First Appearance:To the 5 Boroughs LP, 4 June 2004 Written by: Beastie Boys Performed by: Beastie Boys Production Notes: Produced by Beastie Boys. Mixed by Supa Engineer "DURO" for No Question Ent./Loreal Inc. Recording engineered by Beastie Boys and Jon Weiner. Turntable Extraordinaire: Mix Master Mike. Recorded and mixed at Oscilloscope Laboratories. Mastered by Chris Athens at Sterling Sound.
Behind the Beats and Lyrics...
Samples
"Bellevue Patient" by Funkmaster Wizard Wiz from his album Bellevue Patient (1985)
"The Symphony" by Marly Marl featuring Master Ace, Craig G., Kool G., Rap and Big Daddy Kane
"Sex for Teens (Where It's At)" by Stanley Z. Daniels, M.D (1969)
References
Mike - Mix Master Mike, the Beastie Boys DJ and turntable extraordinaire
Page 6 - the New York Post's gossip page
Carl Sagan (1934-1996) - America's most famous astronomer whose PBS television series "Cosmos" remains the most-watched program in public-television history
Canal Street - a Manhattan street that is known for its many street vendors and jewelry stores that sell knock-offs of expensive brands; the Beastie Boys studio, Oscilloscope Laboratories, is located on Canal Street
Sasquatch - also known as Bigfoot, a large apelike creature reportedly sighted in the United States and Canada
Kugel - a pasta/noodle-like middle-European Jewish dish
Kings County - a county located in New York, now coterminous with the borough of Brooklyn
Albee Square Mall - a shopping mall on Fulton Street in Brooklyn
Brooklyn - a New York City borough
Regina - capital city of South Saskatchewan, Canada
Foghorn Leghorn - a Warner Bros. southern rooster cartoon character
Yosemite Sam - a Warner Bros. cartoon character; nemesis of Bugs Bunny
Toucan Sam - mascot for Kellogg's Fruit Loop cereal
Hoover Dam - one of the world's largest dams, located on the Colorado River between Arizona and Nevada
Sample & Reference Breakdown
"Shabba doo, shabba dee, shabba dee, shabba doo" - Shabba Doo is the street name of breakdancer Adolfo Quinones in Breakdance: The Movie and 1984's sequel Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo
"And if you don't like it then hey fuck you" - a sample from "Bellevue Patient" by Funkmaster Wizard Wiz
"'Cause I've got more rhymes than Carl Sagan's got turtlenecks" - refers to astronomer Carl Sagan's trademark attire--a turtleneck with a sport jacket
"So put a quarter in your ass 'cause you played yourself" - a sample from "The Symphony" by Marly Marl featuring Master Ace, Craig G., Kool G., Rap and Big Daddy Kane
"Wa-how, what a loser" - a sample from "Sex for Teens (Where It's At)" by Stanley Z. Daniels, M.D
Commentary:
Beastie Boys
"This song's on goofy island but it's chucking rocks over at b-boy island. It's building a catapult." - Beastie Boys, using their "Three Islands" approach in describing the songs on their new album.
