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."
She's Crafty
Beastie Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But the crew been said they seen her around
I thought they were right but I didn't want to know
The girlie was Def and she wanted to go
I think her name is Lucy but they all call Loose
I think I thought I seen her on eighth and forty-deuce
The next think she said, my place or yours?
Let's kick some bass behind closed doors!
He recognized my girlie from the back of her head
He said a little something about tip to base
So I made him stop the cab to get out of the place
I shouldn't have looked back man I'll always regret it
Something's going on and I'll probably never get it
She was crying like a baby, stupid dumb
It's just too bad that girl's a bum
She's crafty, she's gets around
She's crafty, she's always down
She's crafty, she's got a gripe
She's crafty, and she's just my type
She's crafty
I spent my last dollar to buy a Sabrett
When I seen this girl I could never forget
Now I like nothing better than a pretty girl smile
And I haven't seen a smile that pretty in a while
The girl came up to me she said she loved the show
Asked her to come home and she couldn't say, no
We got the crib, there's Adam and D.
We didn't say a word, they just stared at me
I said, I don't know her just met her tonight
And Adrock started hiding everything in sight
D. pulled me over said, hide your gold,
The girl is crafty like ice is cold!
The girl is crafty, she knows all the moves
I started playing records, she knew all the grooves
He thought she was a thief and D. was right
But I just figured she'd spend the night
When I woke up later in the afternoon
She had taken all the things from inside his room
I found myself naked in the middle of the floor
She had taken the bed and the chest of drawers
The mirror, the TV, the new guitar cord
My remote control and my old skateboard
She robbed us blind, she took all we owned
And the boys blamed me for bringing her home
She's crafty, she's gets around
She's crafty, she's always down
She's crafty, she's got a gripe
She's crafty, and she's just my type
She's crafty
She's crafty, she's gets around
She's crafty, she's always down
She's crafty, she's got a gripe
She's crafty, and she's just my type
She's crafty
She's gets around
She's crafty, and she's always down
She's crafty, she's got a gripe
She's crafty, and she's just my type
She's crafty
The lyrics of Beastie Boys' song "She's Crafty" tell the story of a girl who tricks the singer into bringing her home with him and his roommates, only to rob them blind while they're sleeping. The song opens with the singer meeting the girl, Lucy or Loose, who claims to be new in town but is known by the singer's crew. Though he suspects she may be trouble, she convinces him to take her home. In the second verse, the singer wakes up to find that the girl has stolen everything of value in the apartment, leaving him and his roommates with nothing. The catchy chorus repeats the four lines "She's crafty, she gets around, she's always down, and she's just my type."
Line by Line Meaning
Well this girl came up to me, she says she's new in town
A girl approached the singer claiming to be new in town.
But the crew been said they seen her around
The singer's acquaintances informed him that they have seen the girl before.
I thought they were right but I didn't want to know
The singer had a suspicion that his acquaintances were right, but he didn't want to dwell on it.
The girlie was Def and she wanted to go
The girl was confident and eager to leave with the singer.
I think her name is Lucy but they all call Loose
The singer believes the girl's name is Lucy, but she is commonly known as Loose.
I think I thought I seen her on eighth and forty-deuce
The singer possibly remembers seeing Loose on a particular street corner.
The next think she said, my place or yours?
The girl asked the singer if they should go to his place or hers.
Let's kick some bass behind closed doors!
Both of them planned to have sex in privacy.
We got into the cab, the cab driver said
The singer and the girl got into a taxicab, and the driver recognized her.
He recognized my girlie from the back of her head
The cab driver could identify the girl just by seeing the back of her head.
He said a little something about tip to base
The cab driver made a vague comment about the girl that made the singer suspicious.
So I made him stop the cab to get out of the place
The singer demanded the driver to stop the cab so that he and the girl could leave immediately.
I shouldn't have looked back man I'll always regret it
The singer regrets looking back at the girl and the cab after leaving that night.
Something's going on and I'll probably never get it
The singer still feels uneasy about the girl's actions that night and believes he will never truly understand what happened.
She was crying like a baby, stupid dumb
The girl was crying in a childish and unintelligent manner.
It's just too bad that girl's a bum
The singer regrets bringing such a dishonest and untrustworthy girl back to his place.
I spent my last dollar to buy a Sabrett
The singer spent all his money on hot dogs from the Sabrett brand.
When I seen this girl I could never forget
When the singer spotted the girl, he was immediately attracted to her and could not forget about her.
Now I like nothing better than a pretty girl smile
The singer loves seeing a beautiful girl's smile more than anything else.
And I haven't seen a smile that pretty in a while
The girl had an exceptionally beautiful smile that the singer had not seen in a long time.
The girl came up to me she said she loved the show
The girl approached the singer and expressed her admiration for his performance.
Asked her to come home and she couldn't say, no
The singer invited the girl to come back to his place, and she accepted the offer without hesitation.
We got the crib, there's Adam and D.
When they arrived at the singer's place, his friends Adam and D were there.
We didn't say a word, they just stared at me
The singer and the girl arrived silently and Adam and D were surprised.
I said, I don't know her just met her tonight
The singer explained to his friends that he had just met the girl that night and did not know much about her.
And Adrock started hiding everything in sight
One of the singer's friends, Adrock, began hiding his valuables from the girl.
D. pulled me over said, hide your gold,
Another friend of the singer, named D, told him to hide his valuable possessions as well.
The girl is crafty like ice is cold!
The singer's friends warn him that the girl is sneaky and deceptive.
The girl is crafty, she knows all the moves
The girl is experienced in deceit and knows how to manipulate others.
I started playing records, she knew all the grooves
The singer played some of his favorite songs, and the girl knew all the lyrics and dance moves.
He thought she was a thief and D. was right
D's suspicion about the girl being a thief seemed to be accurate.
But I just figured she'd spend the night
The singer did not think the girl would steal from him and expected her to leave in the morning.
When I woke up later in the afternoon
The singer fell asleep after the girl arrived, and he woke up much later the next day.
She had taken all the things from inside his room
The girl had stolen all of the singer's possessions from his room.
I found myself naked in the middle of the floor
The singer realized that the girl had stolen everything, including his clothes, leaving him naked.
She had taken the bed and the chest of drawers
The girl had even stolen the furniture from his room.
The mirror, the TV, the new guitar cord
The girl had taken everything valuable from the singer's room, including a mirror, a TV, and a new guitar cord.
My remote control and my old skateboard
The girl even stole small things such as the singer's remote control and his old skateboard.
She robbed us blind, she took all we owned
The girl had stolen everything of value from the singer and his friends.
And the boys blamed me for bringing her home
The singer's friends blamed him for introducing the dishonest girl to their home.
She's gets around
The girl has a reputation for being promiscuous and having many sexual partners.
She's crafty, and she's always down
The girl is deceptive and always willing to participate in something deceitful.
She's crafty, she's got a gripe
The girl is manipulative and holds grudges against others.
She's crafty, and she's just my type
Despite her deceptive and manipulative nature, the singer is attracted to her.
She's crafty
The song title repeats the description of the girl as being crafty and deceitful.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Rick Rubin, Adam Horowitz, Adam Yauch
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Wolfdragon92584
Early hip-hop has such a raw innocence to it, despite its content. It's one of those genres you can listen to any time of the day, night, whatever, and it just electrifies. Here's hoping we have a musical renaissance soon like we did in the late 80s/ early 90s. I'm sick of the generic, autotuned, inoffensive crap that gets played nonstop these days. We need an explosive new movement!!!
@lockandloadlikehell
Uhhh
Big Tone
Big Rome
Dee Cisneros
Big Mister
D-Boy 223
Little Travesio
East Bonanza Kings
Suckerfree 104
Payroll Giovanni
@tkowalke76
Tom Macdonald is pretty good for today's music. He loves to offend snowflakes and Biden! 😎 But nothing will compare to the 80s and 90s! PAC is STILL on the billboard charts and r&b charts!
@airidasjm3095
1:01 legendary
@cyphurengines2693
Came to the comments to see if anyone else saw it too 💀💀💀
@bruxea6517
I’m 23 and my parents used to bump Beastie Boys.
This one of the first songs I ever knew.
AD Rocks voice…. Heart eyes forever….
@jammabubbly522
Ad-Rock's the coolest rapper ever 👌🎤
@johnsims9007
Wellbutrin ... a
@johnsims9007
Poor taste kids
@melissagilley2202
I'm 41 and my parents did the same!! Good music never goes out of style!! I like when younger generations appreciate old school music!! And vise versa!! Older people .... like myself that have appreciation for newer artists !! Legends live on through us and connect us because we share that love 💖💫✌🤘