Best Beastie Boys Songs to Rock a House Party

The pioneering hip-hop group influenced a generation. Now it’s time to introduce a new audience to their music and do it again.

Best Beastie Boys Songs to Rock a House Party

A wise man once said don’t trust anyone who doesn’t like the Beastie Boys. If you don’t like Beastie Boys music, you might want to check your head. But this isn’t about you. This is about hip-hop — the culture of rap, freestyling, breakdancing, record scratching, beats, art, community and one love.

The Beastie Boys created more hip-hop than just about anyone in the game. And they did it with style, humor and grace over a 25-year career. There was never a rap group like the Beastie Boys before they arrived on the scene in 1986, and there will never be another group like them again.

Ad-Rock (Adam Horovitz), Mike D (Michael Diamond) and MCA (Adam Yauch) inspired the world with their music. Now it’s time to introduce a new generation to their hits and inspire the world again.

These are the best Beastie Boys songs to do that and rock a house party at the drop of a hat.

10. Funky Donkey

Ad-Rock, Mike D and MCA — The Beastie Boys in the early years.

Album: Hot Sauce Committee Part Two

Released: May 3, 2011

Track No.: 9

Length: 1:56

Bottom line: File this under funky for life. It's old school meets new school with effortless flow.

But the Beastie Boys didn't start out that way. Yauch and Diamond were in a four-piece hardcore punk band called the Young Aborigines in 1978. Horovitz joined in 1982, and they became the three-person Beastie Boys we know.

In a 2018 interview with Jimmy Fallon, Diamond said Beasties was an acronym that stands for "Boys Entering Anarchistic States Toward Inner Excellence." You learn something new every day.

Getting back to "Funky Donkey." When you can make something sound so easy, a song gets overlooked and underrated. Like this one. Which makes it a great place to start teaching the young ones about the Beastie Boys (and breakdancing). The younger, the better.

Listen

Lyrics for 'Funky Donkey'

Put this on a Zip disk, send it to your lawyer
File me under "Funky"

Like sipping lemonade and Arnold Palmers
Big holiday parties like Dolly Padner

Sometimes I get Pad Thai as a starter
My other order, Pad See Yew, is much darker

Adam Horovitz, I take a shvitz
I'm known for my glamour and my glitz, check it

As I bust, I really must encrust
This microphone rust with Diamond fairy dust

I don't wear Crocs and I don't wear sandals
The pump don't work cause the vandals took the handle

Stop singing that song in the wrong key
What you looking at? Funky donkey
Funky donkey
Funky donkey

I-I-I-I-I go woooo-ooo like a fire engine
Flashing lights to get your attention

Stop sweating me about the weather
Go shave a sheep and knit yourself a sweater

Don't get me heated or y'all in trouble
Bass is booming make the dancehall bubble

Letting loose, up in the honkey tonk
With the shoopa doopa doo bedonk

Well, I was swimming in the water of the ocean
Like Dr. Jekyll with the magic potion

We're brand new, never ever the same
What's that, what's that, what's the name?
Funky donkey
Funky donkey
Funky donkey

9. The Sounds of Science

Album: Paul's Boutique

Released: July 25, 1989

Track No.: 6

Length: 3:11

Bottom line: Paul's Boutique is a masterpiece. But it was not a commercial or critical success when it was first released.

That's because it was ahead of its time, and most people didn't get it. But there's a reason Paul's Boutique is called the "Sgt. Pepper of hip-hop."

The sampling is mind-boggling. This song alone samples nine songs, including five by The Beatles, and the last song on the album, B-Boy Bouillabaisse, is nine songs filled with samples in one phenomenal, 12-minute-33-second track.

Can you say musical geniuses?

Listen

Lyrics for 'The Sounds of Science'

Now here we go dropping science, dropping it all over
Like bumping around the town like when you're driving a Range Rover
Expanding the horizon and expanding the parameters
Expanding the rhymes of sucka MC amateurs
Naugles, Issac Newton, a scientific EZ
Ben Franklin with the kite, gettin’ ova with the key
Now rock, shocker the mike of the many times, times the times tables
Rock well to tell, dispel, all of the old fables
Cuz I be dropping the new science and I be kicking the new k-nowledge
An emcee to a degree that you can't get in college
Now the dregs of the Earth and the eggs that I eat
I've got pegs through my hands and one through my feet
Shea Stadium, the radium, E.M.D. squared
Kicked out of the Palladium, 'dja think that I cared?
It's the sounds...of science, the sounds...of science

Rope-a-Dope!
The newest in new, "Right up to your face and diss you"
Waxin' and milkin'
All of y'all square heads

Time and money for girls covered with honey
You lie and aspire to be as cunning
Reelin' and rockin' and rollin' B sized D cup
Order the Quarter Deluxe, why don'tcha wake up
My mind is kinda flowing like an oil projector
Had to get up and get the Jimmy protector
Went bezerk and worked, and exploded
She woke up in the morning and her face was coated
Buddy you study the man on the mic
D, do whatcha like
Drunk as a skunk am I from celebration
To peep that freak unique penetration
Well I figured out who makes the crack it's
The suckas with the badges and the blue jackets
Professor of science cuz I keep droppin' it
I smell weak cuz y'all keep poppin' it
People always ask me what's the phenomenon
Yo what's up? Yo what's goin' on
No one really knows what I'm talkin' about
And yeah that's right my name's Yauch...
[DJ scratching]

Ponce De Leon, constantly on
The fountain of youth, not Robotron
Peace is a word I've heard before
So move and move and move up on the dance floor
Cuz I'm gonna die, gonna die one day
Cuz I'm goin' and goin' and goin' this way
Not like a roach or a piece of toast
I'm goin' out first class, ain't goin' out coach
Rock my Adidas, never rock Filas
[I do not sniff the coke, I only smoke the sinsemilla]
Well, with my nose I knows and with my scope I scopes
What I live I write and that's strictly rope
I got science for any occasion
Postulating theorems, formulating equations
Well, Cheech Wizard in a snow blizzard
Eat a chicken gizzard with a girl named Lizzy
[Dropping science like Galileo dropped the orange]

8. Jimmy James

Album: Check Your Head

Released: Aug. 28, 1992

Track No.: 1

Length: 3:14

Bottom line: You can't keep a good man (or three B-Boys) down. After being humbled by the reception of Paul's Boutique, the Beasties went back to work while living in Los Angeles.

They picked up instruments again and returned to their hardcore punk rock roots. Horovitz played the guitar, Yauch was on the bass, and Diamond played drums. They started experimenting with funk, embraced the club scene and rebounded like champs with a fresh outlook on life and work.

The development is evident from the start of "Check Your Head" with this positive track. The first song on their new album. A tribute to Jimmy Hendrix.

Listen

Lyrics for 'Jimmy James'

[MCA] People how you doin', there's a new day dawnin'
[MD] For the earth mother, it's a brand new mornin'
[AD] For such a long while, there's been such a longin'
[All] But now the sun is shinin', let's roll back the awnin'

Move-move your body

[MCA] This is a type of kinda like a formal dedication
[MD] Givin' out a shout
[AD] for much inspiration
[MD] All I ever really want to do is get nice
Get loose and goof a little slice of life
[MCA] Sendin' out love to all corners of the land
[AD] I jump up on the stage and take the mic in my hand
[MD] I'm not playin' the role
[AD] Just being who I am
[MCA] And if you try to dis me, I couldn't give a damn

Cause I'm rockin'
Rockin'
Rockin'
Rock-rock, rockin'
Yeah, get down
Rock-rock, rock on
Rock-rock, rock on
Rock-rock, rock on
Mic-mic, mic control
Mic-mic, mic control
Mic-mic-mic, mic control
Yeah, can you get my drift?

7. Sure Shot

The Beastie Boys perform during Tibetan Freedom Festival at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., in 1998.

Album: Ill Communication

Released: May 31, 1994

Track No.: 1

Length: 3:19

Bottom line: The fun-loving crew still likes to enjoy themselves, but they have evolved from rebellious party bros to more considerate human beings who preach and practice respect for all.

"I want to say a little something that's long overdue/The disrespect to women has got to be through/To all the mothers and the sisters and the wives and friends/ I want to offer my love and respect to the end," Yauch, the group's spiritual center and leader, said in a "Sure Shot" verse that remains one of the memorable in rap history.

They were fearless when it came to doing the right thing and unafraid to blaze a trail. Yauch supported Tibetan independence and helped organize the Tibetan Freedom Concert, a series of rock festivals starting in 1996. In 1998, at the MTV Video Music Awards, he made a famous acceptance speech, calling for nonviolent, peaceful solutions in United States foreign policy.

Yauch became a practicing Buddhist and started imparting more wisdom with his lyrics.

Listen

Lyrics for 'Sure Shot'

[Hook: Beastie Boys]
Cause you can't, you won't, and you don't stop
Cause you can't, you won't, and you don't stop
Well, you can't, you won't, and you don't stop
Mike D, come and rock the sure shot

[Verse 1: Mike D]
I've got the brand new doo-doo, guaranteed like Yoo-hoo
I'm on like Dr. John, yeah, Mr. Zu Zu
I'm a newlywed, not a divorcee (yeah)
And everything I do is funky like Lee Dorsey

[Verse 2: Ad-Rock]
Well it's the taking of the Pelham 1, 2, 3
If you want a doody rhyme, then come see me
I've got the savoir faire with the unique rhymin'
I keep it on and on, it's never quitting time and

[Verse 3: MCA]
Strictly handheld is the style I go
Never rock the mic with the pantyhose
I strap on my ear goggles and I'm ready to go
‘Cause at the boards is the man, they call the Mario

[Verse 4: Mike D]
You pull up at the function and you know I Kojak
To all the party people that are on my Bozac
I've got more action than my man, John Woo
And I've got mad hits like I was Rod Carew (yeah)

[Hook: Beastie Boys]
Cause you can't, you won't, and you don't stop
Cause you can't, you won't, and you don't stop
You know you can't, you won't, and you don't stop
Ad-Rock, come and rock the sure shot

[Verse 5: Ad-Rock]
Hurra-, Hurra-
Cane will cross fade on your a-- and bust your eardrums
Listen everybody cause I'm shifting gears
I'm fresh like Dougie when I get my specs
And on the microphone, I come correct

[Verse 6: MCA]
Timing like a clock when I rock the hip-hop
Top notch is my stock on the soapbox
I've got more rhymes than I've got gray hairs
And that's a lot because I've got my share (oohh, weee)

[Verse 7: Mike D]
I've got a hole in my head and there's no one to fix it
I gotta straighten my thoughts
I'm thinking too much (yeah) sick s---
Everyone just takes and takes, takes, takes, takes
I'll have to step back, I gotta contemplate

[Verse 8: Ad-Rock]
Well, I'm like Lee Perry, I'm very on
Rock the microphone, and then I'm gone
I'm like Vaughn Bode, I'm a Cheech Wizard
Never quittin', so won't you listen

[Interlude]
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, yes, indeed, it's fun time

[Hook: Beastie Boys]
Cause you can't, you won't, and you don't stop
Cause you can't, you won't, and you don't stop
Well, you can't, you won't, and you don't stop
MCA, come and rock the sure shot

[Verse 9: MCA]
I want to say a little something that's long overdue
The disrespect to women has got to be through
To all the mothers and the sisters and the wives and friends
I want to offer my love and respect to the end

[Verse 10: Mike D]
Well, you say I'm twenty-something and I should be slacking
But I'm working harder than ever and you could call it macking
So I'm supposed to sit upon my couch just watching my TV
I'm still listening to wax, I'm not using the CD

[Verse 11: Ad-Rock]
Well, I'm that kid in the corner
All f---ed up and I wanna so I'm gonna (yeah)
Take a piece of the pie, why not, I'm not quittin'
Think I'm-a change up my style just to fit in

[Verse 12: MCA]
I keep my underwear up with a piece of elastic
I use a bulls--- mic that's made out of plastic
To send my rhymes out to all the nations
Like Ma Bell, I got the ill communication

[Hook: Beastie Boys]
Cause you can't, you won't, and you don't stop
Cause you can't, you won't, and you don't stop
Well, you can't, you won't, and you don't stop
Keep on and rockin' the sure shot

[Outro]
B-boys, b-girls...
Tick-tock, tick-tick...tock-tock

6. Just a Test

Album: Hello Nasty

Released: July 14, 1998

Track No.: 5

Length: 2:12

Bottom line: Great beat. Great lyrics. What more do you need?

How about an appearance on "Soul Train" — first in 1987, then in 1990 — to earn the respect of Don Cornelius?

On the technology side, in 2002, Adam Yauch set up Oscilloscope Laboratories in New York. It was used for film production, film distribution, and as a recording studio.

Listen

Lyrics for 'Just a Test'

Like a flag at half-mast as frames click fast
Not a thing will last as past is past
Like stacks of thoughts that got played and worn
Used over and over till they were tired and torn
Like a broken clock that can't tell time
Like a thick a-- book that's filled with wack rhymes
Like a scorching blaze that burned the sand
Like a band that planned and planned and planned
And flew down like a raven in the dark of night
And snatched up the worm helpless to fight
And brought it back to the nest, singing microphone check
One two one two, this is just a test
One two one two, this is just a test
One two one two, this is just a test

Like sand in one hand You can't hold for long
Like scheming on a plan that goes all wrong
It's like fudge and caramel, they're not the same
And it's a shame, all you talk is game
You act like a diamond waiting to be set
In a gold ring, as if, I bet
As time goes by in this give and take
As long as I learn I will make mistakes
Now, what do I want? What do I need?
Why do I want it? What's in it for me?
It's the imagery of technology
Is what you get is what you see
Don't worry your mind
When you give it your best
One two one two this is just a test
One two one two, this is just a test
One two one two, this is just a test

Come on-come on, come on-come on
Come on-come on, come on-come on
Come on-come on, come on-come on
Come on-come on, come on-come on

5. Triple Trouble

Album: To the 5 Boroughs

Released: June 15, 2004

Track No.: 6

Length: 2:43

Bottom line: The Beastie Boys weren't just rappers, rockers, producers and composers. They were comedians. And they made videos that were more entertaining than some movies.

The one for "Triple Trouble" involved getting kidnapped by Sasquatch. They also parodied 1970s police TV shows for "Sabotage", Japanese Godzilla movies for "Intergalactic" and Star Trek "Ch-Check It Out."

Yauch directed some of the videos as his alter ego Nathaniel Hornblower.

Listen

Lyrics for 'Triple Trouble'

Kickin' lyrics right through your brain
When you hear this sayin', you'll be right as rain

All right

If you (if you)
Wanna know (wanna know)
The real deal about the three
Well, let me tell you we're triple trouble ya'll
We're gonna bring you up to speed (check it out)

Cause I'm a specializer, rhyme reviser
Ain't selling out to advertisers
What you get is what you see
And you won't see me in the advertising

See, I like to party, not drink Bacardi
Cause I'm not looking to throw up on nobody
Known for my spiel, a wheelie one wheel
Cause this is like having a delicious meal

And, well, moving the crowd, well, that's a must
I got some words that apply to us
And that's mesmerizing, tantalizing
Captivating, we're devastating

If you (if you)
Wanna know (wanna know)
The real deal about the three
Well, we'll tell ya
We're triple trouble ya'll
We gotta bring you up to speed
Now check it out

Here's one for the bleachers and the upper tier
Versatile All-Temp-A-Cheer
If you wanna drink, call Mr. Belvedere
Run this rap game like a brigadier

I got kicks on the one, seven, and eleven
Snares on the five and thirteen
Rhymes on time and that's the given
We're hot on the disco scene, check-it, check-it

Slow down with I-me, got to stop stingin'
The source of the problem is at the origin
You've got lyrics that have got me cringin'
You're like a fish-wife, quit your damn whingin'

If you (if you)
Wanna know (wanna know)
The real deal about the three
Well, let me tell you
We're triple trouble ya'll
We're gonna bring you up to speed (so check it out)

Bam! Super nature, god damn
Cerrone on the microphone, I am
Ad-Rock, aka, sharp cheddar
My rhymes are better
What the Helen of Troy is that?
Did I hear you say my rhymes is wack?
I'm beautiful, you can't touch me
If you pick a rose, well, you might just bleed

We're originators, you can't feign
Ignorance or pass the blame
'Nuff rhymes coming out the brain
'Nuff beats to drive you insane
'Nuff moves to make your neck crane
'Nuff skill to make the rhymes ingrain
'Nuff heat to leave you in flames
'Nuff style that you can't defame

You see, I walk like Jabba The Hutt
With the style so new y'all be like, What?
Turn the party out like a bon vivant
With the skill at will that I know you want
On a hot day with the iced latte
Devious like Wyle E. Coyote
Hot to trot-e or maybe not-e
Cause little did they know there was a baby in her body

We're mesmerizing, tantalizing, captivating, and devastating

If you (if you)
Wanna know (wanna know)
The real deal about the three
Well, let me tell you
We're triple trouble ya'll
We're gonna bring you up to speed (check it out)

4. Root Down

Album: Ill Communication

Released: May 31, 1994

Track No.: 5

Length: 3:32

Bottom: Another classic from start to finish.

The Beastie Boys had a unique ability with their music to give listeners the feeling of superpowers.

This bassline in "Root Down" makes you believe anything is possible.

Listen

Lyrics for 'Root Down'

Uhhhh...
Huh

Yeah, I kick it root down
I put my root down
I kick it root down, I put my root down
So how we gonna’ kick it?
Gonna’ kick it root down
Yeah, how you wanna’ kick it?
Gonna’ kick it root down
So how you gonna’ kick it?
Gonna’ kick it root down
Gonna’ break it on down, gonna’ kick it root down

It's not a put down
I put my foot down
And then I make some love, I put my root down
I’m like "Sweetie Pie" by the Stone Alliance
Everybody know I'm known for dropping science
‘Cause I'm electric like Dick Hyman
I guess you'd expect to catch the crew rhymin'
Never let you down with the stereo sound
So, Mike, get on the mic and turn it out

We're talking root down, I put my boot down (boot down)
And if you want to battle me, you're putting loot down (loot down)
I said it’s root down, it's time to scoot down (scoot down)
I'm-a step up to the mic in my goose down (goose down)
Come up representing from the upper west
Money making putting me to the test
Sometimes I feel as though I've been blessed
Because I'm doing what I want so I never rest (yeah, Mike it, Mike it)

Well, I'm not coming out goofy like the fruit of the loom guys
Just strutting like The Meters with the “Look-ka Py Py"
Cause downtown Brooklyn is where I was born
But when the snow is fallin’, then I am gone (oh weee)
You might think that I'm a fanatic
A phone call from Utah and I'm throwing a panic
So break it to the root when we kick it on down
Jimmy Smith is my man, I want to give him a pound

I kick it root down, I put my root down
I kick it root down, I put my root down
So how you wanna kick it?
Gonna kick it root down
Cause how we gonna kick it?
Gonna kick it root down
So how we gonna kick it?
Gonna kick it root down
Gonna break it on down, gonna kick it root down (yeah)

Well, Adrock (huh)
Don't stop, come on
Just get on the mic with the tic and the toc

I'll fill you to the f---in' rim like brim
I'm walking down your block and you say,"That's him
There goes the guy with the funky sound"
The Beastie Boys, you know we come to get down
Because I've got the flow where I grab my d--k
And say “Oh my god, that's the funky s---!"
So I’m-a pass the mic and cause a panic (yeah)
The original nasal kid is doing damage

Every morning I took the train to High Street Station
Doing homework on the train, what a f---ed up situation
On the way back up, hearing battle tapes
Through the underground, underneath the sky scrapes
It's like Harlem World Battles on the Zulu Beat Show
It's Kool Moe Dee vs. Busy Bee
There's one you should know, (yeah)
Enough of that, I just want to give some respect due
MCA, grab the mic and Ma Bell will connect you

Bob Marley was a prophet for the freedom fight
"If dancin' prays to the lord then I will feel alright"
I'm feelin' good to play a little music (music)
Tears running down my face ‘cause I love to do it (love to do it)
And no one can stop this flow from flowing on
A flow master of disaster with a sound that's gone (yeah)
I'll give a little shout out to my dad and mom (yeah)
For bringing me into this world and so on

I kick it root down, I put my root down
I kick it root down, I put my root down
Yeah, so how we gonna kick it?
Gonna kick it root down
Yeah, how you wanna kick it?
Gonna kick it root down
So how we gonna rock it?
Gonna rock it root down
Break it on down, gonna kick it root down
Yeah, that shit's on down

And that's a record, that's a record cause of Mario
And that's a record, that's a record cause of Mario
And that's a record, that's a record to Mario

Awww, now that's a record, buddy

3. Paul Revere

The Beastie Boys and Run-DMC in midtown Manhattan in 1987.

Album: License to Ill

Released: Aug. 13, 1986

Track No.: 9

Length: 3:41

Bottom line: Some kids grew up on the Beastie Boys, and everything started with "License to Ill" and this song.

The storytelling. The lyrical flow. And that bass. It was hard. It was creative. It was ill. And it still is. And always will be. This is some classic hip-hop right here.

It’s also the fictionalized origin story of how the Beastie Boys met. Darryl McDaniel and Joseph Simmons from Run-DMC and Rick Rubin all helped Adam Horovitz write the absolute banger.

The album became the first rap album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and the journey began.

Listen

Lyrics for 'Paul Revere'

[Verse 1: Ad-Rock, MCA, (Mike D)]
Now here's a little story I've got to tell
About three bad brothers you know so well
It started way back in history
With Ad-Rock, MCA, (and me) Mike D
Been had a little horsey named Paul Revere
Just me and my horsey and a quart of beer
Riding across the land, kicking up sand
Sheriff's posse on my tail 'cause I'm in demand
One lonely Beastie I be
All by myself without nobody
The sun is beating down on my baseball hat
The air is getting hot, the beer is getting flat
Looking for a girl, I ran into a guy
His name was MCA, I said howdy, he said hi

[Verse 2: Ad-Rock, MCA]
He told a little story that sounded well rehearsed
Four days on the run and that he's dying of thirst
The brew was in my hand and he was on my tip
His voice was hoarse, his throat was dry, he asked me for a sip
He said, "Can I get some?" – I said, "You can't get none!"
Had a chance to run but he pulled out his shotgun
Quick on the draw, I thought I'd be dead
He put the gun to my head, and this is what he said
Now my name is MCA, I've got a license to kill
I think you know what time it is, it's time to get ill
Now what do we have here, an outlaw and his beer?
I run this land, you understand? I made myself clear?
We stepped into the wind, he had a gun, I had a grin
You think this story's over, but it's ready to begin

[Verse 3: Ad-Rock, MCA, (Mike D)]
Now I got the gun, you got the brew
You got two choices of what you can do
It's not a tough decision as you can see
I can blow you away or you can ride with me
I said, I'll ride with you if you can get me to the border
The sheriff's after me for what I did to his daughter
I did it like this, I did it like that
I did it with a wiffleball bat
So I'm on the run, the cop's got my gun
And right about now it's time to have some fun
The King Ad-Rock, that is my name
And I know the fly spot where they got the champagne
We rode for 6 hours, then we hit the spot
The beat was a bumping and the girlies was hot
This dude was staring like he knows who we are
We took the empty spot next to him at the bar
MCA said, "Ayo, you know this kid?"
I said I didn't, but I knew he did
The kid said, ("Get ready 'cause this ain't funny
My name's Mike D and I'm about to get money")
Pulled out the jammy, aimed it at the sky
He yelled ("Stick 'em up!") and let two fly
Hands went up and people hit the floor
He wasted two kids that ran for the door
("I'm Mike D and I get respect
Your cash and your jewelry is what I expect")
MCA was with it and he's my ace
So I grabbed the piano player and I punched him in the face
The piano player's out, the music stopped
This boy had beef and he got dropped
(Mike D grabbed the money) MCA snatched the gold
I grabbed two girlies and a beer that's cold

2. Ch-Check It Out

Album: To the 5 Boroughs

Released: March 2004

Track No.: 1

Length: 3:12

Bottom line: There were rumblings that the Beastie Boys had retired between the release off "Hello Nasty" in 1998 and "To the 5 Boroughs" in 2004, but Ad-Rock, Mike D and MCA put those whispers to bed real quick.

They came strong with the first track like they always do. This one had plenty of good vibes and positive energy. Unlike some rap groups, the Beastie Boys had no ego and just wanted to rock hard and have fun.

The fun ended in 2012 when Adam Yauch (MCA) died of cancer, after being diagnosed with a cancerous parotid gland in 2009. Horovitz and Diamond vowed to not make any more music without Yauch.

In 2014, a group of men dressed as Tibetan monks and honored Yauch with a breakdance tribute in Union Square Park in New York City.

Listen

Lyrics for 'Ch-Check It Out'

[Intro]
Oh, what'ch'you...what are you sayin?

[Verse 1: MCA]
All you Trekkies and TV addicts
Don't mean to diss, don't mean to bring static
All you Klingons in the f---ing house
Grab your backstreet friend and get loud
Blowin' doors off hinges
I'll grab you with the pinchers
And no, I didn't retire
I'll snatch you up with a needle nose pliers

[Verse 2: Mike D]
Like Mutual of Omaha
Got the ill boat you've never seen before
Glidin' in the glades
And like Lorne Greene, you know I get paid
Like caprese and with the basil
Not goofy like Darren or Hazel
I'm a motherfuckin' Nick at Night
With classics rerunning that you know all right

[Verse 3: Ad Rock]
Now remain calm, no alarm
'Cause my farm ain't fat
So what's up with that?
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
Like that, y'all, and you just don't stop
Guaranteed to make your body rock

[Chorus]
Check-ch-check-check-check-ch-check it out
What-wha-what-what-what's it all about
Work-wa-work-work-work-wa-work it out
Let's turn this muthafucking party out

[Verse 4: Mike D]
I said, "Doc, what's the condition?
I'm a man that's on a mission"
He said, "Son, you'd better listen
Stuck in your ass is an electrician"
Like a scientist
Mmm, when I'm applying this
Method of controlling my mind
Like Einstein and the Rapping Duke combined

[Verse 5: Ad Rock]
Now, hey, baby bubba, now what's the deal?
I didn't know you go for that mass appeal
Some call it salugi, some hot potato
I stole your mic, but you won't see it later
'Cause I work magic like a magician
I add up, the mathematician
I'm a bank cashier, engineer
I wear cotton and I don't wear sheer

[Verse 6: MCA]
Shazam and abracadabra
In the whip, I'm gonna cruise past ya
Yo, money, don't chump yourself
Put that s--- back on the shelf
Light rays blazing, you're out of phase, and my crew's amazing
We're working on the record, yo, so just stay patient

[Chorus]
Check-ch-check-check-check-ch-check it out
What-wha-what-what-what's it all about
Work-wa-work-work-work-wa-work it out
Let's turn this motherfucking party out
Check-ch-check-check-check-ch-check it out
Check-ch-check-check-check-ch-check it out
Check-ch-check-check-check-ch-check it out
Check-ch-check-check-check-ch-check it out

[Verse 7: Ad Rock]
Now, I go by the name of the King Ad-Rock
I don't wear a cup nor a jock
I bring the s--- that's beyond bizarre
Like Miss Piggy (Who, moi?)
I am the one with the clientele
You say, "Ad-Rock, you rock so well"
I've got class like pink champale
MCA, grab the mic before the mic goes stale

[Verse 8: MCA]
Don't test me, they can't arrest me
I'll fake right, cross-over and shoot lefty
You look upset, yo, calm down
You look like Cable Guy dunked off of your crown
I flow like smoke out a chimney
You never been me
You wanna rap but what you're making ain't hip-hop, B

[Verse 9: Mike D]
Get your clothes right out the dryer
Put Armor All up on your tire
Sport that fresssssh attire
Tonight we goin' out, set the town on fire
Set the town ablaze
Gonna stun and amaze
Ready to throw a craze
Make your granny shake her head and say "those were the days"

[Chorus]
Now check-ch-check-check-check-ch-check it out
What-wha-what-what-what's it all about
Work-wa-work-work-work-wa-work it out
Let's turn this motherf---ing party out

1. Alive

Album: Beastie Boys Anthology: The Sounds of Science

Released: Feb. 23, 1999

Track No.: 19

Length: 3:50

Bottom line: Times were good when the Beastie Boys were making music.

Their lyrics were timeless and crucial to a lot of childhoods and adolescent kids growing up.

As the B-Boys matured, so did their message. There were at peak consciousness here with "Alive." Before the world changed forever after the 9/11 attacks on New York City.

One thing that hasn't changed is the uplifting quality of the Beastie Boys' music. It still can rock a party at the drop of a hat.

Listen

Lyrics for 'Alive'

I have never been more ready in my entire life to do this right now
Never
It's all been leading up to this moment
All right now, right here
My whole life, right here

We got rhyme selections in a wide array
J'ai des bonbons pour vous manger
The party people scream, "Oui, oui, c'est vrai"
Cause I got a remote for my bidet

Now A-D-R-O-C-K
I use the microphone like Picasso used clay
Down with Freckles from around the way
Peace to Bambaataa and Jazzy Jay

I rock on the mic from here to Bombay
I give it my best and say come what may
Cause everybody's got their dues to pay
I'm looking sideways like my man Pele

Gettin' on like Ali bomaye
So fed up with racism today
Time to speak up and not turn away
Make the sun shine when it's cloudy and gray

Dip dip dive so socialize
Open up your ears and clean out your eyes
If you learn to love, you're in for a surprise
It could be nice to be alive

I'm taking doody rhymes to a brand new height
I shine on the mic like UltraBright
Created a monster with these rhymes I write
Goatee metal rap, please say goodnight

Now here's a little something you may not like
My DJ's name is Mix Master Mike
It's a real pity that you people got to bite
But I could understand because he sounds so nice

Reading you the news cause I'm Country Mike
Use a microphone like Shazam uses tights
Try to keep clear of that hate and spite
So I keep my mind still like the still of night

Now who in the world do you want to fight?
It's against the system, we should unite
Homophobics ain't alright
If you learn to love, then you might love life

Dip dip dive so-socialize
Open up your ears and clean out your eyes
If you learn to love, you're in for a surprise
It could be nice to be alive

Bring it back that old New York rap
Bring it back that old New York rap
Bring it-Bring it back that old New York rap
Bring it-Bring it back that-Bring it-Bring it back that
Bring it-Bring it back that old New York rap
Bring it back that old New York rap
Bring it-Bring it back that-Bring it-Bring it back that
Bring it-Bring it back that old New York rap

Now you can shuffle numbers but facts is facts
So many billionaires while so many lack
So before the poor decide to react
Come on party people and share up your stacks

Now I'm-a break it down to the brass tacks
Do the Biz Mark dance and the cabbage patch
You try to turn the key but then you broke the latch
Sneak into my files for some rhymes to snatch

I'd like to have a say on the income tax
Don't wanna help build bombs and that's the facts
No money for health care so what's the catch?
The man got you locked with no key to the latch

Mike and Adam have got my back
You bring the mic and we'll bring the raps
Turn on the PA and rock your shack
Don't smoke cheeba, can't stand crack

Dip dip dive so-socialize
Open up your ears and clean out your eyes
If you learn to love, you're in for a surprise
It could be nice to be alive

Bonus: I Don't Know

Adam Horovitz, Michael Diamond and Adam Yauch — The Beasties Boys. Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock), left, Michael Diamond (Mike D), center, and Adam Yauch (MCA) at the premiere of their new film "Awesome; I ... Shot That!" in New York in 2006.

Album: Hello Nasty

Released: July 14, 1998

Track No.: 15

Length: 3:00

Bottom line: Some songs, you never want to end. This is one of them.

The bossa nova ballad sung by Adam Yauch, with beautiful backup vocals from Miho Hartori of Cibo Matto, is so mellow it's mesmerizing.

It's not hip-hop, but it shows the depth of the Beastie Boys' musical genius. And how Yauch found the path to enlightenment and helped the Beastie Boys find their way.

Although they no longer are creating new music, their old music can be new again for a whole new audience learning about the Beastie Boys. As Adam "MCA" Yauch said in "Pass the Mic":

"If you can feel what I'm feeling then it's a musical masterpiece/ If you can hear what I'm dealing with then that's cool at least/ What's running through my mind comes through in my walk/ True feelings are shown from the way that I talk."

That spirit will live forever for old and new fans to appreciate.

Listen

Lyrics for 'I Don't Know'

What's pleasing to the eye
In the delusion of my sight
Is not what I find when I reach into the light
I have lost my mind

I'm walking through time
Deluded as the next guy
Pretending and hoping to find
That distant peace of mind

I don't know
Who does know?
There is no
Where to go

It's not so simple as I try to wish
But then again what is?
There is no other worthy quest
So on I go

I don't know
Who does know?
There is no
Where to go

I don't know
Who does know?
Where to go

I don't know
I don't know
I don't know
I don't know