The Beastie Book Review
The following books have varying
degrees of Beastie relevance.
Buy:
Oh Snap!: The Rap Photography
of Ricky Powell by Ricky
Powell
One of two Ricky Powell books, this
one only features hip hop acts. The book is mostly comprised
of photographs of the Beastie Boys and Run
DMC, so naturally, it's a good buy. His other book,
The Rickford Files: Classic New York Photographs,
is equally as good, although it has no Beastie Boys photographs.
|
 |

|
Fuck You Heroes : Glen E. Friedman
Photographs, 1976-1991 by Glen
E. Friedman
Features photos from hip hop legends
LL Cool J, Eric B &
Rakim, Beastie Boys, Run DMC, and Public
Enemy; to infamous punks Black Flag, Minor Threat, Bad
Brains, and Fugazi. Friedman documented the early skateboarding
scene with the Z-Boys, the early years of hardcore, and
hip hop's adolescence. For Beastie fans, the book has a
few classic photos from the Check Your Head era,
plus a few from the Licensed to Ill era. This book
will make a fine addition to your coffee table.
|
Fuck You Too: The Extras &
More Photographs by Glen E. Friedman
This book is in the same format as
the first book and features photos from all your favorite
hip hop and punk artists, including the Beasties. The title
covers a more recent time frame up to 1995. Buy it and put
it next to the first book.
|
 |

|
The Men Behind Def Jam: The
Radical Rise of Russell
Simmons And Rick Rubin
by Alex Ogg
The first half of this 272 page book
is excellent, it's hard to put down. It has some great stories
on all the early Def Jam artists like Run DMC, Public Enemy,
LL Cool J, and obviously the Beastie Boys. The second half
however delves into areas that some Beastie fans might not
care about, with coverage of later day Def Jam artists like
Jay-Z and DMX. The book's main emphasis is on Russell Simmons,
but still goes into some detail on Rick Rubin as well as
small sections on Lyor Cohen.
There are some minor errors within like showing a photo
of the Beastie Boys with 2 of the names switched around,
but generally speaking it's an interesting read.
|
Raising Hell : The Reign, Ruin, and Redemption of Run-D.M.C. and Jam
Master Jay by Ronin Ro
Raising Hell : The Reign, Ruin, and Redemption of Run-D.M.C. and Jam
Master Jay contains a surprisingly large amount of content and history relating to the
Beastie Boys (1985-1987). Although Russell Simmons' book Life and Def attempted to tell the
early history of Def Jam records/Rush Management; this book eclipses it and proceeds to be as much
about Russell Simmons and Def Jam as it is about Joseph Simmons and Run DMC. Interview quotes from
Adam Horovitz, and Beastie Boys' DJs: Dr. Dre and Hurricane give the reader insight into the true
nature of the relationship that exists between Run DMC and the Beastie Boys. Even if you are not a
fan of RUN DMC, the book is worth purchasing for it is a historical account of the Rap/Hip Hop
through the 1980s.
|
 |

|
Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies by Brian
Coleman
June of 2007 saw the release of Brian Coleman's book Check the Technique:
Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies. The objective of this work was to provide hip-hop
fans with first person (recording artist) accounts of what went into making 36 of hip-hop's most
beloved albums. With each album getting its own in depth chapter,
the book is nearly 500 pages long. A comprehensive look at the creation of the Beastie Boys hip-hop
- funk - punk masterpiece Check Your Head makes up chapter 2 and
Brian Coleman's interviews with Mario C., Money Mark, and the Beastie Boys will delight both the average
fan as well as the beastiemaniac. If you were into hip-hop/rap
during the 1980s and 1990s, this book is a must have. Some of the other projects highlighted
include: Biz Markie's Goin' Off,
Cypress Hill's Cypress Hill, De
La Soul's
3 Feet High and Rising, and Run D.M.C.'s Raising Hell.
|
The Greatest Music Never Sold by Dan Leroy
Dan Leroy, the man who wrote the definitive book on Paul's Boutique, is back
with another Beastie treat. This time it is concept book entitled The Greatest Music Never Sold,
which includes the secrets of the unreleased 1989 Def Jam Records - Beastie Boys album The White
House. Finally we get to hear Chuck D's side of things and get a glimpse into
Def Jam's vaults. Also included in this book, is a very insightful look at the band's 1998
country-western album Country Mike's Greatest Hits.
Adam Yauch and Michael
Diamond
let us in on what prompted the country sessions, the failed Spike
Jonze-Beastie Boys movie project We Can Do This. To learn more about this project and how all
the puzzle pieces
fit together, pick up a copy of the book.
|

|
Maybe Buy:
American Hardcore: A Tribal
History by Steven Blush
Billed as the epitome of American
hardcore books, this title is describes the American hardcore
scene from 1980-86 by combining a slew of interviews about
all and everything related to early hardcore. The book is
a phenomenal primer for those who weren't in the scene as
it was happening, but leaves much to be desired for those
who are familiar with the early years of hardcore. Beastie
fans should know that the book only has a few mentions of
the Beasties and a scan of an early setlist.
|
 |

|
Life and Def: Sex, Drugs, Money,
+ God by Russell Simmons
From his early years of hustling
back in Queens to stories about Def Jam's rise as a multi-media
force in the entertainment business, Russell's autobiography
reads easily and holds a person's attention page after page.
Unfortunately references made in regard to the Beastie Boys
are few and far between. The band gets about 2.4 pages in
a book that is over 220 pages in length. The disheartening
thing is that during their brief mention Russell states:
"When I first saw them live, they were the Young and
the Useless, a punk band with more attitude than musicianship."
Statements of that nature breed confusion about the band's
origins and have the tendency to influence journalists who
then go on to write inaccurate histories of the band in
magazine articles.
|
I Make My Own Rules by LL
Cool J
Although LL Cool J's book proudly
displays a parental advisory logo on the front, the pages
are pretty tame. If you are expecting to read about the
crazy hotel parties LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys had on
tour in 1987, you are likely going to be disappointed. The
book only mentions the Beastie Boys in passing. It does
however credit Adam Horovitz
for the important role he played in getting Rick Rubin to
initially take notice of LL Cool J's demo tape. Although
short on Beastie material, I Make My Own Rules was
well written and worth reading, especially if you have been
curious about LL Cool J's rise to fame.
|
 |

|
Rapcore: The Nu-Metal Rap Fusion
by Dick Porter
Although the Beastie Boys said "...goatee
metal rap please say goodnight" in "Alive,"
this book cites the Beastie Boys and Def Jam as some of
movement's founding fathers. The fourth chapter, Louder
Than a Bomb: Def Jam, retells the early Def Jam story
and mentions the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, and LL Cool
J in the same stories that previous books have already told.
Even though the chapter starts with a full page Licensed
to Ill era photo of the Beastie Boys, the books following
two images are simply the covers of the She's On It
and Licensed to Ill twelve inches. Overall, there
are not any new revelations in this book. In fact, certain
aspects of chapter four share similar wording to that which
you would find in Beastiemania.com's own Who's Who section.
Beastiemania.com did not receive an acknowledgement in the
back of the book. Yet, other fan based websites were mentioned.
|
|