The Cactus Cee/D (The Cactus Album) 1989 Album

3rd Bass

I have to admit, I'm really torn on these guys. In their favor, they put together really entertaining themes and Pete Nice was one of my favorite rappers, bar none, but his counterpart MC Serch was overbearing quite often. The duo made for an uneasy alliance, but the tension made the group interesting. That's the charm and turn-off of their debut record. When these guys just stick to good raps and beats they hit their niche as naturally as the best rappers, but they get bogged down in all these dumb skits and related commentary which do nothing but lengthen the record unnecessarily. Everyone remembers "The Gas Face", the inside jokey diss track based on a very infamous piano sample, but the trio's tour de force (for me) has to be "Steppin' to the A.M.", which is about as big as a beat you can get for hip hop in 1989. There's just too much to weed through to call this a classic, but you have to admit they make an impression.