Us3

This article is about the band. For the highway route, see U.S. Route 3. For the organization, see United States Secret Service.

Us3
OriginLondon, England
Years active1992–2025
LabelsBlue Note
Us3
Past membersGeoff Wilkinson
Mel Simpson (deceased)
Rahsaan Kelly
Kobie Powell
Tukka Yoot
KCB
Shabaam Sahdeeq
Michelob
Alison Crockett
Reggi Wyns
Mpho Skeef
Akil Dasan
Gaston
Adeline
Brook Yung
Sene
Oveous Maximus
Akala
Websiteus3.com

Us3 is 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.[1] Us3's debut album, Hand on the Torch, used samples from Blue Note songs produced by Lion.[2]

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 12" release. It drew the attention of independent label Ninja Tune, resulting in NW1's 1991 12-inch single "The Band Played The Boogie", featuring UK rapper Born 2 B.[3]

Wilkinson established Us3 with production partner Mel Simpson.[3] One of the resulting demos, recorded in March 1992, was "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)", featuring UK trumpeter Gerard Presencer.[3] It sampled Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island".[3] Us3 went on a hiatus in 2014, during which Wilkinson went on to specialise in producing film and library music.[4]

In 2025, Us3 released Soundtrack, a studio album consisting of a cinematic mix of trap rhythms with big band orchestration, including tracks inspired by Gil Evans and Don Ellis.[2]

Discography

Albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions
UK
[5] 		AUS
[6] 		AUT
[7] 		GER
[8] 		NLD
[9] 		NZ
[10] 		SWI
[11] 		US
[12] 		US
R&B/HH
[13]
Hand on the Torch 1993 40 51 11 29 81 28 21 31 21
Broadway & 52nd 1997 93 90 28 80 91 39 48 — 90
An Ordinary Day in an Unusual Place 2001 — — — — — — — — —
Questions 2004 — — — — — — — — —
Schizophonic 2006 — — — — — — — — —
Say What!? 2007 — — — — — — — — —
Stop. Think. Run. 2009 — — — — — — — — —
Lie, Cheat & Steal 2011 — — — — — — — — —
The Third Way 2013 — — — — — — — — —
Soundtrack 2025 — — — — — — — — —

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak positions Album
UK
[5] 		AUS
[14] 		AUT
[7] 		BEL
(FL)
[14] 		GER
[8] 		NLD
[9] 		NZ
[10] 		SWI
[11] 		US
[15] 		US
R&B
[16]
"Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" 1992 76 32 3 24 22 18 16 7 9 21 Hand on the Torch
"Tukka Yoot's Riddim" 1993 34 — 24 — 97 — 28 26 — —
"Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" (UK reissue) 23 — — — — — — — — —
"I Got It Goin' On" 1994 52 — — — — — 39 — — —
"Eleven Long Years" — — — — — — — — — —
"Come on Everybody (Get Down)" 1997 38 — — — — — — 49 — — Broadway & 52nd
"I'm Thinking About Your Body" — — — — — — — — — —
"You Can't Hold Me Down" 2001 94 — — — — 98 — — — — An Ordinary Day in an Unusual Place
"Get Out" 2002 174 — — — — 97 — — — —
"Say You Belong to Me" 2007 — — — — — — — — — — Say What!?
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.

References

  1. ^ Hand on the Torch booklet remark by Bruce Lundvall, President of Blue Note Records
  2. ^ a b Amorosi, A.D. (13 August 2025). "In Preview: Geoff Wilkinson, Us3 and the Righteous Rebirth of the Crossover Cool". JazzTimes.
  3. ^ a b c d Colin Larkin, ed. (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 357. ISBN 0-7535-0252-6.
  4. ^ "Composer - Geoff Wilkinson". MediaTracks. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Official Charts Company: Us3". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  6. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 290.
  7. ^ a b "Discographie US 3". austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Us3 – German Chart". offiziellecharts.de (in German). Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Discografie US 3". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Discography US 3". charts.nz. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  11. ^ a b "US 3 – Cantaloop". hitparade.ch (in German). Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  12. ^ "Billboard 200: Week of March 12, 1994". Billboard. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  13. ^ Peaks on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart:
  14. ^ a b "US 3 – Cantaloop". australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  15. ^ "Us3 – US Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on 4 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  16. ^ "Us3 – Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on 27 April 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2014.

Other sources

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