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."
Something
Beastie Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Someday we shall all be one
Why fight yourself?
This one's called Rectify
There's something coming to the surface
There's fire all around
I've seen better days than this one
I've seen better nights than this one
Tension is rebuilding
Something's got to give
Something's got to give
Someday, we shall all be one
Jesus Christ, we're nice
The lyrics of Beastie Boys's song Somethings Got to Give seem to call for peace between the races. The song is a call for an end to the racial tensions that exist in our society. The lyrics, "I wish for peace between the races, Someday we shall all be one," perfectly capture the intention behind this song. The band is demanding unity amongst all races, and they believe that it can happen in due time.
The lyrics also talk about the tension that is building up in our society, and that something has got to give. This tension can be felt everywhere, and it is not a new development. The song calls upon the people to take a stand and put an end to this tension; to confront it, acknowledge it and deal with it. Through the lyrics, the Beastie Boys are encouraging the listeners to face the reality that tension does exist and to work towards finding common ground that will lead to peace.
The song's verse, "Jesus Christ, we're nice," seems to be sarcastic, mocking those who use religion to justify racial prejudice or who pretend that everything is okay when it is not. The band is reminding us that people of all races can be good and decent individuals, and that we need to work towards recognizing this, and not just the color of people's skin.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish for peace between the races
I hope for a world without prejudice or discrimination
Someday we shall all be one
One day, humanity will be united and equal
Why fight yourself?
Why struggle against your own nature?
This one's called Rectify
This song is intended to correct or make right a situation
There's something coming to the surface
A hidden truth is about to reveal itself
There's fire all around
Conflict and turmoil are present
But this is all illusion
These problems are not real, but rather a result of fabricated perceptions
I've seen better days than this one
The current situation is not ideal and has been better before
I've seen better nights than this one
Even the nighttime seems worse compared to the past
Tension is rebuilding
Unrest and conflict are growing stronger
Something's got to give
Things cannot continue the way they are and a change must occur
Something's got to give
Repetition of the previous line to emphasize the need for change
Someday, we shall all be one
Reiteration of hope for a united and equal world
Jesus Christ, we're nice
Sarcastic statement, implying that despite humanity's potential for goodness, we still experience conflict and division
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ADAM HOROVITZ, ADAM NATHANIEL YAUCH, MARIO CALDATO JR., MARK RAMOS NISHITA, MICHAEL LOUIS DIAMOND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@JLRRyan
Its a sleeper, but this might be my fav Beastie's song
@MichalGolata
Ryan C same
@marykatiegoff2250
Adrock wrote a great essay about it in their book
@jharperdust
I also smoke weed.
@JohnWhiteECU
they were paid for all the samples off this song
@DavidHardingisperfect
It IS your favorite song. Mine too. <3
@matthewvicendese1896
The Beastie Boys were a lot like the Beatles. Started off with a fun band and lots of press attention, but then elevated into recording studio giants with the whole band contributing to amazing diverse albums.
@chadwickrogers43
Facts.
@HipHopHead82
That’s so true! I’ve heard Run DMC are The Beatles of hip-hop but I actually think it is the Beastie Boys for how they elevated throughout their careers as artists. Run DMC are more a kin to The Rolling Stones of hip-hop.
@matthewvicendese1896
@zachcampos8667 Run DMC are Chuck Berry, Elvis or Buddy Holly!! Early pioneers!!