Beastie Boys: To the 5 Boroughs (2LP, gatefold) [HIP-O]

Why you'll love it

This gatefold 2LP set gives the album four sides to breathe. To the 5 Boroughs sold 360,000 copies in its first week, became the trio's third straight No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and went platinum.

This edition

• 2LP set
• Gatefold jacket

About the album

Six years is a long gap between records, and Mike D, Ad-Rock and MCA came back from it sounding like they'd been rooting through the old school's record collection. To the 5 Boroughs was their first major album since Hello Nasty, produced by the band themselves, and written in a New York still finding its feet after the September 11 attacks.

The sound is stripped right back: sharp, simple beats, scratching and three voices tossing rhymes back and forth like a game of catch. "Ch-Check It Out" made its debut on The O.C., "Triple Trouble" bounces off an old-school groove, and "Right Right Now Now" is a sly, catchy party track. "An Open Letter To NYC" is the heart of the album, a warm, proud salute to every borough, while "Rhyme The Rhyme Well," "Oh Word?" and "Shazam!" keep the energy up.

Rolling Stone called it fast, funny and sobering, and PopMatters reckoned it their best since Paul's Boutique. It earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album, and the city it's dedicated to has kept playing "An Open Letter To NYC" ever since. It's the rare tour of New York you can take without leaving the sofa.

Also at Kops: more Beastie Boys on vinyl · browse Hip Hop / R&B

Tracklist

Listen

On Capitol (cat# B0026992-01), a reissue of the 2004 album.