The Shrine

<div style='font: 12pt Arial; text-align: left; '>Seriously though, I've been a Beastie Boys fan for a long, long time. I've got (or owned at one time or another) every Beastie CD made. My favorite album by them is Ill Communication... probably my most favorite album of all time. To the 5 Boroughs is a great CD, it's their return to giving their fans what they want and not just experimenting with new Genres (as on Hello Nasty).

Although Hello Nasty was, in my opinion, a great Cd, I know that many people lost interest in the group because of it. It was almost like what happened to the Smashing Pumpkins... Billy Corgan's head got too big and their last two albums were just Corgan stroking his own ego and going on weird tangents. 5 Boroughs takes all of the things that people liked about Hello Nasty, mixes in a few more modern beats (like on "Right Right Now Now" and "An Open Letter to NYC") and then throws in a bunch of really old-school beats and rhymes like on "Oh Word" and "Triple Trouble". It's different than Hello Nasty in that the B-Boys cuss quite a bit on this CD. They even have a song called "Hey Fuck You" that goes off on some, uh, wack MCs... not sure who they're talking about though.

The liberal politics are thick on this disc, so if you don't agree with their views you might be turned off a bit by some of the lyrics. That's not a problem for me though as I tend to lean to the left on most issues. Mostly they're just ripping on Bush (as on the track "Time to Build") or they're talking about accepting alternative lifestyles and cultures, etc. (as on the track "All Lifestyles"). Nothing too out there, it's just a "We got to get together & take the power back" kind of a thing.

Some people might be turned off by the CDs apparent unoriginality... at times it seems like a re-hash of their older stuff, but a B-Boy fanatic will be able to tell the difference. This CD is 1/2 fresh new style and the other 1/2 is a return to the Beastie Boys roots. Things you won't find on this CD: any Buddhist stuff (although I have no problem with Buddhism personally), any rock (hardcore or otherwise), any nice words for Bush. There's also quite a bit more testosterone on this CD than I expected, it seems to me like they were trying to give the fans what they want... and I think I got it.</div>

<div style='font: 12pt "Cooper Black"; text-align: left; '>Its number one album right now, even in all these years, they still got it. (first cd was 1996? wow)</div>

<div style='font: 12pt "Cooper Black"; text-align: left; '>Its number one album right now, even in all these years, they still got it. (first cd was 1986?  wow)</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>No rock? They've been a rock-based rap group since forever. Fight for Your Right to Party a total rap song? Bullshit.</div>

<div style='font: 12pt Arial; text-align: left; '>Are you mad that there aren't any rap songs or are you disagreeing with me that there are no rap songs? I can't tell...</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>What I'm saying is that while they are rap songs, they are usually based off of rock material. A ghetto-blasting hardcore gangsta black nigga ain't going to be down with the Beastie Boys stuff because they like the Motown and funk based rap. Nobody gives a shit about the lyrics; it's all backbeat.</div>

<div style='font: 12pt Arial; text-align: left; '>True... Beastie Boys is hip-hop for white people, crackers, like you and me.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt ; text-align: left; '>"A ghetto-blasting hardcore gangsta black nigga", was all of that fucking necessary?!</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>No self respecting rock fan would be interested in it either, but why o' why does one of our rock stations have to keep playing this drivel?!</div>

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>No, but he knew some buzzwords.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "Comic Sans MS"; text-align: left; '>Yeah, from the last decade.</div>

<div style='font: 12pt ; text-align: left; '>The Beastie Boys are classic with long time fans, people would buy their albums even if they did barber shop.</div>

<div style='font: 12pt ; text-align: left; '>How many rock fans have there been in the last 5 years anyways? Rock is dead right now, no one cares about it except old people and people living in cultural wastelands.</div>

<div style='font: 12pt ; text-align: left; '>Maybe he idolizes Dr. Dre =P</div>

<div style='font: 12pt Arial; text-align: left; '>*sigh*...</div>

<div style='font: 12pt ; text-align: left; '>The last real North American rock band that I can even think of at the moment were the Stone Temple Pilots, and they were alone for a while until they broke up.</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>However, I have to say, this new shit coming out is a sad shell of what rock used to be.

You might be confusing this new rock with what you call pop, and I wouldn't blame you.

Seriously, these new rock artists take a few lyrics, one or two riffs, and repeat them for about five minutes. A guitar solo from these punks wouldn't last five seconds.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>I was just saying "the blackest of the black" or the "most culturely representive". What? Are you offended by me saying "nigga"? Aren't you my nigga?</div>

<div style='font: 11pt arial; text-align: left; '>Actually, I think he's right. As far as music trends go, rock is on the decline and rap/hip-hop is on a veritable rocket to the moon. We're on the tail end of the punk revival, and a most of the new metal bands are hip-hop inspired anyway.</div>