#19: Beastie Boys — Paul’s Boutique (1989)
Los Angeles, CA — Capitol
As we once again head toward the west coast, we also meet the first of many swagged out white boys we’re bound to get acquainted with. After the bittersweet victory of having in Licensed to Ill a pretty successful debut album that was nevertheless labeled as dumb stuff for frat bros and simpletons, the Beastie Boys made pilgrimage from their people’s traditional homeland of New York to the promised lands of Los Angeles (this is a reference to the fact that they’re jewish), where, under the guiding hands of the Dust Brothers (look ’em up, they’re a very important producer duo), Ad-Rock, MCA (R.I.P.) and Mike D set to create an opus of unparalleled complexity and refinement. The result is Paul’s Boutique, an album heralded by most as their best and one of the most iconic of the Golden Era; does it, however, stand up to its reputation?
And before I forget, I just got to comment on the cover art for this one, which is hands down one of my favourites in all of hip-hop. It’s a picture of a clothing store slash thrift slash antique shop-looking emporium in a certain Ludlow Street in Manhattan (I wonder if Bang has been there), taken by a former bandmate when they were still the hardcore punk ensemble Young Aboriginals, and I just love how cozy yet urban, warm yet distant, familiar yet aloof it looks. Anyways, onto the music:
As any run-of-the-mill hiphop blog article about the Beasties will tell you, two things that set them apart are the hyped-up, aggressive, very punk-informed performance, and the fast, densely sampled beats; and right after the very loungy, slightly tongue-in-cheek intro that is To All The Girls, we are immediately pummeled right across the cheeks by such production and delivery in Shake Your Rump, which samples a whopping 16 different songs, as well as the famous, slightly jarring bong hit followed by a shotgun blast. It’s one of the most dense in this record, sure, but it’s by no means an outlier and pretty much everything else in here is at least similar to it in such aspects. There are few albums in the history of rap with this level of care to the details of production, and it constantly reminds you of it, with some quick little cuts everywhere. One thing I especially like in rap is when a sample, vocal or not, is worked into a bar or verse in a manner that it is part of the lyrics as well as the instrumentation, and this album does it a lot.
However, one thing I would rather get out of the way right now is something that is a constant annoyance to me in the Beastie Boys’ early works, which is how fucking low the voices are mixed in most songs. I have no idea why they did that, I cannot think of a good reason why they would do that, but, coupled with how their voices are kinda high-pitched and boyish, it definitely does not make for a great listening experience.
Regarding their rapping, something that stands out a lot is the insanely agile back-and-forth thing that they do, to such a degree that hasn’t really been seen so far. EPMD and Ultramagnetic did a good job at chaining short verses and lines between MCs in some of their songs, but these three take it to the next level in tracks such as Shake Your Rump, with them weaving in and out off of each other’s parts sometimes multiple times within a single line. Genius dot com illustrates this very well:
Not that I’m a big fan of that style, mind you; actually, in my opinion it is something that can get old really fast. However, it is nevertheless an impressive ability, as well as the little dramatic intonations and “quotes” that they generously pepper all throughout this album, which I quite like. Their flows, while fast and agile, are also somewhat square and straight, more reminiscent of Run-D.M.C. and Public Enemy than of Kool G Rap and De La Soul — and I must say that I’m not really a fan of this hyped-up, shouty style, which has historically made it a little difficult for me to really enjoy the BBs. However, the writing here is pretty cool: the technique itself isn’t terribly intricate, but they’re lyrically fun and creative in a consistent manner, putting together fun little similes and metaphors inside larger stories.
An overall theme, you guessed, is usually that same old “bullshit tough guy bravado” (spoiler: and it’s gonna keep being it for a long time), but usually they have the decency of building a fun, whimsical little story around it, usually about fucking or rocking a party or doing drugs or whatever. They are fairly creative with their writing and often go the extra mile and come up with a solid story or theme that is its own thing instead of just being an excuse to brag about how big your metaphorical penis is. Some tracks such as Johnny Ryall, Egg Man, High Plains Drifter and Hey Ladies showcase some high-effort, compelling, solid writing and storytelling. Towards the end there is this thing called B-Boy Bouillabaisse, which consists of a collection of nine short tracks that sound like assorted skits, snippets and demos. Apparently it is a suite of sorts, and while I can’t really tell what the big overarching theme is, some of ‘em are pretty cool.
Overall I must say that, while I can clearly see why this album was so important and highly regarded, as well as influential, I also simply do not enjoy it as much for a few reasons listed above: the specific performance style and that annoying thing about the voice mixing. However, the production is simply impeccable and one of the most creative we’ve seen so far, and the lyricism is so stupidly fun that at some point you stop giving a fuck and just go with it. All in all it is still very clear why this was such an important record, and how fundamental it was to the creation of so-called alternative rap.
Favorite tracks:
Shake Your Rump — No idea why this wasn’t the lead single for this album, because it definitely does have that energy. The back-and-forth rapping, while slightly annoying to me at times, is of undeniable ability, the writing is pretty meticulous, and, as stated, the production is simply ridiculous: the almost unnecessary amount of samples somehow work with each other pretty well and create a delicious, disorientingly dense soundscape.
The Sound of Science — This one starts out with the most idiotically ridiculous excuse for a beat I’ve ever seen, only to develop into a fast verse where it almost sounds like they’re racing each other, with absurd, silly lyrics, and an intriguing, almost deconstructed structure to boot — it’s so goofy that you can’t help but have fun.
Hey Ladies — This record’s lead single, with very funky production and above-average writing that takes references such as popular sitcoms, japanese baseball idols and Vincent van Gogh to the classical, universal theme of fixing to get your dick wet.
Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun — Lol I usually don’t enjoy rap-rock much but this simply owns. Chuggy, slightly psychy guitar playing, gnarly bass and thumping drums go together well with the punky rapping and make for a very outstanding track.
Least favorite tracks:
3-Minute Rule — Not terrible by any means, just more boring and less good than the rest in pretty much every aspect: writing, producing, rapping, you name it. Though I gotta give props to one of the most incredible lines I’ve ever seen, that comes in the end of MCA’s verse: “Man, I was making records when you were suckin’ your mother’s dick”
Car Thief — Again, it’s not that this is bad, it just comes off as way less inspired to me. Sounds like filler, and I gotta say I decidedly don’t have a whole lot of patience for the theme of complaining about copycats and biting MCs.
