Rhyming & Stealing: A History of the Beastie Boys

He's got to do his thing and that's no lie. If Angus Batey's thing is to appear a little over the top in his laudatory worship of the Beastie Boys, perhaps it's his way of freeing up emotions that might not be too different from those of B.Boy disciples' all over the intergalactic planetary. The thing is, the Beastie Boys have, over the years, and through their many stages of development, become a phenomenon in their own right. It's something that's out of their control, 'cause, well, face it, they're pointguards on the court of cool, and I don't think anything they could do in the future would reverse this. This is because Adrock, MCA, and Mike D have put their souls on their sleeves since the inception of the Beastie Boys. Whether they were pissing people off through homophobic, male-centric, and altogether snot-nosed creepiness, or redefining their outlook on the world by helping those less fortunate, they've done it honestly, and with nothing to hide. Batey may have blurred the lines a bit in explaining their reasoning or motivation to address their past publicly, but the gift of his book is the realization that one is always dealing with the Beastie Boys on their terms, and the celebration of that as something highly enjoyable. What I loved most about this book is chapter three's voyage into the formation of hip hop and the point-by-point account of the Beasties' place in it. Never shy of dishing out humerous accounts or recounting the happenings in the early hip hop community, the book makes for a wholesomely fun read, good to the last drop. You might be getting more of a sweet taste than you were bargaining for, but when I'm reading about this group, I'm emptying my piggy-bank at the candy store.

Angus Batey is God's gift to the printed word. Each passage rings with a clarity and a truth the Liberty Bell would be hard-pressed to duplicate. While most limeys are too busy eating steak and kidney pies and downing pints at the pub to learn how to write, Batey has clearly mastered the craft. The Beastie Boys have grown from a drunk and brash bunch large on talent and small on class, to first class bores but in Batey's capable hands, even their most pious pontificating moments become interesting. Buying this book will add years to your life and make you much better looking.

Forget about war and peace, this is all you nee

move over "To kill a mockingbird" This is quite posibly the best book ever written. ever!

This book kicks ass! It tells the whole story of the Beastie's rise to fame and has great pictures. It is a must read for any B-Boys fan.