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."
Professor Booty
Beastie Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And then you want to know why because I'm motherfuckin' truckin'
I'm in the pocket just like Grady Tate
Got supplies of beats so you don't have to wait
'Cause I'm the master blaster, drinking up the shasta
My voice sounds sweet 'cause it has to (looking good!)
So light a match to my ass 'cause I'm blowin' up
I'd like to thank the people for just showin' up
Put your point on the floor and just prove it
And I'm smurfin', not rehearsin', gettin' live, y'all
A little puffy, so you know what, I'm doin' right
'Cause that's the kind of frame of mind I'm in
I got this feelin' that it's back again
So don't touch me, 'cause I'm electric
And if you touch me, you'll get shocked
You got, you got, you got, you got, you got
You've got the boomin' system, but it's sloshing out doo-doo
You think it's chocolate milk, but it's watered down Yoo-hoo
I've been through many times in which I thought I might lose it
The only thing that saved me, has always been music
We've got our own studio, the Son of the G
It's no question, life's been good to me
'Cause life ain't nothing but a good groove
A good mixtape to put you in the right mood
This one goes out to my man, the Groove Merchant
Coming through with beats for which I've been searching
Like two sealed copies, of Expansions
I'm like Tom Vu with yachts and mansions
The logo I sport is the face of the monkey
Union made, Ben Davis-quality, it's no junk, see?
My chrome is shining, just like an icicle
I ride around town in my low-rider bicyle
So many wack emcees, you get the TV bozak
Ain't even gonna call out your names, 'cause you're so wack
And one big oaf, who's faker than plastic
A dictionary definition of the word spastic
You should have never started something that you couldn't finish
'Cause writin' rhymes to me is like Popeye to spinach
I'm bad ass, move ya' fat ass, 'cause you're wack, son
Dancing around like you think you're Janet Jackson
Thought you could walk on me to get some ground to walk on
I'll put the rug out under your ass as I talk on
I'll take you out like a sniper on a roof
Like an emcee at the fever in the DJ booth
With your headphones strapped, you're rockin' rewind/pause
Tryin' to figure out what you can do to go for yours
But like a pencil to a paper, I got more to come
One after another, you can all get some
So you better take your time, and meditate on your rhyme
'Cause your shit'll be stinkin' when I go for mine
And that's right, y'all, don't get uptight, y'all
You can't say shit because you're biting what I write, y'all
And that's wrong, y'all, over the long haul
You can't cut the mustard when you're fronting it all
The song "Professor Booty" by Beastie Boys features witty lyrics filled with wordplay and acrobatics. The first verse sets the tone of the song as a boastful declaration of the rapper's skills and attitude. The lyrics reference various cultural figures and products, including Grady Tate (a jazz drummer), Shasta (a soda brand), and Yoo-hoo (a chocolate drink brand). The rapper declares that he's "blowin' up" and invites the audience to move and prove their point on the floor. The second verse is more critical and takes shots at other rappers who are "wack" and "faker than plastic." The rapper compares writing rhymes to Popeye's spinach and boasts about his lyrical prowess.
The song's title, "Professor Booty," was inspired by a woman named Sandra "Booty" Mason, who was a high school teacher of one of the band members. The song was produced by the Beastie Boys and their long-time collaborator, Mario Caldato Jr. The song features a sample from the song "Maggot Brain" by Funkadelic. "Professor Booty" is the eighth track on the Beastie Boys' fourth studio album, "Check Your Head," which was released in 1992. The album is known for its eclectic mix of musical genres, including punk, funk, and hip-hop.
Line by Line Meaning
Yes, I got more bounce than the fucking bump
I'm feeling good and have lots of energy
And then you want to know why because I'm motherfuckin' truckin'
I'm doing great and unstoppable
I'm in the pocket just like Grady Tate
I'm in a great groove
Got supplies of beats so you don't have to wait
I have lots of music to share
'Cause I'm the master blaster, drinking up the shasta
I'm doing great and enjoying a drink
My voice sounds sweet 'cause it has to (looking good!)
My voice sounds good because I'm feeling good
So light a match to my ass 'cause I'm blowin' up
I'm doing great and feeling explosive
I'd like to thank the people for just showin' up
Thanks to everyone for coming
But now I want y'all to move it
Let's dance!
Put your point on the floor and just prove it
Show off your dance moves
And I'm smurfin', not rehearsin', gettin' live, y'all
I'm having fun and improvising
A little puffy, so you know what, I'm doin' right
I'm feeling good and doing things the way I want
'Cause that's the kind of frame of mind I'm in
I'm in a great mental state
I got this feelin' that it's back again
I feel like I'm in a great groove
So don't touch me, 'cause I'm electric
I'm feeling powerful and energetic
And if you touch me, you'll get shocked
Don't mess with me, because I'm in a great state
You got, you got, you got, you got, you got
You have, you have, you have, you have, you have
You've got the boomin' system, but it's sloshing out doo-doo
You have loud speakers, but the sound quality isn't good
You think it's chocolate milk, but it's watered down Yoo-hoo
You think it's good, but it's not as good as you think
I've been through many times in which I thought I might lose it
I've been through tough times
The only thing that saved me, has always been music
Music has always been there for me when times are tough
We've got our own studio, the Son of the G
We have our own recording studio
It's no question, life's been good to me
Life has been good to me
'Cause life ain't nothing but a good groove
Life is all about having a good time
A good mixtape to put you in the right mood
A good playlist can really make you feel great
This one goes out to my man, the Groove Merchant
This is dedicated to my friend who makes great music
Coming through with beats for which I've been searching
Providing me with the music I want
Like two sealed copies, of Expansions
Like having two rare and valuable records
I'm like Tom Vu with yachts and mansions
I'm doing really well, like a rich businessman
The logo I sport is the face of the monkey
I wear a logo with a monkey on it
Union made, Ben Davis-quality, it's no junk, see?
My clothing is high quality and well-made
My chrome is shining, just like an icicle
My bike is looking great
I ride around town in my low-rider bicycle
I ride a cool bike
So many wack emcees, you get the TV bozak
There are a lot of bad rappers on TV
Ain't even gonna call out your names, 'cause you're so wack
I won't say your names, because you're not worth it
And one big oaf, who's faker than plastic
There's one really fake person who isn't worth our time
A dictionary definition of the word spastic
They're really bad and uncoordinated
You should have never started something that you couldn't finish
Don't mess with me if you can't handle it
'Cause writin' rhymes to me is like Popeye to spinach
I'm really good at writing rhymes
I'm bad ass, move ya' fat ass, 'cause you're wack, son
I'm really cool, and you're not
Dancing around like you think you're Janet Jackson
You're dancing like a popstar, but you're not
Thought you could walk on me to get some ground to walk on
You thought you could use me, but it didn't work out
I'll put the rug out under your ass as I talk on
I'll take you down as I keep talking
I'll take you out like a sniper on a roof
I'm going to take you down easily
Like an emcee at the fever in the DJ booth
Like a rapper performing at a club
With your headphones strapped, you're rockin' rewind/pause
You're trying to figure out how to improve your music
Tryin' to figure out what you can do to go for yours
You're trying to find ways to succeed
But like a pencil to a paper, I got more to come
I have lots more music and rhymes to share
One after another, you can all get some
Everyone can enjoy my music
So you better take your time, and meditate on your rhyme
Take your time and improve your music
'Cause your shit'll be stinkin' when I go for mine
Your music won't compare to mine
And that's right, y'all, don't get uptight, y'all
Don't get upset, everyone
You can't say shit because you're biting what I write, y'all
You can't criticize my music because you copy me
And that's wrong, y'all, over the long haul
Copying someone else's music is wrong in the long run
You can't cut the mustard when you're fronting it all
You won't succeed if you're just pretending
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ADAM HOROVITZ, ADAM NATHANIEL YAUCH, MARIO CALDATO JR., MICHAEL LOUIS DIAMOND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nestor Galaviz
on Body Movin' (Fatboy Slim remix)
dope