Without the pressure and stress to create a quick follow-up album to
Paul's Boutique, Beastie Boys gradually begin planning their next recording effort. Wanting to have a place where they could hang out and record any time of day and any day of the week, as opposed to having to arrange for expensive studio rental time slots, Beastie Boys decide to take the advance money that the record label supplied and purchase a building in Atwater Beach, California. In order to make the old building's ballroom into a studio, Beastie Boys call upon the carpentry expertise of
Money Mark Ramos-Nishita and producer
Mario Caldato Jr.
Over time, Beastie Boys add a few touches of their own to the building, which they name "G-Son," as though it were the son of the Grasshoff "G-Spot" house that they rented upon first arriving in California. These personal touches include a basketball hoop and an indoor skateboard ramp, which can be seen in the
"Pass the Mic" music video. Upon completion of the remodeling, Beastie Boys begin working on what will become the
Check Your Head album.