Volume 19, Track 4

Posted on | July 30, 2010 | No Comments

“Root Down” by Beastie Boys (1994)

Some Dude’s 126th Ironclad Law of Music states: “Great beat + overlaid sample of static from a record player = solid gold.” Ill Communication is filled with great treasures and “Root Down” is one of the best tracks from the Beasties ’94 release which featured the über popular “Sabotage” as well as the fan favorite “Sure Shot.” The last single to be released off of Ill Communication, “Root Down” shows the Beastie Boys doing what they do best while they were in post-Paul’s Boutique mode^[1] which was producing hip hop that had very definite ’70′s influences and flourishes. And for the connoisseur of vintage hip hop and Beastie history you have Mike D dropping this on you, “On the way back up hearing Battle Tapes/Through the underground, underneath the sky scrapes/It’s like Harlem World battles on the Zulu Beat Show/It’s Kool Moe Dee versus Busy B, there’s one you should know,” all within a nicely wrapped beat. This is easily one of the ten best songs that the Beasties produced in the ’90′s.

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[1] Which is to say: music that moved away from using a disparate number of samples per track. I.e.–”Root Down” only used two samples (and one was uncredited).

Category: Volume 19
Tags: Beastie Boys > Focus on Beastie Boys

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A series of 14-track (and sometimes 29-track) volumes that consist of songs that either time forgot about or are overshadowed by the artists' other work. Some of these volumes are artist-specific while others are simply eclectic; either way, they would make for good mixed tapes.