THE BROUHAHA

Licensed To Ill
The B-Boys’ major label debut. If you were alive when this album was released, listening to it probably conjures up a whole bunch of old-school memories. Statistically, this is the first rap album to top the Billboard 200. On tour, the Beasties spark controversy, fight for their right to frolic, perform on stage with what looks like a giant, inflatable wiener, and curiously morph into the frat boys they meant to parody. Licensed to Ill also marks the last time the Beastie Boys work with Rick Rubin, Russell Simmons—and Slayer’s Kerry King. (Although Rick went on to produce several albums for Slayer, we’re pretty sure Russell and Kerry’s working relationship came to an end as well.)

Paul's Boutique
After Rick and Russell hold out on some unpaid royalties, the Beastie Boys leave Def Jam, head out west—much like The Beverly Hillbillies’ Jed Clampett—rent a house (dubbed the G-Spot) from some wealthy, eccentric old people, play ping-pong in the studio when they're supposed to be recording an album, and team up with a duo of college radio DJs best known for working with rap powerhouses Tone Loc and Young MC. As any sane person could prognosticate, the Beastie’s sophomore album was a terrible failure—not only lagging in sales, but many of your grade school and high school buddies probably said it “sucked.” Years later, it’s considered one of the greatest albums of all time. Go figure.

Check Your Head
Just as perplexing as the events explained above, the Beastie Boys write rhymes in a log cabin, wear sock caps in a climate that usually calls for G-strings, and abandon the G-Spot to build their own studio called, G-Son. And, oh yeah, these multi-platinum hip-hop artists decide that they want to jam out on instruments, just like they did when they were teenagers. This time, instead of playing ping-pong, the Beasties decide it would be a good idea to build a skateboarding half-pipe and a basketball court inside their studio—and to recruit their carpenter to play keyboard in the band. At the eleventh hour the Beastie Boys decide that they need to make one more song for their album to be complete and pen “So What’cha Want?.” How’s that for being clutch?

Ill Communication
The lone time in Beastie history fans are given the luxury of only having to wait two years between studio albums. During the summer of 1994, the Beastie Boys drop jaws at Lollapalooza, and for some odd reason still not known to man, the Smashing Pumpkins begrudgingly close out each night, with fans exiting through turnstiles listening to Billy Corgan complain about how the B-Boys stole their thunder. Though the Beastie Boys prove to be the best live act in the land, most people remember this period as the time the Beastie Boys dressed up as ‘70s cops and made one of the most critically acclaimed music videos of all time. (No diss on “Sabotage,” but the dance moves in “Sure Shot” are far superior.)

Hello Nasty
Apparently DJ Hurricane lost clout, because he is replaced on turntables by Mix Master Mike, who also has an entire song dedicated to him (what a way to welcome in a DJ). The bitterness of old-school fans is washed away when they witness the nimble fingers of Michael Schwartz, adding another dimension to the Beastie Boys’ live show. And speaking of other dimensions, the biggest hit from this disc is a throw away track from Ill Communication. At the insistence of a friend, Adrock dusts off an old intergalactic hook—as well as an old Licensed To Ill hook—and borrows Mike D’s vocoder to piece together a song that would eventually win a Grammy. Ten years later, the rest of the hip-hop community follows suit—creating every hook through a vocoder—proving once again that the Beastie Boys are always ahead of the learning curve.

To The 5 Boroughs
Even the Beastie Boys realize that six years between albums is a long time to make their fans wait. Not only does promotional material lovingly tease: The hiatus is back off, again, but the Beasties urge their fans to “stay patient” in one of the many rhymes featured on their all-hip-hop TT5B. The B-Boys also go as far as concocting a story—dramatized in their music video “Triple Trouble”—about being kidnapped and held captive by Sasquatch for the last half decade. Is it true? Hard to say, but the Beastie Boys live show is as enjoyable as ever, and little did Mike D know that his index finger would steal the spotlight during performances of “Ch-Check It Out.”

The Mix Up
In 2007 there's this really good rumor on the internet saying that the Beastie Boys’ new studio album is going to be all instrumental. Turns out it's not a rumor. Keeping with the instrumental theme, on various tour stops the Beastie Boys play all of their instrumental tunes, as well as all of their beloved hip-hop numbers on, um, instruments. If Kool Moe Dee were still doling out grades, he would surely give the Beastie Boys an “A” for sticking to themes.

Hot Sauce Committee, Part 1
Although it’s only been two years between studio albums, the wait feels longer just because it’s been five years since we’ve heard Beastie voices on an album (although if you listen closely enough to The Mix Up you can hear some Beastie Boy chatter). Months leading up to the album, MCA is diagnosed with cancer, and the release is put on hold. No need for rhymes about “staying patient,” because album release dates don’t seem so important at the moment...