MC Serch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| MC Serch | |
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 Cover of MC Serch's 1992 solo album Return of the Product
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Michael Berrin |
| Born | May 6, 1967 |
| Genre(s) | Hip hop |
| Label(s) | Def Jam |
| Associated acts | 3rd Bass |
MC Serch (born Michael Berrin on May 6, 1967) is a Jewish-American hip hop MC and former member of 3rd Bass.
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[edit] Biography
He is credited with creating the slang term "the Gas Face". He grew up in Far Rockaway, Queens[1], attending Far Rockaway High School.[2], and graduated from Music & Art High School.
After recording three albums with 3rd Bass—The Cactus Album (1989), Cactus Revisited (1990), and Derelicts of Dialect (1991)—Serch launched a solo career with Return of the Product (1992, Def Jam). The album featured two hit singles: "Here It Comes" (which hit #1 on Billboard's Hot Rap Tracks chart); and "Back to the Grill" featuring Chubb Rock, Red Hot Lover Tone and Nas. Serch was the executive producer of Nas’ Illmatic, one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the 1990s, and Nas' second album It Was Written. He also helped to cultivate the rapper O.C. after hearing him on the Organized Konfusion song "Fudge Pudge", helping him secure a record contract with Wild Pitch Records. In 1995 Serch also mentored the newly formed Non Phixion.
Since retiring from performing, Serch has run a promotions company (Serchlite Music). He appeared in Spike Lee's Bamboozled (2000) as a member of the fictitious hip-hop group Mau Maus (played by other real-life hip-hop performers such as Mos Def, Charli Baltimore and Canibus). His character was a white revolutionary who was supposed to be 1/16th African-American. [3] From 2003 he hosted Serch In The AM on Detroit Urban Radio Station FM 98 WJLB; he was the first Jewish DJ at that station. MC Serch was dismissed from WJLB in March 2006, reportedly due to a dispute over a Super Bowl weekend party at the club "Motor City Live."[4] Serch also hosted the VH1 reality series Ego Trip's The (White) Rapper Show, known for his catch phrase: "Woop-WOOP!", which ended in March of 2007. A follow-up show, ego trip's Miss Rap Supreme, debuted in 2008. Serch has since returned to the radio airwaves in Detroit on the urban station Hot 102.7
[edit] Discography
[edit] Solo
- Return of the Product (1992, Def Jam)
- Many Young Lives Ago (2007, Serchlite Music)
[edit] with 3rd Bass
- The Cactus Album (1989, Def Jam/Columbia)
- Cactus Revisited (1990)
- Derelicts of Dialect (1991, Gold)
[edit] Guest Appearances
- DJ Tomekk - "Fuck You"
- Gravediggaz - "Defective Trip" (w/Biz Markie)
- Hot Karl - "Let's Talk"
- Krohme - "Around Here"
- Non Phixion - "5 Boros" (w/D.V. Alias Khrist)
- Sway & King Tech - "Wake Up Show Anthem" (w/Nas, Ras Kass, Saafir & others)
- Various - "2 Hits & Pass" (w/Afu-Ra, Agallah, Craig G, Buckshot, and others)
- Various - "Blak Is Blas" (w/Mos Def, Canibus, Charli Baltimore, Gano Grills, and others)
[edit] References
- ^ Jackson, Brian Keith. "Ice, Ice Babies: Reality-TV show tries to create the next Eminem.", New York (magazine), December 31, 2006. Accessed November 23, 2007. "I grew up in Far Rockaway, and you’d always see shoes on the line."
- ^ Schwach, Howard. "Rockaway Rapper Hosts MTV's 'The White Rapper Show' ", Wave of Long Island, January 26, 2007
- ^ http://www.ohhla.com/anonymous/misc/hip-hop/blak_iz.mau.txt
- ^ Graham, Adam (2007-01-08). The Serch for the next white rap star. (English). The Detroit News. Retrieved on 2007-01-24.
