To The 5 Boroughs [PA] [Digipak]

Performer: Beastie Boys
Artist: Mix Master Mike
Engineer: Beastie Boys; Jon Weiner
Producer: Beastie Boys
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files. Beastie Boys: Adam Horovitz, Adam Yauch, Mike D . Additional personnel: Mix Master Mike (turntables). In the six years following 1998's HELLO NASTY, the Beastie Boys watched their hometown of New York City endure dramatic changes, most of them direct repercussions of the September 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. The trio's response is TO THE 5 BOROUGHS, an album that prominently features the WTC on its cover illustration of the Manhattan skyline (circa 2000), and lovingly looks at the past, present, and future of both NYC and the Beastie Boys themselves. "Ch-check It Out" opens the album in classic Beasties style, with Ad-Rock, MCA, and Mike D trading rhymes over a deft old-school hip-hop beat. However, things quickly get topical on "Right Right Now Now" with MCA declaring, "I'm getting kind of tired of the situation/The US attacking other nations..." over a slightly ominous backing track. The funky "Time to Build" furthers these sentiments, addressing political, economic, and ecological issues, while wisely noting "It takes a second to wreck it/It takes time to build." Those fearing that the Beasties have lost their party vibe need not worry, though; even the lyrically heavy songs feature tight rhythms and booty-shaking bass. Nowhere is this better exemplified than on "An Open Letter to NYC," a loving celebration of the dynamic city that shaped the Beastie Boys and their eclectic hip-hop sound.

Rolling Stone (p.120) - 5 stars out of 5 - "[T]wo decades after turning from hardcore punk to homeboy jollies, the Beasties are still the best rap band in the biz - three voices swinging like a jazz trio, racing like Bad Brains..." Rolling Stone (p.141) - Included in Rolling Stone's Top 50 Records Of 2004 - "[T]he Beasties soar with heart and chutzpah." Entertainment Weekly (p.83) - "There's plenty of the usual pure, dumb fun here....Think of BOROUGHS as license to chill." - Grade: B+ Q (p.108) - 3 stars out of 5 - "Rooted in New York's hip hop past the album sees them looking to the future and voicing their humanist concerns." Uncut (p.108) - 3 stars out of 5 - "The Boys are still hooked on media detritus, and their food-obsessed rhyming has hit dizzy, linguistically dextrous new heights." Mojo (Publisher) (p.112) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[T]he vision of ultimate human amity encoded in the telepathic understanding between Mike D's punky squawk, MCA's gruffly humourful drawl and Ad-Rock's dynamic alto is more desperately needed now than it's ever been."

In the mid-1980s, the idea of white middle-class Jewish rappers may have provoked laughter or outright disdain, but the Beastie Boys' albums and singles have shown that they are anything but a joke. After hip-hop and rock fused into the music of choice for rebellious American youth, it became increasingly clear that the Beastie Boys deserved to be regarded as true musical innovators. The release of 1989's PAUL'S BOUTIQUE began the Beasties' transition from lewd, party-seeking prankers to sophisticated, party-throwing sonic pioneers, with band members ditching the six-packs and gold chains in favor of Buddhism and social activism. The trio's newfound maturity and good-natured vibe only enhanced their success, leading to a continued streak of hit albums. Not bad for three New York City weisenheimers.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25