Pete Nice

Prime Minister Pete Nice (born Peter J. Nash in Floral Park, Long Island, New York) is a former rap artist who is most noted for his role in the hip hop group 3rd Bass.

Career

After graduating from Bishop Ford High School in 1985, Nash majored in English at Columbia University, where he hosted a hip hop radio show. This led to the creation of the rap group "3 The Hard Way," later changed to "3rd Bass," where he adopted the stage name Prime Minister Pete Nice. 3rd Bass released two gold-selling albums before disbanding in 1992. Nice teamed up with group DJ Richie Rich, and the pair released their only collaboration, "Dust to Dust", in 1993.

Pete Nice and author-rapper Bobbito started their own label, Hoppoh Records, under the parent company of Columbia Records. The first release was Kurious Jorge'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, but those would be the only records released before the label folded due to creative differences with Columbia.

Nice quit the music business and devoted his time to baseball history. He owned a memorabilia shop in Cooperstown, where he also works for the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 2003, he published his first book, "Baseball Legends of Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery," under his real name. He has also been working to secure some property for an official gravesite of Negro League players.His brother Brian is the Head Men's Basketball Coach at St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights, New York.

Discography

with 3rd Bass

*"The Cactus Album" (1989, Gold) - on CD, known as "The Cactus Cee/D"
*"Cactus Revisited" (1990)
*"Derelicts of Dialect" (1991, Gold)

with DJ Richie Rich

*"Dust to Dust" (1993)

References

* [http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=arcadia&Product_Code=0738534781&Product_Count=&Category_Code= Arcadia Publishing]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/21/sports/baseball/21rapper.html Rapping to the Oldies] - New York Times, 9/21/2006
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/27/sports/baseball/27ball.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin Bonds Baseball to Be Branded With Asterisk] - New York Times, 9/27/2007
* [http://www.thirdbass.net/boards/smf/index.php/topic,521.0.html Video: The History of Red Sox Nation] - ESPN.com (via thirdbass.net), 10/25/07