It’s a great moment on the new album when you rock with Mike D and Ad-Rock, from the Beastie Boys, and Run-DMC on “Public Enemy Number Won” as middle-aged rappers now.
It’s a moment, man. It wasn’t easy, because the Beastie Boys have a pact that they’re not gonna be rhyming again [after Adam “MCA” Yauch’s death in 2012]. And what they were able to give to that song, to me, was just amazing … Run-DMC, Jam Master Jay, Ad-Rock, Mike D and MCA, they had brought me into the Def Jam thing. We’ve come full circle to do “Public Enemy Number Won.” It was the perfect 60th birthday present.
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the pact thing is interesting. ad rock is on record post '12 doing that champagne jerry thing. i think the rapper mike d was doing some stuff when he was dj'ing. if true maybe they made this pact while writing the book and doing those shows. interesting though and good for them, and good for PE coming back at 60 to drop an album on def jam. still hard for me to think of flava w/o brigitte nielsen top of mind but whatever....