Spins: Beastie Boys • To the 5 Boroughs
Beastie Boys
To the 5 Boroughs
(Capitol/UMe)
In 2004, Beastie Boys’ sixth album found the bicoastal trio of MCA, Mike D and Ad-rock returning to and celebrating their place of origin. To the 5 Boroughs finds the group in full flourish with an album full of infectious grooves, dizzying pastiches of inscrutable (and probably costly) samples, sly rhymes, catty insults, current and curiously outdated pop culture references, deep thoughts, humor, mature social themes and crass verbiage. Following Hello Nasty by six years, To the 5 Boroughs was the group’s first fully self-produced effort after collaborating with Mario “Mario C.” Caldato Jr. on the four prior Beastie Boys releases. Although a shade less complex and more unified in overall sound than Hello Nasty, the Beasties’ inventive fusion of hip-hop and punk spirit remained audibly intact (while not indulging in bespoke hardcore or punk arrangements on this outing). The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart and eventually earned a platinum sales certification for shifting more than a million units in the US.
The heart of the album is “An Open Letter to NYC,” which is an empathetic ode to the resilient but embattled city and cultural melting pot that shaped the trio. “Dear New York, this is a love letter to you and how you brought us together,” says Mike D. The song reflects upon changes since 9/11, as well as the city’s example as a unified community drawn from disparate origins.
Bombastic single “Ch-Check it Out” erupts with booming bass drum and horn stabs. The feel and attitude aren’t worlds apart from Check Your Head favorite “So What’cha Want,” albeit without Ad-Rock’s grinding guitar. He does get in the best humble-brag roast of his audience. “I’ve got friends and family that I respect / When I think I’m too good, they put me in check / So believe when I say I’m no better than you / Except when I rap, so I guess it ain’t true,” he says cheekily. Mike D hilariously dubs himself an entertainment powerhouse akin to a melding of Albert Einstein and the Rapping Duke.
“Triple Trouble” is another declaration of hip-hop superiority cast against Latin percussion, Mix Master Mike’s record scratching, and soul licks borrowed from the opening bars of the immortal “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang.
“Right Right Now Now” glides atop an eerie harpsichord pattern and features another nimble record scratching feature by Mix Master Mike. The track gets political with MCA’s call for sensible gun control. Ad-Rock proudly declares himself a “funky-ass Jew” and adds a diss against white supremacists for good measure. “I went to get a loan, and they asked my race,” says MCA. “I wrote down ‘human’ inside the space.” The group also shows its evolved stance through self-reference, declaring “We’re gonna party for the right to fight.”
The collection continues with refined highbrow and lowbrow braggadocio, dissing “sucker MCs” and posturing like giddy peacocks. “I’m blowing up like my name was Joe Bazooka,” says Mike D in one particularly date-stamped reference during “Shazam!” He follows with another borrowed from Sanford and Son before declaring he’ll put rival MCs out of business like defunct electronics retailer Crazy Eddie. The beats are strong enough to carry the sentiment even to listeners who don’t get the chronological or geographical references.
“All Lifestyles” is a long way from “Fight for Your Right (To Party)” and the cocky misogyny of “Girls” from the trio’s less-enlightened youth. The Beasties advocate for inclusion of “all lifestyles, sizes, shapes, and forms.”
The group criticizes the then-current George W. Bush administration over an electropop soundscape in “It Takes Time to Build.” The song decries “environmental destruction and the national debt but plenty of dollars left in the fat war chest,” criticisms that would be no less relevant today. The underlying call to action is made overt in “We Got The,” which declares “we got the power to make a difference” while citing the examples of Gandhi and MLK.
“Brrrr Stick Em” cribs from an obscure Six Million Dollar Man storybook album. MCA brings the reference home, saying, “’Cause I’m a cyborg created to emcee.” The robotic theme is augmented with references to Blade Runner and Lost in Space.
The combination of hip-hop conventions, pop culture fun, and serious everyday concerns makes for an engaging listen during any mood. The deluxe reissue presents the album on three remastered LPs of heavyweight vinyl. The set is housed in a hardback slipcase. The inner sleeve opens to reveal a pop-up depiction of the album’s cover drawing of the New York City skyline, with the Twin Towers standing at the right-hand edge. Enclosed is a map of Lower Manhattan with markers locating apartments, studios, clubs, record shops, schools and restaurants that loom large in Beastie Boys’ lore. Now, you can follow the dots to visit Rick Rubin’s old dorm room and the apartment of Luscious Jackson’s Jill Cunniff.
The set includes a batch of eight remixes. The most compelling of four “Triple Trouble” reinventions is a slashing and surging track made by Blur guitarist Graham Coxon. “Rizzle Rizzle Nizzle Nizzle” casts “Right Right Now Now” as an organ-laced all-skate in the opposite direction. “MTL Reppin’ for the 514” twists the song into an homage to Montreal. “RRNN: Straight Outta Shibuya” does likewise for Tokyo.
– Jeff Elbel
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