View source for MC Serch

{{Short description|American rapper (born 1967)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{BLP sources|date=December 2013}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = MC Serch
| image             = MC Serch 2023 2.jpg
| caption           = MC Serch in 2023
| birth_name        = Michael Berrin
| alias             = {{hlist|T Bone Lemke|White Monster}}
| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|1967|05|6}}
| birth_place       = [[Queens]], New York City, U.S.
| instrument        = 
| genre             = {{hlist|[[East Coast hip-hop]]|[[golden age hip-hop]]
}}
| occupation        = {{hlist|Rapper|songwriter|record producer}}
| years_active      = 1986–present<ref name="Year">{{cite web|author=Stereo Williams|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-year-that-changed-hip-hop-forever|title=The Year That Changed Hip-Hop Forever|publisher=[[The Daily Beast]]|date=February 28, 2018|access-date=November 24, 2019}}</ref>
| label             = {{hlist|[[Def Jam Recordings|Def Jam]]|[[Psycho+Logical-Records|Psycho+Logical]]}}
| past_member_of    = [[3rd Bass]]
| website           = {{URL|mcserch.com}}
| current_members   = 
| past_members      = 
}}

'''Michael Berrin''' (born May 6, 1967),<ref name="MC">{{cite web|url=http://mcserch.com/home/|title=About MC Serch|access-date=November 24, 2019|archive-date=August 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804132628/https://mcserch.com/home/|url-status=dead}}</ref> better known by his stage name '''MC Serch''', is an American rapper and record executive. He gained fame as part of the hip hop group [[3rd Bass]], who were active in the late 1980s and early 1990s and released three studio albums. 

In his solo work, Serch is credited with having discovered American rapper [[Nas]] in 1992. Serch introduced the rapper to [[Columbia Records]] and executive produced his debut studio album, ''[[Illmatic]]'' (1994).<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/photos/6723017/the-10-best-rappers-of-all-time|title=The 10 Best Rappers of All Time|author=<!--Not stated--> |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|quote=20 years later, ''Illmatic'' is widely seen as the best hip-hop album ever, a flawless blend of vivid street poetry and dream-team producers...|date=November 12, 2015|access-date=June 11, 2021}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==
Serch grew up on [[Five Towns, Long Island]], New York.<ref>{{cite news| last= Jackson| first= Brian Keith| url= http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/26038/ |title= Ice, Ice Babies: Reality-TV show tries to create the next Eminem| work= [[New York (magazine)|New York]]| date= December 31, 2006| access-date= November 23, 2007| quote= I grew up in Five Towns, where he was raised by his parents. and you’d always see shoes on the line.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| last= Schwach| first= Howard| url= https://www.rockawave.com/articles/rockaway-rapper-hosts-mtvs-the-white-rapper-show/ |title= Rockaway Rapper Hosts MTV's 'The White Rapper Show' | work= [[Wave of Long Island]]| via= rockawave.com| date= January 26, 2007}}</ref> and graduated from [[Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School|Music & Art High School]]. He is of [[American Jews|Jewish]] descent.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.interfaithfamily.com/arts_and_entertainment/popular_culture/Interfaith_Celebrities_Of_Hip_Hop_Heroes_and_the_Oscars.shtml| title= Interfaith Celebrities: Of Hip Hop, Heroes and the Oscars |work= interfaithfamily.com | date= January 12, 2009 |access-date=April 24, 2013 |quote=Berrin, who is Jewish, worked until recently for a very popular Detroit radio station that mostly plays hip hop music and whose listening audience is mostly black. ... As reported in a January 25 issue of the ''[[Detroit Jewish News]]'', Berrin, 39, and his wife, Chantel, are members of Congregation Sharrey Zedek, a large Conservative synagogue in suburban Detroit. In a 1993 profile in the News, Chantel— a convert to Judaism—talked about her conversion and Michael talked about race and religion.}}</ref>

== Career ==
{{BLP sources section|date=October 2022}}
After recording three albums with 3rd Bass—''[[The Cactus Album]]'' (1989), ''[[The 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 number one on [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'s [[Hot Rap Tracks]] chart); and "Back to the Grill" featuring [[Chubb Rock]], [[Trackmasters|Red Hot Lover Tone]], and [[Nas]]. Serch was the [[executive producer]] of Nas’ ''[[Illmatic]]''.

He also helped to cultivate the rapper [[O.C. (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 [[Yasiin Bey|Mos Def]], [[Charli Baltimore]] and [[Canibus]]). His character was a [[White people|white]] revolutionary who was supposed to be "1/16 black".<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.ohhla.com/anonymous/misc/hip-hop/blak_iz.mau.txt| title= Blak Iz Blak| website= ohhla.com| access-date= June 1, 2018}}</ref>

From 2003, he hosted ''Serch In The AM'' on [[Detroit]] urban radio station FM 98 [[WJLB]]; he was the first [[American Jews|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.<ref name=SerchFired>{{cite web|last=Graham |first=Adam |date=January 8, 2007 |url= http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070108/ENT02/701080357/1032/ENT |title=The Serch for the next white rap star. |work=The Detroit News|access-date=January 24, 2007}}</ref>

Serch also hosted the [[VH1]] [[reality series]] ''[[Ego Trip's The (White) Rapper Show]]'' which ended in March 2007. On the show he was known for his [[catchphrase]] "Woop-WOOP!". A [[Spinoff (media)|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 [[WDKL|Hot 102.7]]. Serch has also worked with Hot 102.7's youngest intern (The Black Intern) Daniel Berry, and [[Rucka Rucka Ali]] (Comedy Music Artist). Serch appeared in some of Rucka Rucka Ali's music videos.

In 2018 he gave an interview with [[DJ Vlad]] in which he claimed [[MC Hammer]] had once taken out a $50,000 contract on Serch's life, following a misunderstanding over lyrics.<ref>{{Cite web|publisher=[[YouTube]]|title=MC Serch: MC Hammer Put a $50k Hit on Me Over Dissing His Mother on a Song (Part 5)|date=November 13, 2018|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3B7KBrnqCI|access-date=May 24, 2019}}</ref>

In May 2021, MC Serch joined VidSig, a live global video platform, as Chief Creative Consultant.<ref>{{Cite press release|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hip-hop-legend-mc-serch-joins-vidsig-in-creative-role-301298414.html|title=Hip Hop Legend MC Serch Joins VIDSIG in Creative Role|website=Prnewswire.com|access-date=June 24, 2021}}</ref>

Serch was an executive at HitPiece, a startup creating [[NFT]]s of songs that shut down in February 2022 under threat of action by [[Recording Industry Association of America]], which labeled it a "scam operation" and after public criticism by major artists including [[Wolfgang Van Halen]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://loudwire.com/hitpiece-nft-music-scam/|title=Who's Behind HitPiece, the Music NFT 'Scam' That Angered Bands + the RIAA?|first=Philip|last=Trapp|date=February 7, 2022|website=[[Loudwire]]}}</ref>

== Discography ==

=== Solo ===
*''[[Return of the Product]]'' (1992, [[Def Jam]])

=== with 3rd Bass ===
*''[[The Cactus Album]]'' (1989, Platinum)
*''[[The Cactus Revisited]]'' (1990)
*''[[Derelicts of Dialect]]'' (1991, Gold)

=== Guest appearances ===
{{Incomplete list|date=February 2022}}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+List of non-single [[guest appearance]]s, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name
! scope="col" style="width:18em;" |Title
! scope="col" |Year
! scope="col" |Other artist(s)
! scope="col" |Album
|-
!"Puff the Head"
|1992
|{{N/a}}
|[[Zebrahead (soundtrack)]]
|-
! scope="row" |"Blak Iz Blak"
|2000
|Mau Maus ([[Yasiin Bey|Mos Def]], [[Canibus]], [[Charli Baltimore]], [[Craig Grant|Mums]], Gano Grills, [[DJ Scratch]])
|''[[Bamboozled (soundtrack)|Bamboozled (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)]]''
|-
! scope="row" |"Fuck You"
|2001
|[[DJ Tomekk]]
|''[[Return of Hip Hop]]''
|-
! scope="row" |"2 Hits & Pass"
|2002
|[[Afu-Ra]], [[Agallah]], [[Big Tigger]], [[Buckshot (rapper)|Buckshot]], [[Craig G]], [[Mr. Eon]], [[Scram Jones]], Smuv, [[Smif-N-Wessun|Steele]], [[Tony Touch]]
|''D&D Project II''
|-
! scope="row" |"Let's Talk"
|2005
|[[Jensen Karp|Hot Karl]]
|''The Great Escape''
|-
! scope="row" |"MC Serch Intro"
| rowspan="4" |2007
|Kaptain Nemo
| rowspan="3" |''The Legend of Kaptain Nemo - Official Mixtape''
|-
! scope="row" |"For the Love of Hip Hop"
|Kaptain Nemo, PJ Sumroc
|-
! scope="row" |"This Is Not a Game Aaaatlaaaantis (MC Serch Interlude)"
|Kaptain Nemo
|-
! scope="row" |"Round Here"
|[[Krohme]]
|''All Praises Due''
|-
! scope="row" |"Benetton"
|2009
|[[Kurious]], [[MF Doom]], Kadi Amin
|''[[II (Kurious album)|II]]''
|-
! scope="row" |"Rolling 110 Deep"
|2021
|[[DJ Kay Slay]], [[3D Na'Tee]], [[AZ (rapper)|AZ]], Aobie, [[Big Daddy Kane]], [[Black Thought]], [[Bodega Bamz]], [[Brand Nubian]], [[Freddie Foxxx|Bumpy Knuckles]], [[Bun B]], Bynoe, [[Cassidy (rapper)|Cassidy]], [[Chris Rivers]], [[Chuck D]], [[Coke La Rock]], [[Consequence (rapper)|Consequence]], [[Conway the Machine]], [[Cory Gunz]], [[Crooked I]], [[Dave East]], DJ Doo-Wop, [[Drag-On]], [[E-A-Ski]], [[Fred the Godson]], [[Ghostface Killah]], Gillie da Kid, [[Grandmaster Caz]], [[Gunplay (rapper)|Gunplay]], [[Havoc (musician)|Havoc]], [[McGruff (rapper)|McGruff]], Hocus 45th, [[Ice-T]], [[Inspectah Deck]], [[J.R. Writer]], [[Jim Jones (rapper)|Jim Jones]], [[Joell Ortiz]], [[Jon Connor]], [[Junior Reid]], Kaflow Kaboom, [[Kool G Rap]], [[KRS-One]], [[Lil' Cease]], Loaded Lux, [[Locksmith (rapper)|Locksmith]], [[Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz]], [[Maino (rapper)|Maino]], [[MC Shan]], [[Melle Mel]], [[Merkules]], Mike Cee, Millyz, [[Mistah F.A.B.]], [[M.O.P.]], Ms. Hustle, Mysonne, [[Nice & Smooth]], Nino Man, OT The Real, [[Omar Epps]], [[Onyx (hip-hop group)|Onyx]], Oun P, [[Outlawz]], [[Page Kennedy]], [[Papoose (rapper)|Papoose]], Pretty Tone Capone, Prince The King, RJ Payne, [[Raekwon]], [[Rah Digga]], Ransom, [[Ras Kass]], [[Kool DJ Red Alert]], [[Redman (rapper)|Redman]], [[Heltah Skeltah|Rockness]], [[Metta Sandiford-Artest|Ron Artest]], [[Roy Jones Jr.]], [[Royal Flush (rapper)|Royal Flush]], [[Saigon (rapper)|Saigon]], [[Shaquille O'Neal]], [[Sheek Louch]], Shoota 93, Sickflo, Sonja Blade, [[Sporty Thievz]], Stan Spit, Styleon, [[Styles P]], Super Lover Cee, [[Termanology]], Tone Trump, Tony Moxberg, [[Tracey Lee]], [[Trae tha Truth]], [[Tragedy Khadafi]], [[Treach]], [[Trick Trick]], [[Twista]], [[Uncle Murda]], [[Vado (rapper)|Vado]], Wais P, [[Young Buck]]
|''Accolades''
|}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*[http://mcserch.com/ The Serch Says Podcast]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070224235942/http://www.soundslam.com/articles/interviews/interviews.php?interviews=in070205_mcserch MC Serch Interview]
*{{IMDb name|id=0784907|name=MC Serch}}

{{Authority control}}

{{3rd Bass}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Serch, MC}}
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American hip-hop record producers]]
[[Category:20th-century American Jews]]
[[Category:American male rappers]]
[[Category:Def Jam Recordings artists]]
[[Category:East Coast hip-hop musicians]]
[[Category:Far Rockaway High School alumni]]
[[Category:Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni]]
[[Category:Jewish American rappers]]
[[Category:People from Far Rockaway, Queens]]
[[Category:Rappers from New York City]]
[[Category:Jewish hip-hop record producers]]
[[Category:21st-century American rappers]]
[[Category:Record producers from New York (state)]]
[[Category:21st-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century American rappers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century American Jews]]