>Do you know any black people who listen to the Beasties? Do other rap acts
>give them shout-outs on record? They are making white music for white
>people. Nothing wrong with that, but it ain't hip-hop.
>JP
Says Leyla Turkkan, former publicist for the Beasties: All the really
hardcore hip-hop heads wouldn't publicly admit it, but quietly, they'd all
say to me, "Oh my God, the beats on this record are the most unbelievable
thing on earth." From Chuck D to LL Cool J to KRS-One, they were all in awe
of Paul's Boutique.
Says Russell Simmons: Eric B. told me he could steal 15 albums off the
Beastie Boys' second album.
JP, you're right about the lack of on-record shout-outs for the Boys--as
these quotes attest. And you're probably right about them making music for
people who generally aren't black. But, if you go to a Beastie Boys concert,
I guarantee you that you're gonna see kids, adults, whites, Asians, Latinos,
males, females, and several other groups I ain't representing right now.
I guess one of the inherent problems with discussing the Beasties as rap
artists is the amount of essentialism that must be chopped away before you
can discuss the music they create. But, just because black people don't
publicly admit to listening to them (or dismiss them) doesn't necessarily
mean that what they're creating isn't hip-hop. Of course, I would say that
Check Your Head and Ill Communication are more "influenced" by rap than
traditional rap, but it could also be argued that what the Beasties were
doing with those albums is redefining what was possible with not only rap,
but also rock 'n' roll.
I will say this, though. You make the mistake and judge a man by his race
you go through life with egg on your face.
Lance, amateur Beasties-ologist . . .
