Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty (Capitol) Four years have passed since the Beasties' last opus Ill Communication. Speculation over the pioneers of full-on and rude hip-hop abound - can the Boys, now 30-ish men - still cut it, with their frantic schedules of managing a record label, championing Tibetan causes and, fatally, greying hair? Hello Nasty may well allay the fears of many a fan of King Adrock, MCA and Mike D, for not only are the Boys back, they sound better than ever. Casting political crusades aside for a while, the Beasties' renewed offensive to the pop foray was a 22-track album of fun, bursting at the seams with inspirations from all styles.
Ditching the punk-rock posturings that blotted Ill Communication, Hello Nasty saw the Beasties going back to what they do best - mixing popular hip-hop with other dance-oriented values in funk, reggae and electronica. Mixmaster Mike is more than apt in scratching, and even Lee 'Scratch' Perry makes an appearance on the reverent reggae number, Dr Lee, PhD.
Through the sonic experiments the Beasties remained loyal to their vocal style - still the same adolescent, egotistical, shouty raps in which content often boggles the mind: 'But I don't mean to brag/I don't mean to boast/I'm intercontinental when I eat French toast'.
Hello Nasty proves that, yes, even 30-somethings can have fun and rock. Don't grow up, lads.
