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."
Just A Test
Beastie Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Not a thing will last as past is past
Like stacks of thoughts that got played and worn
Used over and over till they were tired and torn
Like a broken clock that can't tell time
Like a thick ass book that's filled with wack rhymes
Like a scorching blaze that burned the sand
Like a band that planned and planned and planned
And snatched up the worm helpless to fight
And brought it back to the nest singing microphone check
One two one two, this is just a test
One two one two, this is just a test
One two one two, this is just a test
It's like sand in one hand You can't hold for long
Like scheming on a plan that goes all wrong
It's like fudge and caramel they're not the same
And it's a shame all you talk is game
You act like a diamond waiting to be set
In a gold ring, as if, I bet
As time goes by in this give and take
As long as I learn I will make mistakes
Now, what do I want? What do I need?
Why do I want it? What's in it for me?
It's the imagery of technology
Is what you get is what you see
Don't worry your mind
When you give it your best
One two one two this is just a test
One two one two, this is just a test
One two one two, this is just a test
The first stanza of "Just A Test" by Beastie Boys paints a picture of the transience of life and the inevitability of change. The visual of a flag at half-mast serves as a metaphor for the passing of time and how everything will eventually come to an end. The repetition of "Like" further emphasizes a series of comparisons about the fleeting nature of existence. The broken clock and the thick book filled with bad rhymes add to the imagery of things that have either ceased to function or lost their value over time. The lyrics about a raven snatching up a worm, helpless and unable to fight, represent the idea of fleeting opportunities being taken advantage of. The line "microphone check, one two one two" suggests that this is all just a rehearsal or sample of what is yet to come, and should not be taken too seriously.
In the second stanza, the lyrics shift to a more personal level, exploring the human condition and how we strive for success and recognition. The metaphor of sand slipping through one's hand symbolizes the fleeting nature of success and how nothing can be held onto forever. The comparison of scheming on a plan that goes all wrong with indulging in fudge and caramel suggests the idea of things that may seem sweet and desirable but ultimately lead to disappointment. The conversation about diamonds and gold highlights the pursuit of wealth and status as an empty and superficial desire. The final lines about the imagery of technology and what you see is what you get, suggest that one should not worry too much about the outcome, but instead focus on giving their best effort in the present.
Line by Line Meaning
It's like a flag at half mast as frames click fast
The passing of time is like a flag at half-mast, the frames extracting the memories that are no more.
Not a thing will last as past is past
Nothing remains forever; past is gone, and life is fleeting.
Like stacks of thoughts that got played and worn
Used over and over till they were tired and torn
Our thoughts get played over and over again until they are weary and useless.
Like a broken clock that can't tell time
Like a thick ass book that's filled with wack rhymes
A broken clock cannot keep track of time, and a thick book is useless when filled with bad text.
Like a scorching blaze that burned the sand
Like a band that planned and planned and planned
Like a terrible sandstorm which nobody can miss when it hits the land, or a band that rehearsed and rehearsed and never made an impact.
And flew down like a raven in the dark of night
And snatched up the worm helpless to fight
And brought it back to the nest singing microphone check
The Beastie Boys are like a raven in the night, taking every chance that comes and playing the role of the predator to the minnows around them. Then announcing their power with the screams of their microphones.
It's like sand in one hand You can't hold for long
Like scheming on a plan that goes all wrong
Things are elusive, like sand in a hand, and schemes even though planned with the best of intentions can still go wrong.
It's like fudge and caramel they're not the same
And it's a shame all you talk is game
Fudge and caramel are not synonymous, just as saying one thing and meaning another is a disgrace.
You act like a diamond waiting to be set
In a gold ring, as if, I bet
You are like an uncut diamond, waiting to be discovered and polished, but others don't believe in you and don't consider you valuable.
As time goes by in this give and take
As long as I learn I will make mistakes
Over time, we learn through the interactions and the associated errors that come with life. Errors that provide the necessary wisdom, thus making the mistakes worth taking.
Now, what do I want? What do I need?
Why do I want it? What's in it for me?
It is essential to ask oneself what they want and why they want it, so they will not be lost in life and may achieve their goals.
It's the imagery of technology
Is what you get is what you see
It's the image that technology lets you see that you get. Nothing more, nothing less.
Don't worry your mind
When you give it your best
One two one two this is just a test
Do not stress about the consequence of your actions as long as you have given your best effort. Life is like a simple test, and it is okay to fail.
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