| "Brass Monkey" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Beastie Boys | ||||
| from the album Licensed to Ill | ||||
| Released | January 5, 1987 | |||
| Recorded | 1986 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 2:37 | |||
| Label | Def Jam/Columbia Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Beastie Boys, Rick Rubin | |||
| Producer(s) | Rick Rubin | |||
| Beastie Boys singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Brass Monkey" is a song by the American hip hop group Beastie Boys. It was a single released from their first album Licensed to Ill . It is also on the Beastie Boys' compilation album Solid Gold Hits .
"Brass Monkey" samples "Bring It Here" by Wild Sugar. The song features the Roland TR-808 drum machine. The song is named after an alcoholic drink of the same name, which is mentioned several times throughout the song. Cash Box called it a "scratchy rap send up." [1] Notably, professional wrestler "Speedball" Mike Bailey uses "Brass Monkey" as his entrance song on the worldwide independent circuit, particularly in Deadlock Pro Wrestling (DPW), Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) and Game Changer Wrestling (GCW). [2] [3]
The Dave Matthews Band covered this song at Jones Beach, New York in 2013. It was strung in with "Too Much" and "Ants Marching".
Richard Cheese covered the song on his studio album Aperitif for Destruction , as well as on his live album Viva la Vodka as a medley, interpolated with lyrics from "Intergalactic", "Ch-Check It Out", "Sabotage" and "Three MC's and One DJ".
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [4] | 48 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs [5] | 83 |
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Rap Digital Songs [6] | 32 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA) [7] Mastertone | Gold | 500,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Beastie Boys were an American hip hop/rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1981. The group was composed of Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz, Adam "MCA" Yauch, and Michael "Mike D" Diamond. Beastie Boys were formed out of members of experimental hardcore punk band The Young Aborigines, which was formed in 1979, with Diamond on drums, Jeremy Shatan on bass guitar, John Berry on guitar, and Kate Schellenbach later joining on percussion. When Shatan left New York City in the summer of 1981, Yauch replaced him on bass and the resulting band was named Beastie Boys. Berry left shortly thereafter and was replaced by Horovitz.
Licensed to Ill is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Beastie Boys. It was released on November 15, 1986, by Def Jam and Columbia Records. The album became the first rap LP to top the Billboard album chart, and was the second rap album to become a platinum album. It is one of Columbia Records' fastest-selling debut records to date and was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2015 for shipping over ten million copies in the United States. The album received critical acclaim for its unique musical style, chemistry between the group members, and their stylized rapping. Since its release, Licensed to Ill has been ranked by critics as one of the greatest hip hop and debut albums of all time.
Paul's Boutique is the second studio album by American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on July 25, 1989, by Capitol Records. Produced by the Beastie Boys and the Dust Brothers, the album's composition makes extensive use of samples, drawn from a wide range of genres including funk, soul, rock, and jazz. It was recorded over two years at Matt Dike's apartment and the Record Plant in Los Angeles.
"(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right " is a song by American hip hop group the Beastie Boys, released as the fourth single from their debut album Licensed to Ill (1986). One of their best-known songs, it reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the week of March 7, 1987, and was later named one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. The song was also included on their compilation albums The Sounds of Science in 1999, Solid Gold Hits in 2005 and Beastie Boys Music in 2020.
"Sabotage" is a song by American rap rock group Beastie Boys, released in January 1994 as the first single from their fourth studio album, Ill Communication (1994). The song features traditional rock instrumentation, turntable scratches, heavily distorted bass guitar riffs and lead vocals by Ad-Rock. A moderate commercial success, the song was notable for its video, directed by Spike Jonze; it was also nominated in five categories at the 1994 MTV Music Video Awards.
"Sure Shot" is a song by American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released as the third single from their fourth album Ill Communication on June 2, 1994, two days after the album's release.
"Gettin' Hungry" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1967 album Smiley Smile. Credited on the label to Brian Wilson and Mike Love, it was released as a single on August 28, 1967, the second and last released on the original iteration of Brother Records.
"Hey Ladies" is a song by American hip-hop group the Beastie Boys, featured on their album Paul's Boutique. It was the album's only charting single, hitting #36 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is also the first single in history to chart in the Top 20 of both the Billboard Hot Rap Singles and Modern Rock Tracks charts, hitting #10 on the former and #18 on the latter.
"Put Your Hand in the Hand" is a gospel pop song composed by Gene MacLellan and first recorded by Canadian singer Anne Murray from her third studio album Honey, Wheat and Laughter.
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"Alive Again" is a song written by James Pankow for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Hot Streets (1978), with Peter Cetera singing lead vocals. The first single released from that album, it reached No. 14 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. In Canada, "Alive Again" spent two weeks at No. 11.
"Triple Trouble" is a song by the American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released as the second single from their sixth studio album To the 5 Boroughs. It heavily samples "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang, and interpolates lyrics from "Double Trouble at the Amphitheatre" by Double Trouble.
"Paul Revere" is a song by American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released as the third single from their debut album Licensed to Ill (1986). It was written by Adam Horovitz, Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Rick Rubin. It was produced by Rick Rubin and the Beastie Boys. The song tells a fictional story of how the Beastie Boys met.
"So What'cha Want" is the second single from the album Check Your Head, the third studio album by American rap rock group the Beastie Boys, released on June 2, 1992. The song appears in the video game Rock Band 2.
"Hold It Now, Hit It" is a song by American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released as the first single from their debut album Licensed to Ill. It is also remixed on the album New York State of Mind.
The discography of Beastie Boys, an American hip hop group, consists of eight studio albums, four compilation albums, five video albums, seven extended plays, 40 singles and 44 music videos.
"The New Style" is a song by American rap rock group the Beastie Boys, released as the third single from their debut album Licensed to Ill, released on November 6, 1986.
"Too Many Rappers" is a song by American hip hop group the Beastie Boys, released as the second single from their eighth studio album Hot Sauce Committee Part Two. It features fellow American rapper Nas. The song was nominated for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 52nd Grammy Awards.
"Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" is a song by Canadian rock band Glass Tiger. It was released in 1986 as the lead from their debut album, The Thin Red Line. The song reached number one in Canada and number two in the United States. The song features backing vocals by fellow Canadian rock singer Bryan Adams.
Beastie Boys Music is a compilation album from American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on October 23, 2020.
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