Beck is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer known for his eclectic style.
In 1994 when Beck Hansen scored a commercial hit with "Loser," the media and many popular artists at the time labeled Beck as a one-hit wonder. Very few artists embraced Beck at that time; Mike D though was an exception. To the viewer at home watching Mike D and Beck appear together on shows like MTVs 120 Minutes and Squirt TV it seemed like the two had formed a really strong bond. One could speculate that Mike D, who survived the chaotic era of "Fight for Your Right (to Party)," was in fact preparing Beck for what would soon come after the novelty of "Loser" wore off. Even though MTV had the music video for "Loser" in heavy rotation, Beck openly admitted in various interviews that the song was old and he was already involved with creating different sounding material.
That different sounding material evolved into his phenomenal 1996 album Odelay. The benefit of having been classified as a one-hit wonder was that there was no pressure to repeat. This freedom enabled Beck to take the necessary time and effort to work with the Dust Brothers in the same manner that the Beastie Boys did when Pauls Boutique had been created. The result of the Becks labor was the closest thing Beastie Boys fans have to a Pauls Boutique sequel. Layered heavy with samples and the Dust Brothers now infamous wall of sound technique, Odelay sold beyond expectations and was attracting Beastie Boys fans by the masses. Having created his own very dedicated fan base, Beck went on to release Mutations (1998) and Midnite Vultures (1999).
Most people do not realize that Mario Caldato, Jr. and Money Mark Nishita both worked on Odelay. Money Mark gets mentioned in the liner notes under "thanks to:" but was one of the albums uncredited musicians. Mario C, on the other hand, is credited with production on "Minus" which was recorded in the Beastie Boys G-Son Studio. And if that was not enough Grand Royal influence, it should be mentioned that Mark Kates was Becks A&R man at the time (1996).
Beck has come full circle with his 2005 release of Guero. The first single, "E-Pro", gives a songwriting credit to the Beastie Boys because it features a sample from "So What'cha Want." In addition to the Beastie Boys, the entire album was produced by the Dust Brothers and features Money Mark on a few tracks as well.