dee_bee_76
06-16-2004, 06:46 PM
June 16, 2004, 5:38PM
Beastie Boys celebrate a New York state of mind
By MICHAEL D. CLARK
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
The Beastie Boys' last album, 1998's Hello Nasty, did not have a signature song. That won't be a problem with the just-released To the 5 Boroughs.
Its 15 tracks are an homage and thank-you to New York City, birthplace not only of the original white rappers but also of hip-hop itself. Its standout track, An Open Letter to NYC, should follow Fight for Your Right, So What'cha Want and Sabotage into the Beastie Boys' hall of slang as anthems defining a moment in hip-hop history.
Running on the rails of a bubbling keyboard, Open Letter is a stylized shout-out to New York City, from Battery Park to Brooklyn. It may be the next phase in the post-9/11 healing process.
Where Bruce Springsteen's The Rising was about recovering from wounds, the Beastie Boys' lyrics are about rising from the flames. There is little dark imagery, just a call for unity and Big Apple pride.
Getting back to their roots must've made Mike D, Ad-Rock and MCA misty-eyed for rhyme-slinging in simpler times. First single Ch-Check it Out is a glorious return to the days when Ad-Rock would crack wise in his nasal whine, then pass the mic to MCA for a few raspy pop-culture couplets. And against a cymbal-snare drum loop, Ch-Check it Out gets no more highbrow than Klingons, Lorne Greene, Mutual of Omaha and Miss Piggy.
In their mid- to late 30s now, the Beasties long ago disavowed their beer-drinkin', party-hearty, girl-dissin' youth. They have never stopped being cool, but a recent tendency to get self-righteous and preachy (particularly MCA) has been a momentum killer. No one wants to be scolded by a bunch of guys who spent their adolescence wearing Jägermeister T-shirts and encouraging the consumption of cheap beer.
The sermon is muted on To the 5 Boroughs, which makes life lessons like We Got The and Time to Build stand out. Compared with Triple Trouble (a groove that sounds like the Rolling Stones' Sympathy for the Devil) and the Oh Word?, they're Oldsmobiles trying to challenge bass-bumpin' Hummers.
The Beastie Boys spent so much of the last decade experimenting with live instruments, punk and computer enhancements that their look back here is effective. The opening of The Hard Way, with MCA poking "sucka MC's" in the chest with the line, "Your rhyme technique, it is antique," is like seeing the schoolyard bully for the first time after summer vacation.
Nearly two decades ago, the Beastie Boys were one of the first rap groups to push the boundaries. On To the 5 Boroughs they celebrate a New York City sound they helped create.
Grade: B+
Beastie Boys celebrate a New York state of mind
By MICHAEL D. CLARK
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
The Beastie Boys' last album, 1998's Hello Nasty, did not have a signature song. That won't be a problem with the just-released To the 5 Boroughs.
Its 15 tracks are an homage and thank-you to New York City, birthplace not only of the original white rappers but also of hip-hop itself. Its standout track, An Open Letter to NYC, should follow Fight for Your Right, So What'cha Want and Sabotage into the Beastie Boys' hall of slang as anthems defining a moment in hip-hop history.
Running on the rails of a bubbling keyboard, Open Letter is a stylized shout-out to New York City, from Battery Park to Brooklyn. It may be the next phase in the post-9/11 healing process.
Where Bruce Springsteen's The Rising was about recovering from wounds, the Beastie Boys' lyrics are about rising from the flames. There is little dark imagery, just a call for unity and Big Apple pride.
Getting back to their roots must've made Mike D, Ad-Rock and MCA misty-eyed for rhyme-slinging in simpler times. First single Ch-Check it Out is a glorious return to the days when Ad-Rock would crack wise in his nasal whine, then pass the mic to MCA for a few raspy pop-culture couplets. And against a cymbal-snare drum loop, Ch-Check it Out gets no more highbrow than Klingons, Lorne Greene, Mutual of Omaha and Miss Piggy.
In their mid- to late 30s now, the Beasties long ago disavowed their beer-drinkin', party-hearty, girl-dissin' youth. They have never stopped being cool, but a recent tendency to get self-righteous and preachy (particularly MCA) has been a momentum killer. No one wants to be scolded by a bunch of guys who spent their adolescence wearing Jägermeister T-shirts and encouraging the consumption of cheap beer.
The sermon is muted on To the 5 Boroughs, which makes life lessons like We Got The and Time to Build stand out. Compared with Triple Trouble (a groove that sounds like the Rolling Stones' Sympathy for the Devil) and the Oh Word?, they're Oldsmobiles trying to challenge bass-bumpin' Hummers.
The Beastie Boys spent so much of the last decade experimenting with live instruments, punk and computer enhancements that their look back here is effective. The opening of The Hard Way, with MCA poking "sucka MC's" in the chest with the line, "Your rhyme technique, it is antique," is like seeing the schoolyard bully for the first time after summer vacation.
Nearly two decades ago, the Beastie Boys were one of the first rap groups to push the boundaries. On To the 5 Boroughs they celebrate a New York City sound they helped create.
Grade: B+