The Unkut Guide To Greg Nice’s Human Beatbox Career

There once was a time when the human beatbox was an entertaining addition to 80’s rap songs, rather than something that you could do on into an iPad on your late night talk show. One of the unsung practitioners of this humble talent was Greg Nice, who lent his vocal percussive skills to no less than three crews before he teamed-up with Smooth B to make history. As revealed in my interview with CJ Moore, Greg Nice was down with the Nasty Comedians crew, which was originally Greg and Cool Nate-T. Their first single was released on Home Boys Only Records in 1985, the same label that CJ’s Small’s Chosen Few 12″ appeared on. As it turns out, the guy who owned HBO Records was Larry Davis, who would later rise to worldwide fame after he shot six cops in self-defense when they raided his sisters apartment in the Bronx.

‘At The Jam’ is the pick here, although ‘Take A Bath’ is certainly a worthy inclusion on any collection of Wash Ya Ass Raps. Master O.C. from the Fearless Four handles the production, adding what sounds like a keyboard remake of ‘Nautilus’ under the drum machine, while the b-side throws a snatch of the ever-reliable ‘Pussy Footer’ into the mix. Greg decided to break north before the second and final Nasty Comedians 12″ in ’86, where he was replaced by another beatbox named Crazy Ken for the markedly less amusing ‘We’re Funny’/’I Am Not Popeye.’

Greg next appeared on T La Rock’s ‘Bass Machine’ single, taking the title The Incredible Sound Machine, and was soon performing shows with T and DJ Louie Lou. He got his time to shine on T La Rock’s first album in 1987, with the solo cut ‘Three Minutes of Beat Box,’ which is a medley of popular beats executed with the precision of a mad genius. That same year Nice also contributed some of that old ‘make the music with your mouth, Greg’ action to a radio promo that the Ultramagnetic MC’s recorded for Kool DJ Red Alert.

The track, ‘Bait,’ is now widely regarded as one of the greatest rap songs ever made. While the version of Red’s album faded out during Greg’s part, the full version was restored on the Critical Beatdown remaster, allowing us to appreciate him battling against ‘Long Red’ and ‘Nautilus’ for control of our attention, along with the final two verses of Ulta Lab insanity. By 1988, Greg released his first single with Smooth B on Strange Family Records after the ‘Skill Trade’ demo got some shine on KISS-FM, and the thus ended his reign as The Incredible Sound Machine and began his career as Greg N-I-C-E, the king of the echo.

The Nasty Comedians – ‘At The Jam’

The Nasty Comedians – ‘Beat Box’

T La Rock – ‘Bass Machine’

T La Rock and Greg Nice – ‘Lyrical King’ [Live in Holland]

T La Rock and Greg Nice –‘Three Minutes of Beatbox‘

T La Rock and Greg Nice – ‘Tutti Fruity Judy’

Ultramagnetic MC’s – ‘Bait‘