The Nonce

The Nonce was a hip-hop duo from Los Angeles, California, that was active in the 1990s (releasing material from 1992 to 1999). As part of the Project Blowed collective, working with Aceyalone, among others, the duo developed a reputation for smooth, jazzy, classy production, complemented by laid-back, smart rhymes (paying homage to the Old School emcees they grew up listening to in the mid-1980s). The members of the group were Nouka Basetype (a.k.a. Sach) and Yusef Afloat. In 1992, the duo released its first single, “The Picnic Song.” The group fit in between spaces made by other luminaries such as the Pharcyde, Freestyle Fellowship, and A Tribe Called Quest, but it was to be nearly two more years (due to internal wrangling with the label) until the duo would release its biggest single to date, “Mixtapes,” in 1994. In 1995 a full length album, World Ultimate, was released on Rick Rubin's American Recordings label (via Wild West Records). The album is currently out of print. In 2005, to commemorate the album's 10-year anniversary, a Japanese re-issue surfaced in limited quantities. There are also plans to re-issue the album on Vinyl in the future. As of 2008, no official re-issue has surfaced.