It’s probably their best release since Ill Communication and it’s good to see MCA back on the mic. If you like the Beastie Boys’ older albums, you’ll definitely enjoy this one. Notice the absence of newer rappers such as Lupe Fiasco or Kid Cudi. As usual, the trio calls in outside help sparingly but with great success. But when the band’s License To Ill tour brought them to our. Nas blends right in with the crew and doesn’t miss a beat. As British teens obsessed with American break-boy culture, my friends and I drew a sense of identity and inspiration from their music. “Too Many Rappers,” with Nas, actually has one of the dirtiest beats we’ve heard from the group in a while. Nas and Santigold aren’t exactly the first artists that spring to mind when you think “Beastie Boys,” are they? Well “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win (featuring Santigold)” is a catchy reggae jam outside of their typical realm, but works well with the album. As for the two guest rappers on the album, we have to say that they fit in surprisingly well. “Lee Majors Come Again,” “Make Some Noise,” and “Crazy Ass Shit” are some of their more danceable tracks, but they still steer clear of anything resembling pop. You ask you mom, please but she still says, no. Not in an obnoxious way at all, though, if anything it compliments their style and jacks up the energy level. Kick it You wake up late for school, man you dont want to go. It’s somehow grittier than before, but also flashier. One noticeable difference in this album is the production value. Ad Rock, in “Nonstop Disco Powerpack,” claims: “ now get your ass on the floor, I got total control / I flow like the water out your toilet bowls.” The Beastie Boys are just as funky, fun, boastful and immature as ever. It’s just refreshing to see that they’re not trying to tamper with their sound or style for the sake of sounding “new.” They’re not rapping about family, Adam Yauch’s throat cancer or current events either. That’s not to say that the Beastie Boys are trapped in the past they certainly have no illusions about their age. Or, as MCA puts it, “being bad news is what we’re all about.” Well not a whole lot as has changed with their most recent release Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, which, of course, is great news. By the time Licensed to Ill dropped in ’86, they were parodying frat boys, jocks, b-boys and just generally upsetting parents everywhere. Originally a hardcore punk band, the Beastie Boys didn’t transform into a rap trio until the mid-80s. Let’s take a minute and remember where the kings of mischief came from.
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