Disco de Beastie Boys: “To the 5 Boroughs [PA] [Digipak]”

The first time I listened to this album, I'll admit that I didn't really like it but after many spins it finally clicked. Like in all of their albums, Beastie Boys are always one step ahead and it takes a bit of time to adjust because people expect it to sound a certain way, like in Paul's Boutique for example, and even now people are still adjusting to Hello Nasty. But once you do, you'll see it for the masterpiece it really is (or hear for a better use of a word.)

Beastie Boys have gone back to their roots with To The 5 Boroughs, back when hip-hop was all about fun and "Once upon a time on this mic/ M.Cs be really working on what they write" (Right Right Now Now) but at the same time taken it one step forward and raised the bench mark in hip-hop once again. And while it's filled with old-school beats and rhymes, it also has an almost futuristic sound to it, like the computerized voice in "Oh Word?" for one.

The album as a whole is fun and up-beat with witty, humorous 'doo-doo rhymes' that Beastie Boys are famous for such as "I'm a freaky streaker like Winnie the Pooh/ With T-shirt and no pants and I dance the Bugaloo" and "Yo what the falafel? You gotta get up awful early, to fool Mr. Furley/ And that's, word to Aunt Shirley, and you could stick your head in the toilet give yourself a swirlie", using a similiar rhyming style to Run DMC, but it is also filled with so much meaning as well. I mean, just listen to "An Open Letter to NYC" and you can really tell how much pride and love they have for their city.

If you look back to some of their older songs such as 'Alive' you'll see that Beastie Boys already had political views so this is not new. They are socially conscious and it is hard to ignore the changes that have happened around, and it would especially impact New York, the place they grew up in, so naturally they express their views on the issues that have occurred, because they (surprise, surprise) do have opinion and aren't just puppets in the music industry. But it is not to the point where the album is overtly preachy and has enough party tracks such as Ch-Check it Out, Triple Trouble, Oh Word and the aptly named Hey F@#? You, and as Mike D sings in "It Takes Time To Build", "If you don't like the news then press eject."

As for the music on this album, the beats are hot. They're funky, fresh, energetic and booming, most noticeably in Rhyme the Rhyme Well, It Takes Time To Build, Triple Trouble and An Open Letter To NYC, and if you don't find yourself at least bobbing along I think you need to check your pulse. Mix Master Mike's skills on this album are also amazing and his genius meshes well with these hip-hop veterans.

The rapping skills of King Adrock, M.C.A and Mike D are top-notch and King Adrock proves he really is the King. While he doesn't do any trademark screaming or show the same energy in this album, it has a different sort of energy and is bursting with attitude and diversity, singing his usual higher voice in some songs and lower in others. Mike D has never sounded better either, he really shines on this record, and M.C.A's voice is raspier, which makes him sound even better and he really bites you with it.

So if you want a refreshing, old-school, pure hip-hop album that is real, not fake like a Canal Street watch or the mindless, manufactured 'gangsta rap' out there that is dominating the mainstream, take a listen to this album and expand your mind. Beastie Boys' uniqueness, ability to create different music from the rest and simultaneously never selling out or trying to be 'hip' are some of the many reasons that sets Beastie Boys apart from other bands, why they have been in the biz for so long and why they created such an impact in hip-hop history.

This album is yet another example of their genuis and is hip-hop at its purest. If you don't like it at first, listen to it a few more times so you can take it all in and see it for what it really is. I guarantee you that this album, while it may not be a Paul's Boutique (but then again, what is?) it is certainly not a dud and is better than 95% of the music out there. This album proves that like fine wine, Beastie Boys only get better with age.

I gotta say I was hesitant to buy "To the 5 Boroughs" when I heard the B-Boys were going to do a CD heralding a return to their roots. Would the Beasties still have enough mad skills to stack up in the newest evolution of hip-hop? Would a return to immaturity mean they have abandoned the evolutionary path of growth their fans have grown to love?

I'm glad to say "To the 5 Boroughs" is another 1st-rate high-quality Beastie Boys disc. This could have been the second album that they never released. The missing link between that unimaginable growth spurt they took from "Licensed to Ill" to the under-appreciated genius that is "Paul's Boutique". "To the 5 Boroughs" has an old skool vibe but it's the bigger (& better) brother of the orginal New York rhyme styles that put them on the map. Only this time the music is theirs, the lyrics have hidden maturity and the collage of music has depth.

Ok, you want a review of this album, or do you want an opinionated media influenced piece of crap from the mouth of someone who most likely doesn't know his hip-hop culture? (no offence peeps)

This album is a tribute to the city that made the boys who they are, NYC.

I've heard people saying this album is empty, go listen to Licence to ill and tell me that sounds full, this albums about bringing it back to the old skool.

Ch-check it out -, ok read the lyrics and THINK 'all you trekkies and TV ADDICTS, dont mean to diss dont mean to bring static, all you klingons in the f##kin house, grab your backstreet friend and get loud' If this isnt a commentary on the current state of hip-hop i don'tknow what is, sittin' in all day watchin' MTV for your hip-hop culture, their sayin' get your ass out and get involved in the scene! If there isn't a night on in your town, get one started, don't moan about something if you aint gonna do something about it, don't like the beasties album, get your own on the go dumb ass!

Triple trouble- If you could make a better opener for a track that's part of an album dedicated to NYC i don't what you'd use, Grand Master Flash the guy who started this off (saw the guy a while back and yes, he still got the skills!) using anything else would be an insult to the history of hip-hop. This song has a loop that's so damb danceable I don't know how you couldn't get your ass movin'!

Open letter to NYC- Come on, if you hate this you ain't got taste, the rise of sound at the start after the vocal intro just makes u feel the passion these have for their city, never mind the lyrics contained within!

Hey f##k you - I swear they dig at 50cent in this (`talk about your face, don't get pissed, I suggested you see a dermatologist' OUCH!) I aint starting any beef here, just the rhymes in this one are funny as f##k, and if you don't like this album theres a real subtle messege here for yah `hey f##k you!'

Ok that's enough typing, I got a night to put together so onto the main focus of the album...

...The political commentary throughout, I think being from the city that took the full force of the current terrorism climate, they have a right, if not a duty to comment, who the hell are people who ain't expereinced that to question on something they most likely don't even understand?

If you think these tracks suck, get yourself a copy of the beasties live in Las Vegas (funnily enough filmed for MTV, oh god I can hear the contradiction accusations already!) This album is fresh as a cool ass cumcumber, so get yourself a copy and LISTEN to, not hear the music.

What the time?...ITS TIME TO GET ILL!

Another amazing turn-out from my favorites, the Beastie Boys. The worst thing about this group is they take so damn long to record albums. However, they are never disappointing, as each one is different from the last, whilst still retaining the essential Beastie flavor. TT5B feels incredibly stripped down compared to their last effort, Hello Nasty, not mention compared to the sample-rama, baroquesque Paul's Boutique. (For everyone who complains that TT5B is no Paul's Boutique...of COURSE it isn't! Holy crap, do you think that can be duplicated?!) Noticably absent are the instruments that the trip picked up in past albums (particularly Check Your Head and Ill Communication) and the beats feel less Euro-trashy and techno-DJ. (Like Hello Nasty. I say Euro-trashy in a good way too.) The ryhmes are still snappy and clever and silly ("I'm a freaky streaker like Winnie the Pooh. T-shirt and no pants and I dance the bugaloo.") but a new element of, dare I say, maturity and seriousness is introduced. Maturity that was touched on in songs like "Song for the Man" and "I Don't Know" in Hello Nasty is expanded and manifests itself in social commentary and political views. A definite stand out is "An Open Letter to NYC" which praises and pays tribute to the city they love. "Brass Monkey" this ain't. Another noticable change is MCA's voice. While always much lower and rougher (he was the only one who sounded like he might be able to kick your ass) than the other two, it's has become far more raspier and harsh. It's interesting, throughout their careers, and through their CDs, we have seen and heard this maturing, as all good artists should do, but who would have thought that it would result in such good music at the same time?

So...don't get me wrong, I love the days of "Brass Monkey" and "Sabotage" but it's about time the Beastie's evolved and took on production control. The result is a highly original and highly addictive album. Obviously there are some either incredibly unaware or incredibly stupid people who will cringe at the Beastie's open politics, but at least someone has the courgae to say it. "Right Right Now Now" and "Time to Build" are big on this, and thus the standout tracks for me. "An Open Letter to NYC" is sad and moving. And "Brouhaha" is fun in a random and dorky sort of way. Overall 4.5.