3. Pass the Mic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpsvBvwRuf0 This is as close as you can get to hip hop perfection. While this single didn't have any mainstream success, every true hip hop fan should know this song. "Pass the Mic" puts the Beasties rhyming skills front and center with MCA especially shining. As usual, the music itself isn't something to ignore either, with its pots and pans drum sound and booming fuzz bass. Stand out line: "If you can feel what I'm feeling, then it's a musical masterpiece/Hear what I'm dealin' with, then that's cool at least What's runnin' through my mind comes through in my walk/True feelings are shown from the way that I talk" 2. The Sound of Science
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CcTVfchNPM The lyrics are exceptional as usual, but the main reason why this track is number two is the fact that this song does not just sample a Beatles song, it samples FIVE OF THEM! That may not seem like a big deal to most, but for those that know all about legally sampling music, you would know that that is impossible to do. Seriously. When have you ever heard a Beatles sample that wasn't used on a free mixtape? The release of Paul's Boutique led to changes in sampling laws which assured the album would remain the one and only of its kind. Stand out line: "I've got science for any occasion/Postulating theorems, formulating equations" 1. Intergalactic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qORYO0atB6g There you have it folks, the Beastie Boys defining song is "Intergalactic", off their 1998 album Hello Nasty. If you were to go through this whole list and make a check list of the defining features of each song, Intergalactic would have all of them. Spock and Mario C references? Check. Juvenile jokes? Check. Classic music video? Check. Vocoder and other weird noises? Double check. "Intergalactic" is the perfect Beastie Boys song because it represents what they do best. They are three best friends who like to make interesting music that might sound weird, but is also catchy enough that anyone can enjoy it. Stand out line: "When it comes to beats, well, I'm a fiend/I like my sugar with coffee and cream" Don't see your favorite song? Let us know what's missing in the comments!