Get On The Mic vs. Mike On The Mic

[mickill]

One, an invitation to battle in the guise of a tribute to their performing counterpart. The other, a seemingly non-retaliatory response littered with unabashed grandstanding. Do Mike's boasts hold up to Adam & Adam's persistent nudges for Mike to, as they say, get on the mic or would Mike on the mic be a far greater threat than either of them could have anticipated? Who ultimately comes out on top? The oft-debated topic never seems to find a conclusive answer.

It all starts innocently enough; two mini-masterpieces, little more than over two minutes in duration between them; a pair of doppelganger tunes. Upon closer inspection, however, the virtue of the sentiments become less discernable.

The initial blows come from the Adams. The playful nature of their rhymes suggesting the tune may have been an innocent homage of sorts. But the underlying discord made apparent by venomous lines such as "'I'm the King Ad Whammy, you're Dick Butkus" suggest otherwise. Butkus, who remains one of the greatest linebackers of all time, had seen his own fair share of "offensive lines" in his heyday, but few could have struck with the same hateful force as his own ridiculous name. The insolence of the remark was further punctuated by the fact that the one-time linebacker had had already begun his second career as a celebrity endorser for Qwik-Cook Grills. Burn indeed.

To his credit, Mike is a more than worthy opponent; his retaliatory attack on the mic with such cocksure boasts as "If I ate spinach, I'd be called Spinach D" and "I shed light, cats shed fur" remain irrefutable examples of his unwillingness to provide actual glimpses of his own vulnerability. He instead chooses to wear his perceived immortality on his sleeve. Ever the gentleman, Mike decides not to take personal shots at his group mates. His response nevertheless comes swiftly, is to the point, and never veers from its target. Admittedly, Mike is at a severe disadvantage all along. He nonetheless evokes a great deal of aplomb and should be applauded for his gumption.

The opinions of music historians, pop culture virtuosos and other unqualified authorities on the matter will likely remain split for many generations to come. Some believe that the Adams ultimately dominated the lone wolf efforts of their comrade with their fervent combined assault on Get On The Mic. Others feel that they got ethered by Mike.

I say Get On The Mic ftw.

[Manticore]

Because you know you eat shellfish...

[Jiberish]

That was an enjoyable deconstruction.

[MCScoobyT]

Mike ethered Adam squared.

[cj hood]

i prefer mic-to-mic....

[dfmoss]

Both are very close on the goofy meter but mike on the mic's got that slim margin because of the rhyme with the sample of the weatherman saying

"it's a trip! it's got a FUNKY beat! and I can BUG OUT to it"

[laurie_hammy]

Im goin with "Get On The Mic"

[Brother McDuff]

That was an enjoyable deconstruction.


indeed.

[pshabi]

One, an invitation to battle in the guise of a tribute to their performing counterpart. The other, a seemingly non-retaliatory response littered with unabashed grandstanding. Do Mike's boasts hold up to Adam & Adam's persistent nudges for Mike to, as they say, get on the mic or would Mike on the mic be a far greater threat than either of them could have anticipated? Who ultimately comes out on top? The oft-debated topic never seems to find a conclusive answer.

It all starts innocently enough; two mini-masterpieces, little more than over two minutes in duration between them; a pair of doppelganger tunes. Upon closer inspection, however, the virtue of the sentiments become less discernable.

The initial blows come from the Adams. The playful nature of their rhymes suggesting the tune may have been an innocent homage of sorts. But the underlying discord made apparent by venomous lines such as "'I'm the King Ad Whammy, you're Dick Butkus" suggest otherwise. Butkus, who remains one of the greatest linebackers of all time, had seen his own fair share of "offensive lines" in his heyday, but few could have struck with the same hateful force as his own ridiculous name. The insolence of the remark was further punctuated by the fact that the one-time linebacker had had already begun his second career as a celebrity endorser for Qwik-Cook Grills. Burn indeed.

To his credit, Mike is a more than worthy opponent; his retaliatory attack on the mic with such cocksure boasts as "If I ate spinach, I'd be called Spinach D" and "I shed light, cats shed fur" remain irrefutable examples of his unwillingness to provide actual glimpses of his own vulnerability. He instead chooses to wear his perceived immortality on his sleeve. Ever the gentleman, Mike decides not to take personal shots at his group mates. His response nevertheless comes swiftly, is to the point, and never veers from its target. Admittedly, Mike is at a severe disadvantage all along. He nonetheless evokes a great deal of aplomb and should be applauded for his gumption.

The opinions of music historians, pop culture virtuosos and other unqualified authorities on the matter will likely remain split for many generations to come. Some believe that the Adams ultimately dominated the lone wolf efforts of their comrade with their fervent combined assault on Get On The Mic. Others feel that they got ethered by Mike.

I say Get On The Mic ftw.

tl;dr

[Documad]

Sometimes I wonder whether mickill lost a bet and has to post here now. But I sure do like it. :)

[Laver1969]

Sometimes I wonder whether mickill lost a bet and has to post here now. But I sure do like it. :)

Really? I kinda like him better in the BF area. His deep capacity for the Beasties is merely a part of his larger capacity for intense BF feelings of all kinds. Put another way, it is possible to describe him as lacking the capacity for moderation. Beastie General compels him to sneak into the forum of his enemy’s spouse, risking ridicule simply to catch a glimpse of recognition in Beastie General. Pride compels him to post his deep Beastie thoughts in a reckless manner to avenge the greatness of his Beastie friends. Or something like that...

Wait - who are we talking about again?

[pm0ney]

Mike on the Mic. Definitely.

edit: Year and a Day destroys both though, agreed?

[Brother McDuff]

"Get On the Mic" is a riotous old school steamer. I always overlook that track, but am so taken whenever I hear it.


"One half science and another half soul
Nickname Mike D. not Fat Morton Jelly Roll"


splendid.

[laurie_hammy]

You say fuck that, yo homes fuck this

[Kid Presentable]

Excellent dissection, a sound discussion with many relevant examples. However, as the father of Lateral Thought, Edward De Bono, would remind us, another perspective is often useful.

While it is true that the Adams lampoon and taunt the young Mr Diamond no end, be it through existential nihilism ("Fuck This") or deconstructing his latent self-preserving, desire-driven sense of morality ("Don't be so selfish"), there are far reaching implications for the impact felt throughout rap, music in general, and even the computer software industry henceforth, from Michael's ethereal response delivered so eloquently on that 1988 evening.

Taking the Adams on board in this instance as 'Haters' in the colloquial, inner-city and outer rural satellite sense, Michael Diamond's reply is driven by a simple yet highly effective Modus Operandi - Show the haters 'The Lifestyle'.

In a manner that would blueprint the late Biggie Smalls' 'ride the haters like escalators' approach to ostentatious displays of wealth, Michael chooses not to retort directly, but rather to remind the 'Haters' (the Adams, for loyal readers) that he has better things to do, because he is living 'The Lifestyle'.

While the Adams sift through various character flaws of the young rapper they hold in such disdain, often with a fine-toothed beard-comb, Michael instead takes listeners on a Kerouac-meets-Chaucer journey through his life, that while bugged out like Cezanne, marries both the aromas of meat pies and the auditory delights of flatulent prosititutes with a cross-country worldliness embodied by the bards in question.

Michael had too much to drink, at the Red Lobster. A veritable feast, of orgiastic delights. The man eats microphones, a sophisticated gastronomic boast which aims higher than those of his detractors. Again, he feasts. And in doing so, he "sheds light". His devoted followers likely don eyepatches and antlers, and worship the moon in his name, such is his wisdom. He rides around town, spreading his gospel. The Adams catch the train. They are watching infomercials, while Michael ingests life with a full-blooded roar, smearing the entrails of success upon the clean white walls of good graces.

Such hedonism is in stark contrast to the cat-calling and bitter estimations leveled by his foes, who no doubt formulated their verbal attacks in a darkened room, whilst Michael went about his merry way, living 'The Lifestyle'. The Adams are indeed mad rappers in this estimation, talking about it, while Michael lives it.

Because of 'The Lifestyle' , Michael will always have the upper hand. Mike on the Mic is not only a song, it is a movement. It is a reminder that you do not have to acknowledge your critics, and that often the best revenge, is simply living well.

[mickill]

Sometimes I wonder whether mickill lost a bet and has to post here now. But I sure do like it. :)

Thank you. Alas, a bet was not lost.

Laver actually hit the nail on the head.

[mickill]

Excellent dissection, a sound discussion with many relevant examples. However, as the father of Lateral Thought, Edward De Bono, would remind us, another perspective is often useful.

While it is true that the Adams lampoon and taunt the young Mr Diamond no end, be it through existential nihilism ("Fuck This") or deconstructing his latent self-preserving, desire-driven sense of morality ("Don't be so selfish"), there are far reaching implications for the impact felt throughout rap, music in general, and even the computer software industry henceforth, from Michael's ethereal response delivered so eloquently on that 1988 evening.

Taking the Adams on board in this instance as 'Haters' in the colloquial, inner-city and outer rural satellite sense, Michael Diamond's reply is driven by a simple yet highly effective Modus Operandi - Show the haters 'The Lifestyle'.

In a manner that would blueprint the late Biggie Smalls' 'ride the haters like escalators' approach to ostentatious displays of wealth, Michael chooses not to retort directly, but rather to remind the 'Haters' (the Adams, for loyal readers) that he has better things to do, because he is living 'The Lifestyle'.

While the Adams sift through various character flaws of the young rapper they hold in such disdain, often with a fine-toothed beard-comb, Michael instead takes listeners on a Kerouac-meets-Chaucer journey through his life, that while bugged out like Cezanne, marries both the aromas of meat pies and the auditory delights of flatulent prosititutes with a cross-country worldliness embodied by the bards in question.

Michael had too much to drink, at the Red Lobster. A veritable feast, of orgiastic delights. The man eats microphones, a sophisticated gastronomic boast which aims higher than those of his detractors. Again, he feasts. And in doing so, he "sheds light". His devoted followers likely don eyepatches and antlers, and worship the moon in his name, such is his wisdom. He rides around town, spreading his gospel. The Adams catch the train. They are watching infomercials, while Michael ingests life with a full-blooded roar, smearing the entrails of success upon the clean white walls of good graces.

Such hedonism is in stark contrast to the cat-calling and bitter estimations leveled by his foes, who no doubt formulated their verbal attacks in a darkened room, whilst Michael went about his merry way, living 'The Lifestyle'. The Adams are indeed mad rappers in this estimation, talking about it, while Michael lives it.

Because of 'The Lifestyle' , Michael will always have the upper hand. Mike on the Mic is not only a song, it is a movement. It is a reminder that you do not have to acknowledge your critics, and that often the best revenge, is simply living well.

*strokes beard*

tl;dr

[Sir SkratchaLot]

I voted for Get on the Mic because the drums are done with live scratching, which was a rare thing in 1989. It's like the precursor to 3 MCs and 1 DJ.

If it wasn't for Get on Mic we might have never gotten to this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKD0dJvaPOU&feature=related

[Michelle*s_Farm]

One, an invitation to battle in the guise of a tribute to their performing counterpart. The other, a seemingly non-retaliatory response littered with unabashed grandstanding. Do Mike's boasts hold up to Adam & Adam's persistent nudges for Mike to, as they say, get on the mic or would Mike on the mic be a far greater threat than either of them could have anticipated? Who ultimately comes out on top? The oft-debated topic never seems to find a conclusive answer.

It all starts innocently enough; two mini-masterpieces, little more than over two minutes in duration between them; a pair of doppelganger tunes. Upon closer inspection, however, the virtue of the sentiments become less discernable.

The initial blows come from the Adams. The playful nature of their rhymes suggesting the tune may have been an innocent homage of sorts. But the underlying discord made apparent by venomous lines such as "'I'm the King Ad Whammy, you're Dick Butkus" suggest otherwise. Butkus, who remains one of the greatest linebackers of all time, had seen his own fair share of "offensive lines" in his heyday, but few could have struck with the same hateful force as his own ridiculous name. The insolence of the remark was further punctuated by the fact that the one-time linebacker had had already begun his second career as a celebrity endorser for Qwik-Cook Grills. Burn indeed.

To his credit, Mike is a more than worthy opponent; his retaliatory attack on the mic with such cocksure boasts as "If I ate spinach, I'd be called Spinach D" and "I shed light, cats shed fur" remain irrefutable examples of his unwillingness to provide actual glimpses of his own vulnerability. He instead chooses to wear his perceived immortality on his sleeve. Ever the gentleman, Mike decides not to take personal shots at his group mates. His response nevertheless comes swiftly, is to the point, and never veers from its target. Admittedly, Mike is at a severe disadvantage all along. He nonetheless evokes a great deal of aplomb and should be applauded for his gumption.

The opinions of music historians, pop culture virtuosos and other unqualified authorities on the matter will likely remain split for many generations to come. Some believe that the Adams ultimately dominated the lone wolf efforts of their comrade with their fervent combined assault on Get On The Mic. Others feel that they got ethered by Mike.

I say Get On The Mic ftw.

You should write song or album reviews -- I enjoyed your post a lot. I wish professional reviewers would incorporate more humour, pop cultural commentary and history into their reviews of Beastie Boys' LPs or LPs in general. It is as if ever since Lester Bangs there have been few music critics with an original style or voice. Maybe they are out there and I am just not finding them.

[mickill]

That's quite a compliment. Thank you, Michelles*s_Farm.

But to paraphrase Laver1969's above comments, my deep capacity for the Beasties is merely a part of my larger capacity for intense feelings of all kinds since I am lacking the capacity for moderation.