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."
Heart Attack Man
Beastie Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Walking down the stairs and then he starts to fall
Add on two joints and then he starts to sweat
Two hundred seventy five pounds that you can't forget
'Cause he's a heart attack, heart attack man
Spend all your money on your health insurance plan
Heart attack, heart attack man
Why do you force yourself on top of that girl?
Laugh with all your buddies because it's a man's, man's world
Someday that shit will come back to you
Throwing your weight around and shit is through
Heart attack, heart attack man
Going nowhere, you got no master plan
Heart attack, heart attack man
Weighs in at two-seventy-five
Yeah, my man is lucky to be alive
He's smokin', drinkin' too
My man the heart attack man is gonna be running over you
Got no goddamn respect
Yeah, better keep that big, big, bad bitch in check
Heart attack, heart attack man
Lungs full of tar and your stomach full of spam
Heart attack, heart attack man
Time to change your ways heart attack man
"Heart Attack Man" by Beastie Boys is an introspective song that delves into a man's self-destruction through drugs, alcohol, and promiscuity. The lyrics describe a man who is constantly pushing his limits, indulging in unhealthy habits, and engaging in toxic behavior. The song speaks about a guy who is prone to heart attacks but refuses to change his lifestyle.
The first verse talks about him drinking a six-pack and then playing ball, which is followed by him falling down the stairs after consuming two joints. The lyrics further specify his physical attributes by confessing "Two hundred seventy-five pounds that you can't forget." The pre-chorus section mentions the consequences of his actions as being a heart attack man who spends all his money on health insurance without a master plan. The chorus is the title and repeats twice, implying a lack of change/pattern of behavior.
The second verse tackles the man's problems with women as he forces himself on top of a girl and then laughs it off in front of his friends. The lyrics proceed to warn him about the potential consequences of his toxic behavior, "someday that shit will come back to you." The song concludes with the chorus and a plea for the man to change his ways.
Line by Line Meaning
Drink a six-pack and then you play some ball
The man drinks beer and then plays sports, risking health issues due to excessive drinking.
Walking down the stairs and then he starts to fall
The man is so unhealthy he suffers from mobility issues, caused due to his excessive weight.
Add on two joints and then he starts to sweat
The man, in addition to drinking, also smokes marijuana, which combined with his limited physical abilities result in him sweating profusely.
Two hundred seventy five pounds that you can't forget
The man weighs two hundred seventy-five pounds, highlighting his extremely unhealthy lifestyle and diet.
'Cause he's a heart attack, heart attack man
The man, with his harmful choices and lifestyle, is vulnerable to heart diseases.
Spend all your money on your health insurance plan
He spends too much money on health insurance since he is aware of the health risks he is taking.
Keep on getting bigger because you know that you can
The man is aware that his lifestyle is not healthy but he keeps on indulging in it because he is too comfortable with it.
Why do you force yourself on top of that girl?
The man shows a lack of respect and sexually forces himself on women.
Laugh with all your buddies because it's a man's, man's world
The man takes pride in his masculinity and thinks it is okay to disrespect women.
Someday that shit will come back to you
His actions will be met with consequences one day.
Throwing your weight around and shit is through
His unhealthy lifestyle will eventually catch up to him and end all his activities.
Going nowhere, you got no master plan
The man has no goals or plan for his life and his unhealthy lifestyle further adds complexity to his future.
Weighs in at two-seventy-five
Restating the man's weight, which is a recurring theme, highlighting his dire health condition.
Yeah, my man is lucky to be alive
Despite the man's irresponsible choices and disregard for his health, he is still alive, although barely.
He's smokin', drinkin' too
Reiterating the man's bad habits, proving that he has no intentions of quitting.
My man the heart attack man is gonna be running over you
The man's ill decisions will eventually hurt and impact others negatively, leading to drama.
Got no goddamn respect
The man is presented as being utterly disrespectful towards everyone around him.
Yeah, better keep that big, big, bad bitch in check
The man is concerned about the impact of his poor behavior on those around him, as he refers to other people as a 'bad bitch' to keep himself in check.
Lungs full of tar and your stomach full of spam
The man's body is filled with toxic substances, which are contributing to his health problems.
Time to change your ways heart attack man
The song ends with a plea towards the man to change his lifestyle choices to prevent future health complications.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ADAM HOROVITZ, ADAM NATHANIEL YAUCH, AMERY SMITH, MICHAEL LOUIS DIAMOND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nestor Galaviz
on Body Movin' (Fatboy Slim remix)
dope