Just like any white kid from the suburbs in the '90s, I became a fan of the Beastie Boys. Three white Jewish kids from Brooklyn, and their Filipino DJ made hip hop acceptable and available to the mainstream. Not only did the group prove that white kids can do hip hop too, but also showed how to successfully blend rock and rap without being overtly angry like Rage Against the Machine, or a colossal joke like Limp Biskit. The greater music industry has seemed to forget about the Beastie Boys when discussing white people in hip hop, or the potential for musicianship in rap music.
Beastie Boys
Licensed to Ill.
1986, Def Jam
producer: Rick Rubin
AdRock
Mike D
MCA
Rick Rubin
singles-
- Hold it, Now Hit It
- Its the New Style/ Paul Revere
- Paul Revere
- Brass Monkey
- Fight for your Right
- No Sleep til Brooklyn/ Posse in Effect
- Girls/ She's Crafty
I remember the video for
(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party), which played on MTV when I was in elementary school. I didn't actually hear this album in its entirety until high school, and didn't truly appreciate it until much later. It seemed to me, especially after hearing later albums like
Ill Communication, and
Check Your Head first, that this album was pretty much a gimmick and mostly an unlistenable relic from the mid '80s. Kind of like DIY punk albums. If I could, I'd go back in time and slap 15 year old me. This album is a great example of rock/rap hybrid.
Fight for your Right, No Sleep til Brooklyn, and
Girls sponsoring guitar solos and singing. Other tracks like
Paul Revere,
Rhymin and Stealin, and
Brass Monkey prove that overproduced and over sampled tracks are unnecessary when you have a drum machine. The Beastie Boys would continue to defy contemporary views of what hip hop was and what it could be, and it all started here.
Beastie Boys
Ill Communication
1994, Grand Royal
producer: Mario C
MikeD
AdRock
MCA
Eric Bobo
singles-
- Sabotage
- Get it Together/ Sabotage/ Dope Little Song
- Get it Together/ Sabotage/ Resolution Time
- Sure Shot
- Root Down/ Ricky's Theme
So, like
Fight for Your Right, Sabotage was a huge music video that I distinctly remember watching in middle school. This whole album is fantastic, and although many fans point to
Paul's Boutique as being the group's finest album, I'd argue that
Ill Communication is just as good, if not better. Not only did the album feature Q-tip from
A Tribe Called Quest, and Biz Markie, but also showcased some instrumental jazz tracks. The group ditched their drum machine for live drummer Eric Bobo. Also featured is the short punk rock track
Tough Guy, which reminded everyone of their early '80s roots. Not only did the first single,
Sabotage, bring commercial success and radio play, but the video also was nominated in 5 categories at the 1994 MTV Music Awards and lost them all, which prompted MCA to interrupt Michael Stipe's acceptance speech in protest, dressed as Nathaniel Hornblower.
Beastie Boys
Hello Nasty
1998, Capitol
producer: Mario C
MCA
Mike D
AdRock
Mix Master Mike
Eric Bobo
singles-
- Intergalactic/ Hail Sagan
- Intergalactic
- Body Movin/ Peanut Butter and Jelly
- Body Movin/ Dr Lee PhD
- The Negotiation Limerick File/ 3 MCs, 1 DJ/ Puttin Shame in Your Game
- Remote Control/ 3 MCs, 1 DJ
Enter Mix Master Mike. I was in South Dakota when this came out during the summer of 1998. I know this, because a friend of mine anticipated the release, and had her mom mail it to us. Clearly this couldn't wait until we got back. This album encompassed everything the Beastie Boys had worked toward since the '80s, and coalesced into a masterpiece. Eric Bobo's last album with the group is also Mix Master Mike's debut. Biz Markie makes another appearance also. This album won Grammys. The over all feel of the album, marked by the tracks
Intergalactic and
Super Disco Breakin, is very science fiction. The group is finally able to successfully blend their rock and hip hop together without sounding clunky, and without having distinct rock tracks and hip hop tracks breaking the flow of the album. Mix Master Mike throws in some Latin influenced samples and what you get is gold.
 |
| "Pay attention, my intention is to bust a move" |
Tragically, a third (or fourth I guess, if you count Mix Master Mike) of the Beastie Boys, Adam Yauch (MCA) died the other day of cancer. So, of course, I had to write this up, as the Beastie Boys are on my mind recently. MCA was my favorite part of the group. His more distinct gravelly voice played off of Mike D and AdRock's more high pitched, sometimes indistinguishable sounds. He will be missed by many.
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