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.Hand on the Torch booklet remark by Bruce Lundvall, President of Blue Note Records Us3's debut album, 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 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.
Wilkinson established Us3 with production partner Mel Simpson. One of the resulting demos, recorded in March 1992, was "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)", featuring UK trumpeter Gerard Presencer. It sampled Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island". Us3 went on a hiatus in 2014, during which Wilkinson went on to specialise in producing film and library music.
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.
Discography Albums + List of albums, with selected chart positions Title Year Peak chart positions UK AUS AUT GER NLD NZ SWI US USR&B/HHPeaks on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart: Hand on the Torch: Broadway & 52nd: 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 AUS N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart. AUT BEL(FL) GER NLD NZ SWI US USR&B "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" 1992 76 32 3 24 22 18 16 7 9 21 Hand on the Torch "Tukka Yoot's Riddim"1993 34 221 24 — 97 — 28 26 — — "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" (UK reissue) 23 — — — — — — — — — "I Got It Goin' On"1994 52 189 — — — — 39 — — — "Eleven Long Years" — — — — — — — — — — "Come on Everybody (Get Down)"1997 38 184 — — — — — 49 — — Broadway & 52nd "I'm Thinking About Your Body" — — — — — — — — — — "You Can't Hold Me Down" 2001 94 160 — — — 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
Other sources Radio interview with Us3 founder Geoff Wilkinson on Kiss FM February 1992 Us3 Founder Geoff Wilkinson and Born 2 B, Kiss FM London 1992 - Play on N1M Ninja Tune - Two decades of mixes and mash-ups
External links
The Us3 YouTube channel Us3 on Instagram Innerviews' 2025 audio interview with Geoff Wilkinson Innerviews' 2009 interview with Geoff Wilkinson "Jazz and Hip-Hop: Can They Really Mix?" by Jared Pauley, (Jazz.com)