View source for Us3

{{short description|British jazz rap band}}
{{About|the band|the highway route|U.S. Route 3}}
{{EngvarB|date=December 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| background       = group_or_band
| name             = Us3
| image            = 
| caption          = 
| alias            = 
| origin           = London, England
| genre            = 
| years_active     = 1992–2025
| label            = [[Blue Note Records|Blue Note]]<br />Us3
| website          = {{url|Us3.com}}
| current_members  =
| past_members     = Geoff Wilkinson<br />Mel Simpson<br />Rahsaan Kelly<br />Kobie Powell<br />Tukka Yoot<br />KCB<br />[[Shabaam Sahdeeq]]<br />Michelob<br />Alison Crockett<br />Reggi Wyns<br />Mpho Skeef<br />Akil Dasan<br />Gaston<br />Adeline<br />Brook Yung<br />Sene<br />Oveous Maximus<br />Akala
}}

'''Us3''' was a British [[jazz rap]] group founded by [[London]]-based producer Geoff Wilkinson in 1992. 

The name was inspired by ''[[Us Three]],'' a [[Horace Parlan]] album produced in 1960 by [[Alfred Lion]], the founder of [[Blue Note Records]].<ref>[[Hand on the Torch]] booklet remark by Bruce Lundvall, President of Blue Note Records</ref> Us3's debut album, ''[[Hand On the Torch|Hand on the Torch]]'', used samples from Blue Note songs produced by Lion.

==History==
In the early 1990s, London-based producer Geoff Wilkinson produced two recordings under the name Us3. The first was 1990's "Where Will We Be in the 21st Century", a limited-edition [[white label record|white label]] 12" release. It drew the attention of independent label [[Ninja Tune]], resulting in NW1's 1991 [[Twelve-inch single|12-inch single]] "The Band Played The Boogie", featuring UK rapper Born 2 B.<ref name="LarkinDM">{{cite book |title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music]] |date=1998 |publisher=[[Virgin Books]] |isbn=0-7535-0252-6 |editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]] |edition=First |page=357}}</ref>

Wilkinson established Us3 with production partner Mel Simpson.<ref name="LarkinDM" /> One of the resulting demos, recorded in March 1992, was "[[Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)]]", featuring UK trumpeter [[Gerard Presencer]].<ref name="LarkinDM" /> It sampled [[Herbie Hancock]]'s "[[Cantaloupe Island]]".<ref name="LarkinDM" /> Us3 went on hiatus 2014, during which Wilkinson went on to specialise in producing film and library music.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mediatracks.co.uk/composers/profile/electronic-dance/geoff-wilkinson |title=Composer - Geoff Wilkinson |publisher=MediaTracks |access-date=18 April 2024}}</ref>

In 2025, Us3 returned with a new studio album titled ''Soundtrack'' that focused on instrumental works.

==Discography==
===Albums===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ List of albums, with selected chart positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year
! scope="col" colspan="9"| Peak chart positions
|-
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| [[UK Albums Chart|UK]]<br /><ref name="UK"/>
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| [[ARIA Charts|AUS]]<br /><ref name="AUS">{{cite Ryan|page=290}}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| [[Ö3 Austria Top 40|AUT]]<br /><ref name="AUT"/>
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| [[GfK Entertainment charts|GER]]<br /><ref name="GER"/>
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| [[Dutch Album Top 100|NLD]]<br /><ref name="NLD"/>
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| [[Official New Zealand Music Chart|NZ]]<br /><ref name="NZ"/>
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| [[Swiss Hitparade|SWI]]<br /><ref name="SWI"/>
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| [[Billboard 200|US]]<br /><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1994-03-12/|title=Billboard 200: Week of March 12, 1994|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| [[Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums|US<br />R&B/HH]]<br /><ref>Peaks on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart:
* ''Hand on the Torch'': {{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/r-b-hip-hop-albums/1994-03-12/|title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Week of March 12, 1994|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=25 October 2022}}
* ''Broadway & 52nd'': {{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/r-b-hip-hop-albums/1997-04-26/|title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Week of April 26, 1997|magazine=Billboard|access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Hand On the Torch|Hand on the Torch]]''
| 1993
| 40 || 51 || 11 || 29 || 81 || 28 || 21 || 31 || 21
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Broadway & 52nd]]''
| 1997
| 93 || 90 || 28 || 80 || 91 || 39 || 48 || — || 90
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[An Ordinary Day in an Unusual Place]]''
| 2001
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| ''Questions''
| 2004
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Schizophonic (Us3 album)|Schizophonic]]''
| 2006
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| ''Say What!?''
| 2007
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| ''Stop. Think. Run.''
| 2009
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| ''Lie, Cheat & Steal''
| 2011
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| ''The Third Way''
| 2013
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| ''Soundtrack''
| 2025
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|}

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ List of singles, with selected chart positions
! rowspan="2" style="width:24em;"| Title
! rowspan="2"| Year
! colspan="10"| Peak positions
! rowspan="2"| Album
|-
! width="35"| <small>[[UK Singles Chart|UK]]</small><br /><ref name="UK">{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/28337/us3/|title=Official Charts Company: Us3 |publisher=[[Official Charts Company]] |access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref>
! width="35"| <small>[[ARIA Charts|AUS]]</small><br /><ref name="Charts">{{cite web|url=https://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=US+3&titel=Cantaloop&cat=s|title=US 3 – Cantaloop|website=australian-charts.com|access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref>
! width="35"| <small>[[Ö3 Austria Top 40|AUT]]</small><br /><ref name="AUT">{{cite web|url=https://austriancharts.at/showinterpret.asp?interpret=US+3|title=Discographie US 3|website=austriancharts.at|language=de|access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref>
! width="35"| <small>[[Ultratop|BEL<br />(FL)]]</small><br /><ref name="Charts"/>
! width="35"| <small>[[GfK Entertainment charts|GER]]</small><br/><ref name="GER">{{cite web|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/titel-details-2562 |title=Us3 – German Chart |website=offiziellecharts.de |language=de |access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref>
! width="35"| <small>[[Dutch Single Top 100|NLD]]</small><br /><ref name="NLD">{{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/showinterpret.asp?interpret=US+3|title=Discografie US 3|website=dutchcharts.nl|language=nl|access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref>
! width="35"| <small>[[Official New Zealand Music Chart|NZ]]</small><br /><ref name="NZ">{{cite web|url=https://charts.nz/showinterpret.asp?interpret=US+3|title=Discography US 3|website=charts.nz|access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref>
! width="35"| <small>[[Swiss Hitparade|SWI]]</small><br /><ref name="SWI">{{cite web|url=https://hitparade.ch/song/US-3/Cantaloop-2562|title=US 3 – Cantaloop|website=hitparade.ch|language=de|access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref>
! width="35"| <small>[[Billboard Hot 100|US]]</small><br><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/430705/us3/chart?f=379 |title=Us3 – US Hot 100 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=18 May 2014}}</ref>
! width="35"| <small>[[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|US<br>R&B]]</small><br><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/430705/us3/chart?f=367 |title=Us3 – Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs |magazine=Billboard |access-date=18 May 2014}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| "[[Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)]]"
| 1992
| 76 || 32 || 3 || 24 || 22 || 18 || 16 || 7 || 9 || 21
| align="left" rowspan="5"| ''Hand on the Torch''
|-
! scope="row"| "Tukka Yoot's Riddim"
| rowspan="2"|1993
| 34 || — || 24 || — || 97 || — || 28 || 26 || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" <small>(UK reissue)</small>
| 23 || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "I Got It Goin' On"
| rowspan="2"|1994
| 52 || — || — || — || — || — || 39 || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "Eleven Long Years"
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "Come on Everybody (Get Down)"
| rowspan="2"|1997
| 38 || — || — || — || — || — || — || 49 || — || —
| align="left" rowspan="2"| ''Broadway & 52nd''
|-
! scope="row"| "I'm Thinking About Your Body"
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "You Can't Hold Me Down"
| 2001
| 94 || — || — || — || — || 98 || — || — || — || —
| align="left" rowspan="2"| ''An Ordinary Day in an Unusual Place''
|-
! scope="row"| "Get Out"
| 2002
| 174 || — || — || — || — || 97 || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "Say You Belong to Me"
| 2007
| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
| align="left"| ''Say What!?''
|-
| align="center" colspan="14" style="font-size:85%"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Other sources==
*Radio interview with Us3 founder Geoff Wilkinson on Kiss FM February 1992 [https://www.numberonemusic.com/born2b/song/637490-Us3-Founder-Geoff-Wilkinson-and-Born-2-B-Kiss-FM-London-1992 Us3 Founder Geoff Wilkinson and Born 2 B, Kiss FM London 1992 - Play on N1M]
*[https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/ninja-tune-two-decades-of-mixes-and-mash-ups-2081331.html Ninja Tune - Two decades of mixes and mash-ups]

==External links==
* {{official|Us3.com}}
*[https://www.youtube.com/user/Us3videos The Us3 YouTube channel]
*[https://www.instagram.com/us3official1/ Us3 on Instagram]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_YBAPmsxzI Innerviews' 2025 audio interview with Geoff Wilkinson]
*[http://www.innerviews.org/inner/us3.html Innerviews' 2009 interview with Geoff Wilkinson]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080912222200/http://www.jazz.com/jazz-blog/2008/8/26/jazz-and-hip-hop-one "Jazz and Hip-Hop: Can They Really Mix?"] by Jared Pauley, ([http://www.jazz.com Jazz.com])

{{Us3}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:English hip-hop groups]]
[[Category:Jazz rap groups]]
[[Category:Alternative hip-hop groups]]
[[Category:Musical groups from London]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1992]]
[[Category:Blue Note Records artists]]
[[Category:EmArcy Records artists]]