As everyone with any intelligence, work ethic and spine should know, The Move Out West was a silly one. I ripped that “City” full of retards apart – single handedly. I also wrote this book called Why Wisconsin Voted For Donald Trump: The Coastie Privilege. This is some of the music I recorded in the process.
Forget love, 3rd Dimension believes in Just Lust. Check out Mad City’s coldest group, as they deliver line after line on their latest lady-centric EP. This is “Stain” music – vivid story lines over cocoa-smooth instrumentals. This is romance for Hip Hop fans. And while they dropped the EP on Valentine’s Day (February 14, 2016), 3rd is really looking for this kinda love year round.
A few of these guys live at their stu in downtown Madison. I visited in December and distinctly remember seeing a couple females there. These weren’t the typical bustdowns that Madison rappers usually stay with, either. These were upper echelon females. In other words, I can vouch for this player shit. While 3rd’s music won’t get you laid directly, it does provide the ambiance that a young king needs to make that move. Things Have Changed.
Reeks on “Keys”:
“You was right every night, need Gladys
And you can be my black Kate Upton
Always when it come to leaving, I can’t leave her alone
I’ma dreamer, you’re like Nina Simone
Evidently, all I see are the signs
Love is blind and I can’t see where I’m going”
Each part of the Chapter II concept album fits into the story like a novel. Each line, each verse composes a narrative from my life. There are many different pieces to this puzzle. Rappers would call these projects EP’s. The first EP – called The Hustle – dropped on January 15, 2016. The next came a month later, called The Fall In. Following the tape for the ladies, Beef released The Depression in April and The Bars in June. After finishing up some crazy shit in California, I released my debut book Why Wisconsin Voted For Donald Trump: The Coastie Privilege, dipped from Mexico, and arrived back in Wisco to drop the full Double Major album, while homeless, and writing my second book – The Life of Cliff G: Dog. Then, I dropped the rest of the EP’s in the first week of July 2017 – The Fall Out, The Producer, The Move Out West, The Home State and The Remixes – completing Double Major on July 5.
I’m not gonna tell ya what Double Major means exactly, because it’s in the music. This is my life… The central message is that I recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison with a double major, while handling a labyrinthine set of personal circumstances at the same time.
I started out in the arts writing poetry, so finessing a little flow is no problem. I can outrap most major label artists no problem. Understand that this is not about rap, though. I create music first n foremost so that I don’t go completely fucking mental. Secondly, I do it for the squad. Even in the Midwest, Wisconsinites are outcast as drug abusing hicks. So this is for home too, this is for everyone that gets cast aside. On God, I will bring the industry to Wisconsin. This is my autobiography though and I can’t really speak for anyone but myself at the end up the day. I can only keep it Basement Made.
The Hustle
The Fall In
The Depression
The Bars
The Fall Out
The Move Out West
The Producer
The Home State
The Remixes
3rd Dimension is one of the most dynamic Hip Hop groups in America. They hail from Madison, Wisconsin, a place not typically associated with Hip Hop, so they have to be cold. Today, the tight-knit collective dropped their heavily hyped Things Have Changed on the world, along with a music video for “Chosen”. (November 12, 2015). You’re about to get your mind rocked if you’ve never heard of 3rd.
3rd Dimension officially formed in 2010. However, Reeks, Spaz and Probz had known each other for a minute before that. The three founding members came up in elementary school together in Mad City, rapping with several others around the neighborhood. The three emcees recruited Half Breed in 2010, which rounded out their team of vocalists. Then in 2012, 3rd picked up in house producer Burn$ampsoN to complete their sound. Burn had been producing in college, and when he came back for the summer, he heard the music and needed to be a part of 3rd Dimension’s sound. Since the acquisition of Burn, the group has been putting in full time work on the mic, while grinding to make ends meet at other gigs.
3rd Dimension has opened up for heavyweights Chance The Rapper, Alex Wiley, Kembe X, Saba & Pivot Gang, G-Scott, & YelaWolf. The group has also secured collaborations with quintessential new wave Chicago artists Mick Jenkins and Supa Bwe (Hurt Everybody). The rap collective dropped their University Ave project November 22, 2012 and Merch on January 3, 2014.
This group is a breath of fresh air amongst today’s other Hip Hop acts. The Midwest emcees give listeners a collection of multiple perspectives and they’re committed to the group dynamic – all moves have to be voted upon before carried out. Each member has a different style and skill set. They don’t make an effort to stand out, when 3rd comes together on an idea, it’s all natural. 3rd looks to create authentic, relatable Hip Hop of all types. The versatile squad is out to make music that can match any mood.
Look down for the Things Have Changed release date, cover art, tracklist, mixtape download and stream.
Premiered by Mishka.
Soulful background samples and simple but hard-hitting instruments from Burn$ampson lay the path for 3rd’s talented emcees. Thank God for an authentic hip hop group in 2014. Maybe it’s just me, but damn…I feel like it’s either that a team’s producer is on some bullshit or one or more of the artists bring down the rest of the group. That’s not the case here. This second installment from 3rd Dimension solidifies them as not only a player in the local scene but also within the Midwest region.
I first heard of this group last year, although they dropped their first couple projects back in 2012 (Enough Is Enough & University Ave). Download those. When I was writing for the Badger Herald last year, 3rd Dimension competed in a showcase at High Noon Saloon that I was reviewing. They performed the “Let’s Eat” record off the tape and I was relieved to see an act with some real stage presence amidst the other amateurs that payed the $300 fee to do nothing but make an ass of themselves.
The thing that stands out on Merch is both the progression from University Ave and the consistent flow throughout the tape. It’s easy to see that 3rd spends a lot of time planning out each song and how it fits within the project as a whole. One major mistake that they have been able to avoid so far is assuming that talent is enough. Too many of today’s artists confuse making music with art. Not every track belongs on a mixtape. Good art has an overall message and coalesces meaningfully. Working with people that have a shared background and similar future goals, in my opinion, is the potion for great music.
3rd Dimension spends long hours in the studio together and puts forth every effort to tell a story. They speak the struggle of growing up in Madison but make sure to include the influence of UW too. This town has a unique culture surrounding it and all of the rising young artists in this area are turning our lifestyle into a musical sound.
The only criticism I have is the vocal mixing. There are times when the levels are clipping or there’s static in the background. This should be fixed for next time but it doesn’t take away from Merch too much overall.
“Cheeseheads and weedheads.”
3rd released their sophomore tape University Ave. on November 22, 2012. This is the follow up to Enough Is Enough – a project they just put out earlier in the year.
