25 years of Ill Communication

By 1994, the Beastie Boys had been a band in one form or another for 13 years, and even after solidifying their hip hop style in the mid-‘80s, they continued to evolve from Def Jam’s 3 Stooges to L.A. party boys and eventually into a group that capitalized on blending all of their talents and musical interests without shame or apology. 1992’s Check Your Head is the pinnacle of that growth, with the Beasties presenting more honest versions of themselves through fusions of hip hop, hardcore punk, jazz funk, and plenty of samples from and references to 1970s culture throughout. After achieving success with this new style along with several hit singles and well-received touring, what were Ad Rock, MCA, and Mike D to do next? Take a victory lap.

Ill Communication is not quite “part 2” of Check Your Head, but making another album within two years of that breakthrough was bound to result in something of a continuation or a deeper dive into the sounds and styles with which they had just been working. One element unique to Ill Communication is the heavy usage of distorted vocals on multiple tracks, making them simultaneously almost stand in for guitars in some cases. “Sabotage”, the album’s most successful track, and one of the band’s biggest hits, is a particularly unique example of the creative brilliance that comes out of the kinds of fusion Beastie Boys were working with at the time. While it can be compared to “Gratitude”, from Check Your Head, “Sabotage” is a more full-realized blend of rock, hip hop, and jazz that was not really enough of any of those things to be properly categorized in one genre or the other, yet it was everywhere in the summer of 1994, from its iconic music video, live on David Letterman, or at the VMAs. The buzz about the album also landed them a headlining slot on the annual Lollapalooza tour (when it used to travel from town to town throughout the summer rather than waiting in Chicago for people to come to it).  

Likewise, the Beasties’ return to their love of hardcore punk produced some excellent tracks on both  Check Your Head and Ill Communication. “Tough Guy”, a Knicks fan’s lament about going up against Detroit’s Bill Laimbeer, blasts by in a blur on track two, and the hardcore/hip hop/comedy track, “Heart Attack Man” rocks hard later in the album.  Shortly after the release of Ill Communication, the band knocked out an additional 8 song EP of hardcore punk songs, Aglio Y Olio, which they briefly promoted by performing in small clubs under the name Quasar.

Also as on Check Your Head, jazz-funk instrumentals continue to function as interstitials between songs and allow the guys to show off their musical chops as well as maintain a vintage tone throughout the album. Tracks like “Sabrosa” and “Ricky’s Theme” recall a 70’s vibe that not only make the listener feel they are in a Tarrantino film, they stand out as some of the record’s best moments. Even many of the hip hop tracks here, such as “Sure Shot” and “Root Down”, are built around samples of Ad Rock, MCA, and Mike D (and friends) playing in the studio, rather than samples from existing recordings by other artists. Other songs are a blend of both techniques. Late into side two, MCA’s recent conversion to Buddhism emerges on a series of songs that conclude the album, most including chanting Tibetan monks, and lyrically reflecting their struggle to be recognized as free and independent from China. Even these songs maintain the album’s tone and bring it to a reflective conclusion, also like “Namaste” on Check Your Head.

Lyrically, as with almost all of their albums, there is a blend of comedy, obscure references, and hip hop boasting, but added to that is an element of reflection and personal honesty that gets slipped in right between all the other lyrics that are flying by. In a time when Dr. Dre and Snoop were on top, and Tupac was just taking off, it stood out for a hit hip hop song to talk about offering love and respect to women, for example. 

In addition to the album’s 20 songs, the Ill Communication era offered lots of great supplemental material.  Besides Aglio Y Olio and the four official music videos, several B-sides, remixes, and live tracks were released between 1994-1996. In those days, CD singles, EPs, and contributing to compilations and soundtracks were particularly popular, resulting in opportunities to release any of the leftover material from the album or anything else a band wanted to put out. Rediscovering their love of hardcore punk in the early ‘90s even led Beastie Boys to reissue their first two EPs, Polly Wog Stew and Cooky Puss, (as a compilation entitled, Some Old Bullshit) shortly before releasing Ill Communication.  All told, there are well over two hours of extras for fans of this album to enjoy, some of which were included on the 20^th anniversary remaster/reissue of the album from 2014.

While their initial bursting onto the scene in 1986/87 got the ball rolling, and 1992’s Check Your Head was the band realizing their potential, Ill Communication continued across the plateau established by Check Your Head and allowed Beastie Boys to reach their absolute peak in both popularity and influence, and it allowed them to have a career as long as they wished to continue, which they did until the untimely passing of MCA in 2012. With Ill Communication, the Beastie Boys proved they were true alternative music artists that ended up bridging audiences and genres better than anyone in their time.

Listen to Ill Communication on youtube or most other streaming services.

Other albums celebrating 25 years:

Outkast-Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik

Sublime-Robbin’ the Hood

Warren G-Regulate...G Funk Era