“Get It Together,” Beastie Boys feat. Q-Tip
MCA’s passing shocked away the latent aspect of my devotion
to one of the most approachably cool groups ever. The Beastie Boys started off as jokey punkers in the early ’80s
and now enjoy a place as one of hip-hop’s most formative and aspirational acts.
Working in a genre that often
seems fueled by bravado, MCA, Mike D, and Ad-Rock came to temper their boasts
with game-changing humility. They exhibited a growth in both form and content that I can’t
really say I’ve seen in another artist. With an impressive capacity for innovation, the trio shrewdly
mined the past to shape the future. Their sound evolved to resist career-spanning definition, but
is perhaps best characterized by an enduring playfulness that made irreverence
weighty. Who else has managed to
be ever the same, yet continuously progress?
“Get It Together” is off the Beasties’ 1994 essential, Ill Communication, and will always be
the track that is my fave of so many faves. What
other hip-hop joint references an antitrust lawsuit in such a cleverly impish
way—“Ma Bell | Who’s that”? The
cut features A Tribe Called Quest legend Q-Tip, whose swaggery baritone is a
satisfying counterpoint to the Boys’ cartoonish spitting.
The splicing and dicing that created this song is so
skillful that none of the samples slap you in the face. Rather, they are integrated with a
subtlety that makes you feel like you’re part of an inside joke. James Brown and Biz Markie are along for
the ride with cough-and-you’ll-miss-them snippets. A two-line lift from Eugene McDaniel’s “Headless Heroes” is
deftly transformed into an unlikely chorus. Tip’s guttural harmonics frame the track, leading in and out
of the beat that loops a taste of The Moog Machine’s “Aquarius/Let The Sunshine
In”.
I love this song because it has a little bit of everything
that is best about the Beasties. There
are inspired borrows from other records.
There is a driving beat that propels, but doesn’t force, the heavy sonic
layers. There are memorable quips
like Ad-Rock’s take on his then-wife (“She’s the cheese and I’m the macaroni”).
The raps snap. And, of course, there is MCA.
Which came first the chicken or the egg
ReplyDeleteI egged the chicken then I ate his leg
These lines never get old!!!
hahaha, love it!
DeleteSuper-educated, you're smarter than Spock! This is a great tribute to the Beasties. And to Q-tip, who never ceases to entertain.
ReplyDeleteTough to decide on the fave lyrics, but I'd say this snippet of Sure Shot has always warmed the cockles of my heart. Fittingly, this micromanifesto to the world of hip-hop comes from the late MCA:
I want to say a little something that's long overdue
the disrespect of women has got to be through
To all the mothers and the sisters and the wives and friends
I want to offer my love and respect to the end
Ditto, MCA.