [3]
While in high school, Nash formed a rap group called Sin Qua Non with his friends Buddah B, Kibwe K, and Fresh Fred. Kibwe K's father was a friend of activist Sonny Carson, and through that connection Nash was introduced to Lumumba Carson, later known as Professor X the Overseer of X Clan. Sin Qua Non was briefly managed by Carson before they split in 1985 due to Nash and his fellow group mates going off to college. Following the split Nash continued to be managed by Carson as a solo act alongside other artists such as Positive K, Just-Ice, King Sun, Audio Two, and Stetsasonic.
Nash was introduced to popular Brooklyn graffitist and rapper Blake Letham (known as Lord Scotch, Scotch 79th, or KEO) and future renowned A&R Dante Ross by roommate, and later 3rd Bass road manager, Mark Pearson (known as SAKE). Dante Ross would eventually introduce Nash to Hip Hop producer Sam Sever, who went on to produce most of The Cactus Album. Around this time Nash formed the rap group Servin' Generalz with Lord Scotch and Cool Papa Sha (or Shameek The Beat Mizer). In 1987 Nash created and hosted the "We Could Do This" radio show with DJ Clark Kent on Columbia's WKCR 89.9 FM on Tuesdays from 12:30 AM – 1:30 AM. It was one of the first radio shows dedicated solely to Hip Hop. DJ Clark Kent introduced Nash to future 3rd Bass member DJ Richie Rich, who would on occasion fill in as DJ.
Throughout the mid to late 1980s, Nash was a frequent visitor at multiple popular New York City Hip Hop clubs, including the Latin Quarter. It was here around 1986 that Nash was introduced to MC Serch by Lord Scotch. MC Serch, then going only by Serch, was also a solo act who had released a few songs. At this point the two were merely acquaintances with no intention of forming a group.
By 1987, following the dissolution of The Servin' Generalz, Nash continued to work on his solo demo tape. He began collaborating with MC Serch through their mutual connections to Dante Ross and Sam Sever. Through suggestion by Ross, the pair formed 3 the Hard Way, a moniker taken from the popular 1974 blaxploitation film of the same name. Unable to legally secure the name due to copyright restrictions, the group settled on the name 3rd Bass. Nash, a long time historical baseball admirer, chose the name.
With Richard Lawson the group released two gold-selling albums, The Cactus Album and Derelicts of Dialect, before disbanding in 1992. Nice teamed up with his former group mate Daddy Rich, and the pair released their only collaboration, Dust to Dust , in April 1993.
That same year Pete Nice and author-radio jock Bobbito Garcia launched their own label, Hoppoh Records, under the aegis of Columbia Records. They also started Hit-U-Off Management, representing artists like Hard 2 Obtain (H2O) and The Artifacts. The first release was Kurious's 1994 album A Constipated Monkey ; Nice co-produced the album and the single "I'm Kurious". Nashville artist Count Bass D's debut Pre-Life Crisis followed in 1995, distributed by Columbia sister label Chaos Recordings, but those would be the only records released before the label folded because of creative differences with Columbia.
In October 1998, Nash reunited with MC Serch to perform at a birthday party for fashion designer Andy Hilfiger. The two went on to perform on the first day of Woodstock 1999. During this reunion period Nash recorded some music before dissolving the group again in 2000. Another brief reunion performance took place in 2013.
Today, Nash is a prominent Hip Hop historian, detailing the progression of Hip Hop from the 1970s and 1980s through rare posters, flyers, and pictures posted on his Instagram page. [4] Since 2014, at the behest of the head curator Paradise Gray of X-Clan, Nash has been a co-curator for the Universal Hip Hop Museum. Nash met Paradise through Lumumba Carson in 1985 when Paradise began his work at the Latin Quarter. The two are currently coauthoring a book called The Golden Age of Hip Hop 1983–1992: An Illustrative History. [5]
Nash made the move from the music business to devoting his time to baseball history. He owned a memorabilia shop in Cooperstown, New York. In 2003, he published his first book, Baseball Legends of Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery, under his real name. [6] He has also been working to secure some property for an official grave site of Negro league players. His younger brother Brian was the Head Men's Basketball Coach at St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights.
In early 2008, Nash opened McGreevy's 3rd Base Bar (named in honor of Boston publican Michael T. "Nuf Ced" McGreevy's establishment), a sports bar in Boston with Dropkick Murphys' band member Ken Casey. The bar was named Best Sports Bar In Boston by Citysearch in 2009. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the bar permanently closed in August 2020.
Commencing in 2007 and concluding in 2009, Nash was involved in a legal battle with baseball card dealer Rob Lifson relating to the authenticity of baseball memorabilia he consigned for sale. When deposed under oath, Nash invoked the Fifth Amendment dozens of times in response to questions about the origins of specific pieces of memorabilia. The court found in favor of Lifson, and Nash signed a court order in which he admitted to having committed fraud. [7]
On July 1, 2014, after having pleaded guilty to misdemeanor tax fraud, Nash was sentenced in Albany County court for not paying taxes from 2009 through 2011. As a result, Nash paid $13,101 to the state in back taxes, penalties and interest. [8]
Paul Edward Huston, better known by his stage name Prince Paul, is an American record producer, disc jockey and recording artist from Amityville, New York. Paul began his career as a DJ for Stetsasonic. He has worked on albums by Boogie Down Productions, Gravediggaz, MC Lyte, Big Daddy Kane and 3rd Bass, among others. Major recognition for Prince Paul came when he produced De La Soul's debut album 3 Feet High and Rising (1989), in which he pioneered new approaches to hip hop production, mixing and sampling, notably by including comedy sketches.
3rd Bass was an American hip hop group that was active in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Formed by MC Serch, Pete Nice, and DJ Richie Rich, the group was notable for being one of the first successful interracial hip hop acts. Along with Beastie Boys and producer Rick Rubin, MC Serch and Pete Nice were two of the very few white hip hop artists who were widely respected in the community. The group dissolved in 1994 and again in 2000 and 2013 after short-lived reunions. The group released two studio albums in their initial career and both of them were certified gold by the RIAA.
The Cactus Al/Bum is the debut album by hip hop trio 3rd Bass, released on Def Jam Recordings on November 14, 1989. The album received positive reviews from the hip hop press and is also notable for featuring the recording debut of rapper Zev Love X of KMD, later known as MF Doom, on "The Gas Face". It was certified gold by the RIAA on April 24, 1990.
Gang Starr was an American hip hop duo, consisting of Houston-born record producer DJ Premier and Boston, Massachusetts rapper Guru.
Michael Berrin, best known by his stage name MC Serch, is an American rapper and music executive. He gained fame as a member of the group 3rd Bass, which was active in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Serch has also worked as a solo artist and as a producer for other artists. In 1994, Serch executive produced Nas' debut album, Illmatic.
The Beatnuts is an American hip hop group and production duo from New York City. Its current members are JuJu and Psycho Les. JuJu is a Dominican American from Corona and Psycho Les is a Colombian American from Jackson Heights, Queens. Although only peripheral members, they are routinely acknowledged by Q-Tip as being members of Native Tongues. The Beatnuts were originally a trio before Fashion, now known as Al' Tariq, left the group to start a solo career. V.I.C. was also a member of The Beatnuts' production team for a while.
Non Phixion is an American hip-hop group from Brooklyn, New York City. Though the group did not become a household name during their initial period of activity, the Village Voice said Non Phixion was "integral to the timeline of underground hip-hop." The group endured a series of missed opportunities on their way to their only LP release and broke up after their first decade. In the months leading up to the 20th anniversary of their formation, the group reunited and as of 2021 was still active and touring. Their logo is a direct nod to the Canadian metal band Voivod.
William Braunstein, professionally known by his stage name Ill Bill, is an American rapper and record producer from Brooklyn, New York City. Having gained fame in the underground hip hop group Non Phixion, Ill Bill is known for his diverse lyrics and as the producer, founder and CEO of Uncle Howie Records. His brother Ron is rapper and producer Necro.
The Royal Rooters were a fan club for Boston's professional baseball team in the American League in the early 20th century. The team was known as the Boston Americans during the 1901–1907 seasons, and has been known as the Boston Red Sox since the 1908 season. The Royal Rooters disbanded in 1918.
Omar Gerryl Credle, better known by his stage name, O.C., is an American rapper and member of the group D.I.T.C. He has been involved with several underground hip hop groups, namely Crooklyn Dodgers '95, Luv NY, and Perestroika.
Return of the Product is the only solo studio album by former 3rd Bass member MC Serch. It was released August 25, 1992 on Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records. Recording sessions took place at Chung King Studios in New York City, at Chapel Studios and Red Chamber Studios in Los Angeles through November 1991 to July 1992. Production was handled by T-Ray, Skeff Anselm, Epic Mazur and Richard Wolf, with MC Serch serving as executive and co-producer. It features guest appearances from Chubb Rock, Joe Fatal, Nas and Red Hot Lover Tone.
Jorge Antonio Alvarez, better known by his stage names Kurious or Kurious Jorge, is an American hip hop recording artist from New York City.
A Constipated Monkey is the debut studio album by American rapper Kurious. It was released on January 18, 1994, through Hoppoh Recordings/Columbia Records/Sony Music Entertainment. The recording sessions took place in New York at Chung King Studios, Rampant Recording Studio, and LGK Studios. The album was produced by the Beatnuts, Stimulated Dummies, Pete Nice and DJ Richie Rich of 3rd Bass, and Bosco Money of Downtown Science. It features guest appearances from Casual, MF Grimm, Psycho Les, Kadi and the Omen. The album peaked at No. 68 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and No. 31 on the Heatseekers Albums in the United States. A Constipated Monkey produced three singles: "Walk Like a Duck", "Uptown Shit" and "I'm Kurious".
Scratchology is the second compilation album by American hip-hop DJ group The X-Ecutioners. It was released on April 8, 2003 through Sequence Records. The album contained various hip hop tracks that were cut up and produced by The X-Ecutioners.
Richard Lawson, known professionally as DJ Daddy Rich or DJ Richie Rich, is an American record producer and turntablist who was best known as a member of the New York-based rap trio 3rd Bass. He was part of The "Supermen" DJ crew which also included other top DJs such as Scratch, Clark Kent, Miz, Supreme, and Alladin. Rich also appeared in the movie "Juice" in the DJ battle scene, and recorded the scratches for the soundtrack. While working with 3rd Bass, he was one of the first DJs ever to do a DJ trick routine on TV when they appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show.
Dust to Dust is a studio album by former 3rd Bass members Prime Minister Pete Nice and Daddy Rich. It was released on April 27, 1993, via Def Jam Recordings/Columbia Records/Sony Music Entertainment, a year after the breakup of 3rd Bass. The album features numerous disses towards their former bandmate MC Serch. The recording sessions took place in New York at Rampant Recording Studio, Chung King Studios, and LGK Studios. Production was handled by Pete Nice, DJ Richie Rich, The Beatnuts, KMD, and Sam Sever of Downtown Science.
The Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival (BHF) is an annual celebration of Hip-Hop music and culture. It is produced The Bodega Agency a wholly owned subsidiary of Brooklyn Bodega, Inc.
The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show was an underground hip hop radio show broadcast in New York, originally on 89.9 WKCR-FM, the student radio station at Columbia University, and later on 97.1 WQHT-FM. The show was hosted by Adrian Bartos and Robert "Bobbito" Garcia, and functioned as an alternative to commercial hip hop radio by airing unsigned artists, rarities and B-sides from commercial artists, and live freestyles and DJ scratch sessions. The show has been credited with introducing the world to Biggie Smalls, Eminem, Jay-Z, Big L, Big Pun, Fat Joe, Wu Tang Clan, Fugees and many other names which would rise to prominence in the mid to late 1990s.
A Great Day in Hip Hop is a black-and-white photograph of over 200 hip hop artists and producers in Harlem, New York, taken by photographer Gordon Parks on September 29, 1998. It was commissioned by XXL magazine, as a homage to Art Kane's A Great Day in Harlem, photographed in 1958.