The New York Beastie Boys became known in the eighties and nineties for their mix of hip-hop, jazz and punk. Hits like No Sleep Till Brooklyn and Fight For Your Right (To Party) are still doing well on the dance floor. Successful and innovative albums such as Licensed To Ill (1986), Check Your Head (1992), Ill Communication (1994) and Hello Nasty (1998) have meant a lot to the hip-hop scene. The
… Beastie Boys have a habit of taking their time for their albums. To The 5 Boroughs is the successor to Hello Nasty and there are six years in between. The album is mainly about New York, the place where it all started. In terms of music, there are no major changes, at most fewer trips to other music styles are made. After twenty years, the Beastie Boys still sound 'old school', with plenty of sampling from hip-hop history. To The 5 Boroughs does not have a big hit rate, it rather seems that the band has gone back to hip-hop from the early days with a bare beat and a rap. Mandatory study material for the new recruits within the scene. (JdD)more
