Beastie Boys - "Shake Your Rump"

I actually picked up a copy of the recently released Paul's Boutique 20th Anniversary Edition over the weekend. Although there's nothing new outside of a richer, cleaner mix and a revised track list which breaks up the epic B-Boy Bouillabaise into its nine constituent parts, it is still worth a listen and, if you're so inclined, a purchase. After all, Paul's Boutique ranks as both the Beastie Boy's best album and one of the most important records to come out of the "Golden Age" of hip-hop. Its impressively dense pastiche of semi-obscure samples (mostly from the 1970s) and cultural references has spawned books, articles and dozens of websites. More importantly, the album simply is really good; the Beastie Boys' lyrical inventiveness (by this point they've basically perfected group rapping) is matched with the Dust Brothers' incredible sample-heavy production. You would be doing yourself a disservice if you passed over this gem.

Post written by Jamelle Bouie.