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."
Deal With It
Beastie Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The ideas you shout that are so hardcore
Screaming at the phone man collecting the change
Ideas discovered then rearranged
I won't say that life's a bitch and then you die
Because I do my best to enjoy mine
You can't bring me down to a world of self pitty [sic]
Deal with it
You do unto others like they're pieces of shit
A rightous [sic] man who's flipping the script
There's plenty of room for everyone at the table
Check yourself before you check the label
I won't live life being mad holding a grudge
It's not my place - sitting back playing judge
Not enough time to always stay mad
May as well be glad to Deal With It
Deal With It
The Beastie Boys' "Deal With It" is a defiant and empowering track that addresses social and personal issues head on. The first verse, "Rob and steal from the health food store / The ideas you shout that are so hardcore / Screaming at the phone man collecting the change / Ideas discovered then rearranged" can be interpreted several ways. On one hand, the song could be about rebellion against societal norms; stealing from a health food store and shouting hardcore ideas can be seen as a form of protest against what is considered "normal". On the other hand, the verse can also depict the struggle of creativity and originality. The ideas discovered may have been rearranged to make them more unique, and the shouting represents a fight against being silenced or overlooked.
In the chorus, "I won't say that life's a bitch and then you die / Because I do my best to enjoy mine / You can't bring me down to a world of self pity / Lot's of ways to deal with it / Deal with it", the Beastie Boys dismiss the idea of life being depressing and meaningless. They choose to enjoy life in their own way and refuse to be brought down by negativity. The phrase "Lot's of ways to deal with it / Deal with it" acts as an anthem to push through life's obstacles with a positive attitude.
The second verse, "You do unto others like they're pieces of shit / A rightous [sic] man who's flipping the script / There's plenty of room for everyone at the table / Check yourself before you check the label" is a call to action for kindness and understanding. The idea of treating others like "pieces of shit" is condemned, and instead, the lyrics encourage everyone to be inclusive and compassionate. The last line, "Check yourself before you check the label", urges people to be conscious of their own biases and judgments towards others.
Line by Line Meaning
Rob and Steal from the Health Food Store
Engage in theft and burglary involving the health food store.
The ideas you shout that are so hardcore
Idea and beliefs that you proclaim are extreme and intense.
Screaming at the phone man collecting the change
Yell and shout furiously at the phone operator who is collecting money from you.
Ideas discovered then rearranged
A concept or thought explored, and then reorganized in a different manner.
I won't say that life's a bitch and then you die
I refuse to view life negatively and perceive it only as full of difficulties leading to death.
Because I do my best to enjoy mine
I try my utmost to admire and cherish what I have to make a living.
You can't bring me down to a world of self pitty [sic]
You have no control over lowering my mood into a state of self-pity.
Lot's of ways to deal with it
There are many strategies to handle situations.
Deal with it
You will have to manage and overcome the difficulty yourself.
You do unto others like they're pieces of shit
Treating others contemptuously and disrespectfully.
A rightous [sic] man who's flipping the script
A virtuous man who is turning things around differently.
There's plenty of room for everyone at the table
There is enough chance for all to benefit from an opportunity.
Check yourself before you check the label
Evaluate your own motives and standards before assessing someone else.
I won't live life being mad holding a grudge
I won't spend my living days with negative energy or holding any resentment.
It's not my place - sitting back playing judge
It is not my responsibility to judge but to accept people for who they are.
Not enough time to always stay mad
Life is too short to remain angry for an extended period.
May as well be glad to Deal With It
You might as well be happy and optimistic rather than sad and pessimistic to handle a given problem.
Deal With It
It's up to you to sort out the issue and address it yourself.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nestor Galaviz
on Body Movin' (Fatboy Slim remix)
dope