‘Remote Control/Three MC’s and One DJ’: the most overlooked gem in Beastie Boys discography
Beastie Boys. What’s their best album? Chances are you’re thinking Ill Communication or Licensed to Ill, maybe Paul’s Boutique. Maybe even Check Your Head if you’re a real fan. The problem with that is, you’re all wrong. The general consensus is that they were past their peak by 1998. The truth is they never reached their peak. Hello Nasty was and will, unfortunately, forever remain their best work. It was the double single release of ‘Remote Control/Three MC’s and One DJ’ which perfectly exemplified just what the boys from Brooklyn were all about. They weren’t punk, they weren’t hip-hop, they were simply the Beastie Boys.
Originating in 1979 as the Young Aborigines, Beastie Boys were as punk as you could get. They were making their way around the New York hardcore scene, showing up on bills with the likes of Bad Brains, Misfits and the Dead Kennedys. It wasn’t until their 1983 comedy single ‘Cookie Puss’ that they first dipped their toes into the expanding ocean of hip-hop. A song from the EP of the same name resulted in the freedom for them to branch out and do, well, whatever the hell they wanted. ‘Beastie Revolution’ was sampled in a British Airways commercial, and the band threatened to sue, leading to an immediate payment of $40,000. Not bad.
This is when the boys bought an apartment, met producer Rick Rubin, and the rest is history. Speaking of the first time he met the band, Rubin has stated, “I met Mike first. I thought he was an arrogant asshole. Through spending time with the Beasties, I grew to see that they had this great sense of humour. It wasn’t that they were assholes, and even if it was, they were funny with it.”
Over the next 15 or so years, the Beastie Boys became one of the hottest acts in the world. Known for their unserious piss-take attitude, they weren’t just these three white guys mimicking hip-hop; they were one of the most important and successful hip-hop acts ever.
By 1998, they were known for their blend of punk and hip-hop — the use of samples on Paul’s Boutique revolutionised the genre in a way only Run DMC could challenge. The highly-produced, Spike Jonze-directed music videos were almost from an unseen dimension. Surely they couldn’t push it any further. But then came ‘Remote Control’ and ‘Three MC’s and One DJ’ — the bands’ only ever double-single release.
‘Remote Control’ was as hard-hitting and lyrically masterful as some of those early Beastie Boys punk tracks. Highlighting the rising consumerism of the late-’90s coupled with the struggles of navigating your way through life’s struggles, the trio showed that they can still do guitar music as good, if not better than, everyone else.
‘Three MC’s and One DJ’ was the perfect accompanying track. It showcased the flip side of the trio. They couldn’t get more hip-hop if they tried. As the title gives away, it is truly just three MC’s and one DJ going at it. A funny, unserious, flowing track matched with one of their simplest, yet most appealing music videos. Filmed on a fisheye lens, because, of course, it is the ’90s after all, it shows Mix Master Mike calmly making his way down to an apartment draped in a Ghostbuster costume. The ‘three MCs’ wait in a formation for his entrance. He turns the decks on, the Beasties take turns rapping into the fisheye, the song ends, they get in the same formation, cue credits. Perfection.
There may be better songs within their discography, ‘Sabotage’ and ‘Sure Shot’, for example, but there is not one release that best exemplifies everything that the Beasties were about. Punk and Hip-hop. Funny and serious. Three MC’s and one DJ.
