The Beastie Boys were the first successful white rap group and one of the few acts from the early days of hip-hop that still enjoyed major success their whole career. Their rock and punk-influenced rap has had a significant impact on artists both in and outside the hip-hop scene. And they were the first rap group to gain a substantial following with alternative rock fans.
The Beastie Boys came together in 1979 as a punk band called The Young Aborigines. In 1981 MCA joined the group and from the suggestion of their guitarist John Berry, they changed their name to Beastie Boys. Their line up then consisted of Adam Yauch (aka MCA) on bass, drummer Kate Schellenbach (later of Luscious Jackson), guitarist John Berry (of Big Fat Love), and Mike Diamond (aka Mike D) on the mic. Beastie Boys' debut EP, the Pollywog Stew vinyl 7" was released in 1982.
The band's first foray into hip hop, the Cooky Puss 12", followed in 1983, with The Young and the Useless guitarist Adam Horovitz (aka Adrock) replacing John Berry. "Cooky Puss" would be the first B Boys record to receive play at NYC clubs like Danceteria as the band played its first shows outside the city.
The Mike D/MCA/Adrock Beastie Boys lineup debuted in 1984 with the "Rock Hard"/"Beastie Groove" 12." Produced by Rick Rubin, who went on to produce albums for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash and Audioslave. The "She's On It"/ "Slow And Low" 12" followed in 1985 and Beastie Boys went on Madonna's "Virgin Tour." as her opening act.
Licensed to Ill dropped in fall 1986 and became the first Beastie Boys album--and the first Rap album ever--to go #1. Fueled by Fight for Your Right and No Sleep Till Brooklyn it remained at #1 for seven weeks and simultaneously reached #2 on the urban chart, becoming the fastest selling debut to date for Columbia and the first hip hop record to break 5 million.
In 1989 Beastie Boys released their second album Paul’s Boutique produced by Beastie Boys and the Dust Brothers. Paul's Boutique laid down the blueprint for a generation of emergent genres and went over the collective head of a nation. The likes of "Shake Your Rump," "Lookin' Down The Barrel Of A Gun," "Car Thief," Shadrach," and the hip hop "suite" "B-Boy Bouillabaisse" contained lyrical and musical references too plentiful and diverse for the average mind to compute in one sitting.
Check Your Head, released in 1992, heralded the return of live instrumentation into the B Boys mix. The album was produced by the band and Mario Caldato Jr. (who first worked with B Boys as engineer on Paul's Boutique), Check Your Head would yield a watershed of new B Boys staples, including So Whatcha' Want, Pass The Mic, "Gratitude" and "Jimmy James." With the assistance of Keyboard Money Mark, Eric Bobo and assorted percussionists, Beastie Boys returned to the touring circuit and Check Your Head hit double platinum.
In the summer of 1994, Ill Communication, also produced by the band and Mario Caldato Jr., entered the charts #1. The album featured such hits Sure Shot and Sabotage. Ill Communication was supported by Beastie Boys' first arena headline tour since the '80s. Following the tour's conclusion, Beastie Boys recorded and released Aglio e Olio consisting of eight songs clocking in at 11 minutes, the EP recalls the vintage hardcore punk of the band's infancy.
On July 14 1998, their fifth album titled Hello Nasty was released. Spurred by the monster success of the "Intergalactic" single and video, the record clocked first week sales of nearly 700,000 in the U.S. and went straight in at #1 in England, Germany, Australia, Holland, New Zealand and Sweden. Early in the tour, Beastie Boys made live tracks available for free download to fans unable to attend the shows-and were blindsided by their label pulling the tracks down.
Having closed 1998 by accepting the Video Vanguard lifetime achievement honor at the MTV Video Music Awards, Beastie Boys rang in 1999 with Artist, Band and/or Record of the Year accolades from the likes of Rolling Stone, SPIN, The New Yorker and Playboy, among others. A month later, at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards, the now quadruple-platinum Hello Nasty took Best Alternative Music Performance, while "Intergalactic," nailed Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group--the first time an artist has ever won in both Rap and Alternative categories.1999 would also see "Intergalactic" take Best Hip Hop Video honors at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards.
Beastie Boys' sixth studio album, To The 5 Boroughs, released in summer 2004, was the band's third consecutive #1 debut-and Rolling Stone magazine's only 5-star review of the year. To The 5 Boroughs was supported by world tour - traveling pageant - supported by Talib Kweli and Bob Moore's Amazing Mongrels (yes, a live dog show, hence the pageant appellation).
2006 saw the release of the film, Awesome, I Fuckin' Shot That!, a concert film made up of footage filmed by audience members, which debuted at Sundance in early 2006 and was released theatrically the same year.
In 2007 Beastie Boys released The Mix-Up, first ever full length offering of all-new, all-original instrumental recordings.
On February 3rd, 2009, they digitally remastered and released Paul's Boutique on their website.
The band's next record, "Hot Sauce Committee Part 2" was released in the first quarter of 2011. It features the same tracklisting as the previously announced "Hot Sauce Committee Part 1", which was delayed indefinitely after Yauch was diagnosed with a tumor on his parotid gland (which was successfully removed).
Bassist and vocalist Adam Yauch died on May 4, 2012 of cancer.
In June 2014, Mike D stated that the Beastie Boys would not continue their careers as a group, as a promise to Adam Yauch. "We have not been able to tour since MCA, Adam Yauch, died," Diamond said. "We can't make new music."
Sabotage
Beastie Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'mma set it straight, this Watergate
I can't stand rockin' when I'm in here
'Cause your crystal ball ain't so crystal clear
So while you sit back and wonder why
I got this fuckin' thorn in my side
Oh my god, it's a mirage
I'm tellin' y'all, it's sabotage
So, so, so, so listen up, 'cause you can't say nothin'
You'll shut me down with a push of your button
But, yo, I'm out and I'm gone
I'll tell you now, I keep it on and on
'Cause what you see, you might not get
And we can bet, so don't you get souped yet
Scheming on a thing, that's a mirage
I'm trying to tell you now, it's sabotage
Why
Our backs are now against the wall
Listen all y'all, it's a sabotage
Listen all y'all, it's a sabotage
Listen all y'all, it's a sabotage
Listen all y'all, it's a sabotage
I can't stand it, I know you planned it
I'mma set it straight, this Watergate
But I can't stand rockin' when I'm in this place
Because I feel disgrace because you're all in my face
But make no mistakes and switch up my channel
I'm Buddy Rich when I fly off the handle
What could it be, it's a mirage
You're scheming on a thing, that's sabotage
The Beastie Boys' classic hit "Sabotage" is a song that tells a story about a conflict between the singer and an adversary. The pumped-up track starts with the aggressive and bold line "I can't stand it, I know you planned it" indicating the singer's frustration with something that has been orchestrated by someone else. The following lines mention "Watergate," an infamous political scandal in the US, frequently interpreted as a metaphor for deceitful actions that the adversary has taken against the singer. The chorus "Listen all y'all, it's a sabotage" emphasizes the singer's point with the urgency and repetition of the phrase.
As the song progresses, the lyrics describe a back and forth between the singer and the adversary, who is depicted as having power and influence over the singer's life through a metaphor of a button controlling him. The singer asserts his independence in the lines "But, yo, I'm out and I'm gone, I'll tell you now, I keep it on and on," suggesting that he will not be controlled by others. The final verse consolidates all of the song's central ideas and metaphorical language, with the singer challenging the adversary in the line "What could it be, it's a mirage, You're scheming on a thing, that's sabotage."
Overall, "Sabotage" is a song that deals with themes of power, control, and conflict. It tells a story of someone trying to take control of another's life, and the singer's efforts to maintain independence and push back against these forces. It is widely regarded as one of the Beastie Boys' most popular and memorable songs.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't stand it, I know you planned it
I'm aware of your plans and I'm not happy about it
I'mma set it straight, this Watergate
I'll make sure the truth is known, just like what happened during the Watergate scandal
I can't stand rockin' when I'm in here
I don't enjoy being in this situation
'Cause your crystal ball ain't so crystal clear
Your predictions and plans are unclear and unreliable
So while you sit back and wonder why
You're confused about why things are happening
I got this fuckin' thorn in my side
I'm annoyed and frustrated with this situation
Oh my god, it's a mirage
This situation isn't what it appears to be
I'm tellin' y'all, it's sabotage
I'm warning you that someone is purposely undermining or attacking us
So, so, so, so listen up, 'cause you can't say nothin'
Pay attention because you have no argument against me
You'll shut me down with a push of your button
You have the power to silence me easily
But, yo, I'm out and I'm gone
I won't let you control or stop me
I'll tell you now, I keep it on and on
I won't stop pursuing my goal
'Cause what you see, you might not get
Things may not be as they appear
And we can bet, so don't you get souped yet
Don't be too confident because there may be hidden dangers
Scheming on a thing, that's a mirage
You're plotting something that isn't what it seems
I'm trying to tell you now, it's sabotage
I'm warning you about the danger of this plan
Why
Questioning why this is happening
Our backs are now against the wall
Our situation is difficult and we have few options
Listen all y'all, it's a sabotage
This situation is purposefully harmful to us
Listen all y'all, it's a sabotage
This situation is purposefully harmful to us
Listen all y'all, it's a sabotage
This situation is purposefully harmful to us
Listen all y'all, it's a sabotage
This situation is purposefully harmful to us
I can't stand it, I know you planned it
I'm aware of your plans and it frustrates me
I'mma set it straight, this Watergate
I'll make sure the truth is revealed about what happened
But I can't stand rockin' when I'm in this place
This situation is making me uncomfortable
Because I feel disgrace because you're all in my face
I'm embarrassed and frustrated because you're constantly bothering me
But make no mistakes and switch up my channel
Don't underestimate me because I can change the situation
I'm Buddy Rich when I fly off the handle
I can be powerful and capable of great things when I'm angry
What could it be, it's a mirage
This situation isn't what it seems
You're scheming on a thing, that's sabotage
You're plotting something harmful to us
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Adam Horovitz, Adam Nathaniel Yauch, Michael Louis Diamond
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nestor Galaviz
on Body Movin' (Fatboy Slim remix)
dope