Beastie Boys - To The 5 Boroughs (Gatefold, 180 Gram) (2 LP)

To the 5 Boroughs is the sixth studio album by the Beastie Boys. The album was released on June 14, 2004 internationally, and a day later in the United States. The album debuted #1 on the Billboard 200 with 360,000 copies sold in its first week and is certified Platinum by the RIAA for sales of over 1,000,000 in the U.S. Four singles were released from the album, Ch-Check It Out, Triple Trouble, An Open Letter to NYC, and Right Right Now Now. Pressed on 180G Vinyl.

In the six years following 1998's HELLO NASTY, the Beastie Boys watched their hometown of New York City endure dramatic changes, most of them direct repercussions of the September 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. The trio's response is TO THE 5 BOROUGHS, an album that prominently features the WTC on its cover illustration of the Manhattan skyline (circa 2000), and lovingly looks at the past, present, and future of both NYC and the Beastie Boys themselves.
"Ch-check It Out" opens the album in classic Beasties style, with Ad-Rock, MCA, and Mike D trading rhymes over a deft old-school hip-hop beat. However, things quickly get topical on "Right Right Now Now" with MCA declaring, "I'm getting kind of tired of the situation/The US attacking other nations..." over a slightly ominous backing track. The funky "Time to Build" furthers these sentiments, addressing political, economic, and ecological issues, while wisely noting "It takes a second to wreck it/It takes time to build." Those fearing that the Beasties have lost their party vibe need not worry, though; even the lyrically heavy songs feature tight rhythms and booty-shaking bass. Nowhere is this better exemplified than on "An Open Letter to NYC," a loving celebration of the dynamic city that shaped the Beastie Boys and their eclectic hip-hop sound.

• Genre: Hip-Hop
• Format: Vinyl