at a glance...

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Formed: 1981

Personnel:
Mike D (Mike Diamond)
MCA (Adam Yauch)
Ad-Rock (Adam Horovitz)

Bands in the family :
Luscious Jackson, A Tribe Called Quest, BS2000, Money Mark, UNKLE, DFL

Notes:
Formed in New York City in 1981 by Mike Diamond and Adam Yauch, with drummer Kate Schellenbach and guitarist John Berry, The Beastie Boys began as straight-ahead punk rock band, joining the burgeoining underground club scene. In 1983, Schellenbach and Berry left, and Adam Horovitz joined; one year later they joined forces with aspiring record moguls Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons and their fledgling Def Jam Records. Their debut album, License to Ill, was released in 1986, and the mix of heavy metal riffs, punk attitude, and hip hop sensibility made the album an overnight sensation and the best-selling rap album of the 1980's. After a three-year hiatus, the Beasties took a monstrous leap forward artistically with Paul's Boutique, a groundbreaking masterpiece that introduced the world to the inimitable production style of The Dust Brothers. In 1992, the band formed their own record label, Grand Royal, built their own studio, G-Son, and picked up their instruments again to record Check Your Head, which catapulted them back into the spotlight. Followed (relatively) closely by 1994's Ill Communication, and a massive world tour, it would be another four years before the release of a full length album of new material, 1998's Hello Nasty. The Beastie Boys are also the founders of the Tibetan Freedom Concert, The Milarepa Foundation (dedicated to raising awareness and money in an effort to end Chinese oppression of Tibet and its people), Grand Royal Magazine, and X-Large Clothing.

Links:
Beastie Boys Mothership
We Love The Beastie Boys

A short way into the mega funked out "B-Boys Makin' with the Freak Freak," some guy yells, "Shit, if this gonna be that kinda party, I'm gonna stick my dick in the mashed potatoes!" Well, guess what? Ill Communication is that kind of party, so get ready to the let the Beastie Boys hit you with some of the baaaadest, funkiest, hardest tunes they have.

Kicking off with the ultra-ferocious beat and flute sample looped through "Sure Shot," the Beastie Boys solemnly swear that everything on this album will infect your feet and make you want to get up and move. Holding true that promise is the pure, raw hip-hop that is "Root Down" and "Alright Hear This." "Get It Together" has an extra-special appearance by Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip which lets the Boys flex their silly, superb mic skills on top of an especially funky groove. Also, the Boys throw some smooth soul into the mix, fattening up jams like "Do It," "Flute Loop," "Futterman's Rule," and "Sabrosa." But wait - there's more to Ill Communication than that.

The wailing, monstrous "Sabotage" will hit you with a two by four when you're not looking. The Beasties shed their usual impish skins and blow out the speakers with equally fierce punk vibes on "Tough Guy" and "Hear Attack Man." Just to contrast all that fabulous noise, there's also a ton of textured Check Your Head-style stoner funk in "Bobo on the Corner," "Shambala," and the dark, strangely Eastern European-sounding "Eugene's Lament."

With Ill Communication, it's like the Beastie Boys personally made you a mix tape so the party you're throwing this weekend won't fail. They've got soul, they've got funk, and they get way louder than your poor neighbors will be able to stand.