Popular opinion of the Beastie Boys...

[Shinmeiryuu]

I was speaking with a few of my friends, and conversation turned to what our favorite rap groups were. Now, I'm not as big a fan of Hip-Hop as I once was, but I still think that the Beastie Boys are awesome. So, when the question came around to me, I told them, "The Beastie Boys," and they all gave me really funny looks. One friend asked, "Aren't they, like, the worst rap group ever?," and the others made similar comments.

It's not just my friends that think this, too. I remember several times in the past, back when I was in high school, when alot of kids I knew seem to not like them at all. And, I don't ever hear anyone I'm ever around say, "Oh, yeah, the Beastie Boys are pretty cool;" all I've ever heard people saying that they don't like them. I've also never heard, "Hmm... Haven't really listened to them before"-type comments, either, it's just straight, "They suck"-type comments.

This really got me thinking: Why is the popular opinion of the Beastie Boys so negative? Is it because of racism, and prejudice, or is it their style that's not appealing?

What do you guys think?

[MC Boulangerie]

Nobody of my friends knows the Beastie Boys, but they knows Tupac, 50 cent... :rolleyes: :(

[cennay]

well "real" hardcore hiphop fans don't like them, because they are not the typical rap thug, and they didn't killed their momas nore made buisiness selling shit ( 50 cents neither, despise what he says)

So those "rap come from the ghettos" integrists don't like them,


but anyone who has even a small sense of music at least respect them, because they are the shit musically. I agree however that they may not be the best rappers ever, because they are often really "square", if you undertsand what i mean. And no freestyles.

i like the wild saucisson style from mc boulangerie.

[Shinmeiryuu]

I suppose you're right. Anyone who's musical interest is fixed on Hip-Hop won't have a very good appreciation of them, considering how the Beastie Boy's style is so diverse.

[JobDDT]

Fans of mainstream music in general seem to only remember their late-80s run and neglect the fact that they're legit artists who play legit musical instruments.

Anyone who actually sits down and listens to their music can't deny their creativity lyrically. Many of the hardcore "rap" (there is a subtle difference between rap and hip hop) seem to dislike them because they don't talk about objectifying women or use bad grammar.

The Beastie Boys write their own lyrics and branched out from their "made in a studio" image over 15 years ago. Guys like 50 Cent, who has gone on the record in previous interviews saying he hardly writes any of his own lyrics, and who plays no instruments at all, are popular because Dr. Dre knows how to make a sick beat.

Oddly enough, the majority of people that I talk to music about enjoy the Beasties too, so I don't think your friends' opinion is too common. But when schmucks like Justin Timberlake, who sell records because girls sleep on cardboard cut-outs of them, have multiple #1 hits while the Beasties only have one #1 hit (I believe), there is something wrong with popular music.

[kleptomaniac]

One friend asked, "Aren't they, like, the worst rap group ever?," and the others made similar comments.

I don't ever hear anyone I'm ever around say, "Oh, yeah, the Beastie Boys are pretty cool;" all I've ever heard people saying that they don't like them. I've also never heard, "Hmm... Haven't really listened to them before"-type comments, either, it's just straight, "They suck"-type comments.

What do you guys think?

they either:

a) have only heard FFYR once in their entire lives and haven't bothered hearing anything else from the band. they strictly see them as "that band" that plays "that song" (in that case, i'd recommend they listen to "solid gold hits"!!!)

b) are lying when they say they've heard of the band. i bet they probably have heard of them, but only from people who don't like them, so they form their own opinion of the band based on that person's thoughts instead of checking them out themselves.

c) are not fans of hip hop music, therefore the beastie boys wouldn't be appealing to their tastes. however, they are not aware that the boys do so much more than that! for instance, i'm sure a lot of people are unaware they play their own instruments! and they play a lot more than hip hop, they're very diversified in their music.

d) are extremely jealous of their talent & dashing good looks.

e) connect them to vanilla ice's music somehow. maybe they don't like white rappers (for the beastie boys i prefer to call them MC's). perhaps they've seen the white rapper show on vh1 and swore off listening to every white rapper for the rest of thier lives.

f) like them secretly and won't admit it for some reason...

g) have lost their minds.

[JobDDT]

And for the record, Vanilla Ice gets a bad rap.

So he sampled a beat from Queen. Who didn't sample beats in the late 80s/early 90s?

[kleptomaniac]

beastie boys > vanilla ice


i don't think anyone could argue with that! :p

[Shinmeiryuu]

And for the record, Vanilla Ice gets a bad rap.

So he sampled a beat from Queen. Who didn't sample beats in the late 80s/early 90s?

It seems the people who are "caught" sampleing always get bad reps. Aside from Vanilla Ice, I remember Biz Markie received a bad rep for sampleing.

Anyway,

d) are extremely jealous of their talent & dashing good looks.

That MUST be it!

[kleptomaniac]

I suppose you're right. Anyone who's musical interest is fixed on Hip-Hop won't have a very good appreciation of them, considering how the Beastie Boy's style is so diverse.

that's very true! i think i could be an exception to that. i started out having an appreciation for the beastie boys & the overall appeciation for hip hop/old school in general came afterwards. so i think that's why i've learned to love them both. :)

[Deep_Sea_Rain]

Most of the people I've encountered that disliked the Beasties were in my middle and high school years...they'd diss them, then turn on Britney.

But talking with adults...most people dig them. At least from what I've seen.

[Shinmeiryuu]

that's very true! i think i could be an exception to that. i started out having an appreciation for the beastie boys & the overall appeciation for hip hop/old school in general came afterwards. so i think that's why i've learned to love them both. :)

I was a fan of rock orientated music(Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, The Sex Pistols, ect) before I was ever a Beastie Boys fan. When Hello Nasty came out in the late nineties, I pick it up, just to see if it was good(I heard Intergalactic played on the radio, and I liked it, so I decided to pick up the album.). I liked the album, and everything, but my fandom of the Beasties didn't really take off until I was in High School. Man, just thinking about it brings back some awesome memories!

Anyway, I'm like you, from The Beastie Boys, my taste for rap spred to other Hip Hop groups, like Public Enemy, and the Ultramagnetic MCs.

[M.C. Guevera]

Well, it depends on who you're talking to. In my experience, some hardcore hip-hop heads respect the Beasties for what they've done...but wouldn't put them at the top of the list of the greatest of all-time since they've got some damn good competition from the likes of Public Enemy and the Wu-Tang Clan, and OutKast, etc. I've never met a hardcore hip-hop head who believes the Beasties to be the absolute GREATEST, but I HAVE met hip-hop heads who believe they're SEVERLY underrated.

Some other hip-hop heads despise them, partly because they're middle class white guys who seemed to have no problems in their lives at all instead of lower class white guys with a fucked up life like Eminem. And also because they only see them as the goofy fucks with annoying voices who did "(You've Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)".

If you're talking about the MTV-watching mindless drones of today, then they probably just don't see the appeal of 40-something white guys rapping about goofy shit. Either that or they find 50 Cent and The Games rhymes about fucking hos, and being a gangsta more appealing then the doo-doo rhymes of the Beastie Boys because the whole ghetto thug thing fascinates them. Even though there was gangsta rap in the 90's, I think the fact that all three Beasties looked like guys you'd see at a Nirvana or a Pearl Jam show helped them connect to the fans better. It's not like that anymore.

Speaking of hardcore hip-hop heads, I just like to say how much I hate a thread at another messageboard I go to where this guy (a Southern white guy who lives in a trailer park, btw) wrote that white people could NEVER be true fans of hip-hop...because they're white and not black. Not since MC Serch have I seen a white guy so ashamed and so ready to bash his own race. God, it pisses me off.

[JobDDT]

Well said.

Although at least the gangsta rap in the 90s was creative and legit. I don't give a fuck about 50 Cent vs. Ja Rule. Gangsta rap produced great music, but the overall result was a shame.

[Spanky1]

so true

[Shinmeiryuu]

Well, it depends on who you're talking to. In my experience, some hardcore hip-hop heads respect the Beasties for what they've done...but wouldn't put them at the top of the list of the greatest of all-time since they've got some damn good competition from the likes of Public Enemy and the Wu-Tang Clan, and OutKast, etc. I've never met a hardcore hip-hop head who believes the Beasties to be the absolute GREATEST, but I HAVE met hip-hop heads who believe they're SEVERLY underrated.

Some other hip-hop heads despise them, partly because they're middle class white guys who seemed to have no problems in their lives at all instead of lower class white guys with a fucked up life like Eminem. And also because they only see them as the goofy fucks with annoying voices who did "(You've Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)".

If you're talking about the MTV-watching mindless drones of today, then they probably just don't see the appeal of 40-something white guys rapping about goofy shit. Either that or they find 50 Cent and The Games rhymes about fucking hos, and being a gangsta more appealing then the doo-doo rhymes of the Beastie Boys because the whole ghetto thug thing fascinates them. Even though there was gangsta rap in the 90's, I think the fact that all three Beasties looked like guys you'd see at a Nirvana or a Pearl Jam show helped them connect to the fans better. It's not like that anymore.

Speaking of hardcore hip-hop heads, I just like to say how much I hate a thread at another messageboard I go to where this guy (a Southern white guy who lives in a trailer park, btw) wrote that white people could NEVER be true fans of hip-hop...because they're white and not black. Not since MC Serch have I seen a white guy so ashamed and so ready to bash his own race. God, it pisses me off.

The people I've met fall into the latter category, most likely(Although, I don't want to generallize). My friends' favorite rappers are the likes of Lil' Scrappy, 50 Cent(ugh), and other wannabe gansta-rappers, so I suppose the Old-School style of the Beastie Boys doesn't really appeal to them. Now that I think about it, it's sounds like the most plausable explanation. Either that, or they were fed bad information about them, like some of the others in this thread have suggested.

[cennay]

well ta the end,

maybe let's just say that, not everyone likes good music :D

[ggirlballa]

i started out having an appreciation for the beastie boys & the overall appeciation for hip hop/old school in general came afterwards. so i think that's why i've learned to love them both. :)

same here!

anywayz eventually everybody in my school figured out i liked the beastie boys cuz i talked about them a lot and my folder is filled with Beastie Boy stickers & tickets etc

anywayz only 2 times i've gotten that "oh they suck" and once this guy said "beastie boys are fags" anywayz i usually respond with "If you knew anything about them or about older/better rap you wouldn't be saying that" and that usually shuts them up(y)

[ggirlballa]

Well, it depends on who you're talking to. In my experience, some hardcore hip-hop heads respect the Beasties for what they've done...but wouldn't put them at the top of the list of the greatest of all-time since they've got some damn good competition from the likes of Public Enemy and the Wu-Tang Clan, and OutKast, etc. I've never met a hardcore hip-hop head who believes the Beasties to be the absolute GREATEST, but I HAVE met hip-hop heads who believe they're SEVERLY underrated.

Some other hip-hop heads despise them, partly because they're middle class white guys who seemed to have no problems in their lives at all instead of lower class white guys with a fucked up life like Eminem. And also because they only see them as the goofy fucks with annoying voices who did "(You've Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)".

If you're talking about the MTV-watching mindless drones of today, then they probably just don't see the appeal of 40-something white guys rapping about goofy shit. Either that or they find 50 Cent and The Games rhymes about fucking hos, and being a gangsta more appealing then the doo-doo rhymes of the Beastie Boys because the whole ghetto thug thing fascinates them. Even though there was gangsta rap in the 90's, I think the fact that all three Beasties looked like guys you'd see at a Nirvana or a Pearl Jam show helped them connect to the fans better. It's not like that anymore.

Speaking of hardcore hip-hop heads, I just like to say how much I hate a thread at another messageboard I go to where this guy (a Southern white guy who lives in a trailer park, btw) wrote that white people could NEVER be true fans of hip-hop...because they're white and not black. Not since MC Serch have I seen a white guy so ashamed and so ready to bash his own race. God, it pisses me off.


well most of my friends think the beastie boys are ok since i've kinda changed their minda a bit. my best friend gives them their props while her twin sister doesn't like them for being "too old" while she sings "pop that pussy" by some southern rapper whenever i'm around & she hates that i don't like the same rap as she does...i call it "crap rap".....also most people my age don't want to bother to dig in the crates to find older hip hop they'd rather turn on MTV or top 40 radio & listen to whatever MTV/top 40 radio feeds them & most of that is crap


also the "i hate white boy rappers" thing comes in(n)

[M.C. Guevera]

I'd say Public Enemy and the Beastie Boys got me into old school hip-hop, although Beastie Boys more so, because even after I got into Public Enemy I was still listening to alot of mainstream Top 40 hip-hop.

[M.C. Guevera]

well most of my friends think the beastie boys are ok since i've kinda changed their minda a bit. my best friend gives them their props while her twin sister doesn't like them for being "too old" while she sings "pop that pussy" by some southern rapper whenever i'm around & she hates that i don't like the same rap as she does...i call it "crap rap".....also most people my age don't want to bother to dig in the crates to find older hip hop they'd rather turn on MTV or top 40 radio & listen to whatever MTV/top 40 radio feeds them & most of that is crap


also the "i hate white boy rappers" thing comes in(n)

I'm the only Beastie Boys fan I know, sadly. My best friend thinks they're okay, but he's not in a hurry to get their albums or anything. My mom liked "(You've Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)" but that's it. My dad doesn't care about them. My uncle hates them since he hates all whiteboy rappers.

My cousins used to despise them, now they're just annoyed by them. But then again, one of my cousins is in *love* with Lloyd Banks. And I'm like, "Lloyd Banks? Really? Not 50 Cent, but his less talented, less annoying, less charismatic doppleganger?"

[ggirlballa]

yea beastie boys got me into older rap P.E, Run DMC, Tribe Called Quest, & whole lots more, and they basically got me into the culture of hip hop, bboys & mc's & dj'ing & graffiti etc

[Kaptain Nemo]

The B BOYS came out at a time when hip-hop was way different. They stepped up as a punk group trying to get down with rhymes, and forged a style that is arguably their own. Mad respect; and this echoed throughout the halls of the real deal hip-hop NY style and beyond.

That being said, you either like it or you don't. Beasties are like Audio Two, you love it or hate it. Except the B Boys kept it alive for decades by expanding and making it multi-dimensional music like Pink Floyd.

[Kid Presentable]

Fuck popular opinion, anyways. You can see what popular opinion does.

[Justin]

I just wanted to post so it can be known that I'm not posting in this thread

[cennay]

My mom liked "(You've Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)"


haha, my 65 mom just adores them, and she was with us in a beastie gig, it was wicked crazy.
But again, I left a tape of the first nirvana, which is great by the way, in the car, and now she is a aslo a fan. hahahaha.

[TAFKASB]

The only opinion I will pay attention to when it comes to peoples views about the BB is when they know roughly what they have done over the years..not just LTI stuff. I don't expect anyone one to know all of their stuff unless they are fans, but so longs as it goes beyond FFYR I'm all ears. I'm a taxi driver, so as you can imagine, I play a lot of BB stuff in my car. I've had all kinds of people cast their opinions, and I must say, most of it is all good. ( I'm talking about people with music knowledge, not kids and fuck wits who only know the top 40) Just about everyone I've met loves at least one BB track. Rockers, Asians, Blacks, Skateboaders, White Kids, Punks, the lot!! To me that speaks great volumes about them. In fact, most people in the music business will appriciate what they have done. Bottom line is folks....who gives a flying fuck..so long as you love em right?

[Billy2007]

not alot of my friends have heard of them except one who is miranda and she loves them (i think she has a name on here)

[Shinmeiryuu]

I'd like to make it perfectally clear: Don't get the idea that I actually care about popular opinion of the Beastie Boys, itself - I seriously don't. I wanted to know if the popular opinion of them around my area was similar to how they are perceived in other parts of the world. I've pretty much gotten my answer, now, so, thanks guys. I appreciate it.

[Otis Driftwood]

not alot of my friends have heard of them except one who is miranda and she loves them (i think she has a name on here)
miranda15? She´s infamous for being too young, being too chatty on the phone and only typing in /337 speak.
Were you born in 2007? Cause even the east Germans know about Fight for your Right... :rolleyes:

[Chicka B]

Ehhh it seems like everyone I know didn't even know about them til me. The only other person I can think of that knows as much about them as me is my best friend's boyfriend's brother, and he's 20...too bad he has a girlfriend. :(

[Billy2007]

miranda15? She´s infamous for being too young, being too chatty on the phone and only typing in /337 speak.
Were you born in 2007? Cause even the east Germans know about Fight for your Right... :rolleyes:
Nope I wasnt born in this year. i was born in 1993. and yup that is her and wat is /337 speak but yeah rite about her being chatty on the phone

[JobDDT]

Born in 1993?

Way to make me feel old, champ.

[ggirlballa]

Nope I wasnt born in this year. i was born in 1993. and yup that is her and wat is /337 speak but yeah rite about her being chatty on the phone

l337 speak is internet talk like WTF LOL FTW! stuff like that

also are u that 1 guy who she seems to always post about & kinda annoys a lot of people on here cuz most people in BF are cold

i was born in 93' too what! what!

[miranda15]

l337 speak is internet talk like WTF LOL FTW! stuff like that

also are u that 1 guy who she seems to always post about & kinda annoys a lot of people on here cuz most people in BF are cold

i was born in 93' too what! what!
la la la

[ggirlballa]

la la la

aight then :rolleyes:

[Shinmeiryuu]

I don't mean to sound uptight, but could you guys not spam my thread, please? If people still have imput towards the original subject, I'd like the thread to stay open, so they can reply to it. If it's closed up because of spamming, then noone will be able to do that.

[titou lapraline]

Nobody of my friends knows the Beastie Boys, but they knows Tupac, 50 cent... :rolleyes: :(
..hum...that's not false..

But most of the time, a french guy who knows the beastie boys,
likes them a lot... Even if he is always surprised by their particular voices.

I'm not sure, but I recently noticed that the beastie boys are better known
by alternative musician than by hip hop musicians....The In Sound From Way Out
is a lot used by the french TV channels for their reports.

[Junker]

I'm proud in say that I have influenced a lot of friends of mine and 2 of my cousins. They now love the boys. (y)

And I sincerely dont hear so many "They suck". I hear more "I dont know them", "I dont know them so well", "Beastie what??", "Oh, the Beach Boys??".

But its kinda crazy. The boys are underrated and even tho their shows always sold out.

[titou lapraline]

I'm proud in say that I have influenced a lot of friends of mine and 2 of my cousins. They now love the boys. (y)

lol...It's exactly the same thing for me!:D

[LongDuckDong]

I was driving my daughter's friend home last week who is 14. I was playing TT5B and my daughter groaned so I switched out the cd and put in Pauls Boutique. Her friend loved it and when her dad came out to the car she told her dad to listen. He surprised her by saying he had the tape upstairs. I asked her why she liked it and she said it seemed Happy. Maybe thats the difference and why people used to like them. I can kind of see it.

[titou lapraline]

^ Personally, I can't explain why I love the beastie boys...

[Brother McDuff]

I take pride in all of the minds I've turned (friends and family) on to the boys. many were either indifferent or slightly distasteful towards them, but mostly cause they never heard anything beyond the obvious tracks. I used to carry a mix on me that showcased all the different styles they did and wouldn't tell poeple til the end that it was all the beasties, and then i'd watch their minds get blown. they'd always walk away with a newfound respect, and myself with a sense of accomplishment.

[Junker]

lol...It's exactly the same thing for me!:D
Keep up with the good work then, titou!!! (y) :) :D

[Junker]

I take pride in all of the minds I've turned (friends and family) on to the boys. many were either indifferent or slightly distasteful towards them, but mostly cause they never heard anything beyond the obvious tracks. I used to carry a mix on me that showcased all the different styles they did and wouldn't tell poeple til the end that it was all the beasties, and then i'd watch their minds get blown. they'd always walk away with a newfound respect, and myself with a sense of accomplishment.

1 song from each album can help to change people's opinions towards them. (y)

You're doing a very good thing to the world, Brotha!!

[DJ Pioneer]

I'm a big fan of hip hop in general. I guess mostly underground today, and a lot of older stuff. It's not a big deal to be a Nas and Jay-Z fan, and a Beastie Boys fan. It can happen. They are just not the typical style. Most people discredit them immediately because they're white obviously. Most white rappers have been pretty lousy over the years (Vanilla Ice down the line to Snow, MC Serch, Bubba Sparxxx, Haystack, etc.).

I think the Beastie Boys worked because they formed their own niche. Similar to Eminem. No one really heard lyrics like Eminem's before, and he sort of carved his own niche as well. Hardcore rap fans don't like them because they're "too" different, and hardcore rock fans don't like them because they rap.

[titou lapraline]

Keep up with the good work then, titou!!! (y) :) :D
"ET LA LUTTE CONTINUE !!!" as Israël Horovitz says...(y)

[Shinmeiryuu]

I haven't been able to Beastieize anyone. I let some of my friends listen to Check Your Head and Paul's Boutique, and they didn't seem to like either one. One friend showed some interest, but in the end, he just said, "they're alright, but they're just not my style."

[Junker]

"ET LA LUTTE CONTINUE !!!" as Israël Horovitz says...(y)

That's right!
And it's similar to Portuguese "E A LUTA CONTINUA"
I assume it means "AND THE FIGHT GOES ON"

[MC Boulangerie]

In France when I speak about Beastie Boys they find the name ridiculous and they believe that it's a boy band like Backstreet Boys :D

[Junker]

In France when I speak about Beastie Boys they find the name ridiculous and they believe that it's a boy band like Backstreet Boys :D

I believe they are sad people. :p

[PaulPachis]

The Beastie Boys carved out a niche for themselves back in the day with Licensed to Ill. They were certainly popular after the release of that album because it produced urban white rap with a positive vibe to it. The image they generated was contrived with their beer guzzling and penis on stage antics for sure, no doubt. " I wear a hat not a visor I drink budweiser...so I reached in the water cooler and grabbed a cool Bud". Personally I could not get enough a dat chit man. It was priceless and my forever favourite band had been born (even though they had previously recorded punk, Cookie Puss and Slow and Low). This album broke them into mainstream and riding on the coatails of Run DMC and touring with Madonna, rap had now sunk its teeth into popular culture. Dude, who doesn't know the Beastie Boys nowadays? They've been pumping out the funky, savvy, positive, evolutionary, and internationally renowned jams for over twenty years. Please.
I remember hearing Paul Revere on mixed tapes I used to get from my soccer buddies in Scarborough because they had first dibs on it. Similarly to Eminem, I didn't know whether they black or white. Honestly they were that much more appealing to me because they created sick jams in a heavily black dominated industry. And they had a good vibe.
The Paul Revere story line and the introduction of each MC was priceless. I get goosebumps just thinking of the lyrics. "three bad brothers you know so well". "Well my name is MCA and I gotta license to kill and if you know what time it is it is time to get ill", and "I'm Mike D and I get respect you're cash and your jewellry is what I expect". Oh really, that is hilarious stuff man. They are hugely popular act anywhere they play and the lyrics get me teary eyed from time to time even today.