Artist: Beastie Boys
Album: To the 5 Boroughs
Label: Capitol Records
Rating:
Reviewer: Jonathan Yost

It's great to have the Beasties back. With their new album, To the 5 boroughs, hitting stores June 15th, The Beastie Boys are bringing back their sense of style, their sense of sarcasm, and their sense of purpose. To the 5 boroughs brings together elements of all their classic albums, though some songs sound to be produced more than I'm used to. Don't get me raw, it's good, I'm just used to the beasties being a bit more raw.

Even if some of the songs don't sound raw, the lyrics are still as potent as they have ever been, maybe even more so. Since License to Ill in 1986, The Beastie have been known to have clever lyrics, but came off as some kind of gimmick. Three Jewish guys rapping about drinking, girls and partying. Sort of like a rapping trio of Andrew W.K.'s. With "What Comes Around" on Paul's Boutique, it showed that in three years, the boys are seen to be maturing a bit, and starting to rap about issues that they are thinking about. Then, on every album after that the boys show more and more growth in their lyrics and show more and more ability to pop out great beats with their great lyrics. To the 5 boroughs shares what the Beasties are seeing going on in the world, and sharing it in their unique way.

In "An Open Letter To NYC", The Beastie Boys encourage Unity within New York. Asking everyone from Asians to Middle Eastern to Latin and all the Whites and Blacks in join together since their city has already been through hell and back. The song itself sounds a little dark, but it's so catchy, I'm wondering if it was produced by Dr. Dre. The sober tone of the song gives the lyrics more weight. It's not meant to be fun and dancy, it's a message. Come together. The city, and the nation, are already torn apart. I feel that although the song is directed towards New York, everyone in the United States should pay attention to this.

Another stand out track is right right now now. Another song with a somber beat, and another song that begs the people of America to band together. The band does an excellent job of making you bounce your head while demanding your full attention. You give them your attention, they bring to you a laundry list of things that people in this country are trying to ignore. Racism, wars, gun control, these are things that we need to focus on as a country, but the Beastie Boys point out the fact that we don't care. Our present apathy is what's going to become our past atrocities. I only hope setting this kind of wake-up call to a good beats going to convince some people to do what the three MCs are asking. Man, I better get back to the review, and drop the preaching. I'll get back to that some other time...

Soooo, Beastie Boys' To the 5 boroughs, buy it. Awesome. It's when of the few albums I have heard lately that push for a change, and do it without coming off as cliché. When you think of current Rap and Hip Hop, you don't think politics. Hopefully, when hearing this, you will. This is the most powerful Beastie Boys album to date. I hope they keep it up.