BEASTIE BOYS KICK IT FREE

Most notably, that ethos produced the immortal rager “Sabotage,” and its hilarious Spike Jonze-produced accompanying video, but the tracks “Tough Guy” and “Heart Attack Man” were similarly frenetic. The record also carries on the Beastie’s longstanding tradition of picking up instruments and rocking out, which hearkened back to their early days as a NYC hardcore band and continued to evolve from there.

Co-producer Mario C., another frequent Beasties collaborator, also played a considerable role once again, rounding out a diverse team that in all helped make the album as eclectic as it is. And who doesn’t love Biz Markie? His staccato, guttural bellow provides the perfection punctuation for “Do It.”Įlsewhere, there are folks lending musical touches, like percussionist Eric Bobo, “Keyboard Money Mark” Nishita on keys and organ, or drummer Amery “AWOL” Smith. More than just vanity appearances, the guest spots on Ill Communication truly enhance the compositions, especially “Get It Together,” featuring inimitable Tribe Called Quest rapper Q-Tip. Other hip-hop centric moments benefited from the highly collaborative nature of the record, which featured a host of B-Boy buddies. Another rap showcase (and single) was “Root Down,” which again, is as good as anything they’ve done, with thumping bass and wah-soaked guitars elevating the song into a vintage funk-rap jam. Opening cut “Sure Shot” is one of those all-stars, built upon a wicked flute loop and instant-head-bob beat. Of course, rhymes have always been the most crucial component of that game, and on Ill Communication the rap tracks stand tall, even among the band’s all-time hits. Back in ’94 no matter how you wanted to play it, the B-Boys had game.

BEASTIE BOYS KICK IT FREE

Free to hold nothing back, the record is a 20-track bouillabaisse of everything the B-Boys musically love.Īnd it turns out, that encompasses a lot: Besides their rhyme-tastic brand of East Coast rap, there’s also funk, jazz, noise rock and even jagged hardcore all coexisting seamlessly on the album.

It took some time for the world to catch up to what the Beastie Boys were doing in the late ’80s and early ’90s, but by 1994 when the iconic NYC hip-hop trio dropped Ill Communication, their fourth studio full-length, a victory lap was in order.

Beastie boys kick it