REVIEW: Beastie Boys, Hello Nasty (Capitol)
- Franklin Johnson
I hate hearing License To Ill blaring out of fraternity jocks' stereos, thinking they're somehow cool by hearing the Beastie Boys in their earliest creative days. Fortunately for you, me, and the rest of the world, the Beasties have never stopped evolving with some of the best music to ever hit the street on Hello Nasty.
With a title based on the way their publicity firm (Nasty Little Man) answers the phone, this disc is the essence of maturity, sampling technology, and incredible vision. Samples range from Tito Puente to Run DMC, beats which were only hinted on since the days of Paul's Boutique, are in full effect with Hello.
All the traditional Beastie elements - samples from every imaginable source, the feeling for the street, and keeping it real - can be heard here. Hello can serve as the soundtrack to a blaxploitation film, an outstanding fusion of hip-hop and rap, or a space age feeling of ambience, seemingly all at once. Sure, there are potential singles ("Super Disco Breakin'", "The Negotiator Limerick File" and the first one, "Intergalactic"), but they don't seem to matter much. Selecting two or three songs from this collection, and presenting them independent of the rest of the disc, is akin to trying to select the best part of a seven course meal at an exclusive French restaurant. You may pick out something special, but it's the whole dinner - not just one part - that leaves you feeling full and complet
I just know that the sample listing included here isn't complete, because there are so many beats that I've heard before at some point in my life. The Beasties' magic formula is to incorporate everything you've ever heard before, and turn it into something completely different. With Hello Nasty, all those years of hard work have finally paid off with a masterpiece.
