Ill Communication
Encyclopedia
Ill Communication is the fourth studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

 by the Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....

. It was released on May 24, 1994 via Grand Royal Records
Grand Royal
Grand Royal was the Los Angeles, California based vanity record label set up in 1992 by the Beastie Boys in conjunction with Capitol Records after the group left Def Jam Recordings....

. It was remastered and made available on the Beastie Boys' Web site on July 7, 2009.

It was their second #1 album on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

charts, due to their hit "Sabotage
Sabotage (song)
"Sabotage" is a song by American hip-hop group Beastie Boys, released as the first single from their fourth studio album Ill Communication....

". "Sabotage" was accompanied by a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

 (produced by Spike Jonze
Spike Jonze
Spike Jonze is an American director, producer and actor, whose work includes music videos, commercials, film and television...

) that parodied 1970s cop shows. The album would also be their second triple platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...

 album.

Ill Communication was co-produced by Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....

 and Mario C. Featuring musical contributions from Money Mark
Money Mark
Mark Ramos-Nishita aka Money Mark is a producer and musician who has collaborated with the Beastie Boys many times. He also appears on the first Banyan album in 1997 as the "Freeway Keyboardist".-Career:...

, Eric Bobo and Amery "AWOL" Smith
Amery Smith
Amery "AWOL" Smith is a drummer from Los Angeles, California. He is best known for playing drums in the Venice punk band "Suicidal Tendencies."-Early Life:...

, vocal contributions from Q-Tip
Q-Tip (rapper)
Kamaal Ibn John Fareed , better known by his stage name Q-Tip, is an American hip hop artist, producer, singer, and actor from St. Albans, Queens, New York, part of the critically acclaimed group A Tribe Called Quest...

 and Biz Markie
Biz Markie
Marcel Theo Hall better known by his stage name, Biz Markie, is an American rapper, beatboxer, DJ, comedian, singer, reality television personality, and commercial spokesperson. He is best known for his single "Just a Friend", an American Top 10 hit in 1989...

.

Mike D and Adam Yauch collaborated with Gibran Evans of T.A.Z.
Jim Evans (artist)
Jim Evans born sometime in the 1950s, sometimes known as T.A.Z., is an American painter, printmaker, and Creative Director who was a contributing figure in the visual art movement known as underground comics...

 to create the album packaging, and to choose the unique cover photo taken by Bruce Davidson
Bruce Davidson (photographer)
Bruce Davidson is an American photographer. He has been a member of Magnum agency since 1958. His photographs, notably those taken in Harlem, New York City, have been widely exhibited and published in a number of books.-Youth:Bruce Davidson was born to a single mother, who worked in a factory...

. The hand-drawn typeface was created by designer Jim Evans
Jim Evans (artist)
Jim Evans born sometime in the 1950s, sometimes known as T.A.Z., is an American painter, printmaker, and Creative Director who was a contributing figure in the visual art movement known as underground comics...

 specifically for Ill Communication, and was used throughout the promotion of the album.

This is the last Beastie Boys album to be released in jewel packaging. Future albums were all released in Digipaks
Digipak
Digipak is a patented style of CD, DVD or BD packaging, and is a registered trademark of AGI World Ltd., an Atlas Holdings company.-Features:...

.

Reception

  • Rolling Stone
    Rolling Stone
    Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

    - Included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the 90's".

  • Spin
    Spin (magazine)
    Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...

    - Ranked #19 in Spin's list of the "20 Best Albums Of '94".

  • Q
    Q (magazine)
    Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...

    - Included in Q Magazine's "90 Best Albums Of The 1990s".

  • The Village Voice
    The Village Voice
    The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...

    - Ranked #15 in the Village Voice's 1994 Jazz & Pop Critics Poll.

  • Mojo
    Mojo (magazine)
    MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...

    - Ranked #54 in Mojo's "100 Modern Classics".

  • NME
    NME
    The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...

    - Ranked #3 in NME's list of the "Top 50 Albums Of 1994".

Track listing

All tracks by Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....

 except where indicated.
  1. "Sure Shot
    Sure Shot
    "Sure Shot" is a song by American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released as the third single from their 1994 album Ill Communication. The single was released a few days after the release of the album, on May 31, 1994.-Release:...

    " (Beastie Boys/Caldato/DJ Hurricane
    DJ Hurricane
    DJ Hurricane is a hip hop DJ, producer and rapper. He is known for his work as the Beastie Boys' DJ...

    ) – 3:19
  2. "Tough Guy" (AWOL/Beastie Boys) – 0:57
  3. "B-Boys Makin' with the Freak Freak" – 3:36
  4. "Bobo on the Corner" (Beastie Boys/Bobo/Money Mark) – 1:13
  5. "Root Down" – 3:32
  6. "Sabotage
    Sabotage (song)
    "Sabotage" is a song by American hip-hop group Beastie Boys, released as the first single from their fourth studio album Ill Communication....

    " – 2:58
  7. "Get It Together
    Get It Together (Beastie Boys song)
    "Get It Together" is a song by American hip-hop group the Beastie Boys, released as the second single from their fourth studio album Ill Communication...

    " (feat. Q-Tip
    Q-Tip (rapper)
    Kamaal Ibn John Fareed , better known by his stage name Q-Tip, is an American hip hop artist, producer, singer, and actor from St. Albans, Queens, New York, part of the critically acclaimed group A Tribe Called Quest...

    )
    (Beastie Boys/Davis) – 4:05
  8. "Sabrosa" (Beastie Boys/Bobo/Money Mark) – 3:29
  9. "The Update" (Beastie Boys/Caldato/Money Mark) – 3:15
  10. "Futterman's Rule" (Beastie Boys/Money Mark) – 3:42
  11. "Alright Hear This" – 3:06
  12. "Eugene's Lament" (Beastie Boys/Bobo/Gore/Money Mark) – 2:12
  13. "Flute Loop" (Beastie Boys/Caldato/Klemmer) – 1:54
  14. "Do It" (feat. Biz Markie
    Biz Markie
    Marcel Theo Hall better known by his stage name, Biz Markie, is an American rapper, beatboxer, DJ, comedian, singer, reality television personality, and commercial spokesperson. He is best known for his single "Just a Friend", an American Top 10 hit in 1989...

    )
    (Beastie Boys/Caldato/Money Mark) – 3:16
  15. "Ricky's Theme" (Beastie Boys/Bobo/Money Mark) – 3:43
  16. "Heart Attack Man" (AWOL/Beastie Boys) – 2:14
  17. "The Scoop" (Beastie Boys/Caldato) – 3:36
  18. "Shambala
    Shambala (Beastie Boys song)
    "Shambala" is the 18th track on the Beastie Boys Album Ill Communication from 1994. It also appears on the In Sound from Way Out compilation.The song itself is basically an intro for Bodhisattva Vow....

    " (Beastie Boys/Bobo/Money Mark) – 3:40
  19. "Bodhisattva Vow" (Beastie Boys/Caldato) – 3:08
  20. "Transitions" (Beastie Boys/Money Mark) – 2:31

Japanese bonus tracks

  1. "Dope Little Song" - 1:51
  2. "Resolution Time" - 2:49
  3. "Mullet Head" - 2:52
  4. "The Vibes" - 3:06

2009 Remastered Edition Bonus Disc

  1. "Root Down (Free Zone Mix)" - 3:49
  2. "Resolution Time" - 2:49
  3. "Get It Together (Buck-Wild Remix)" - 4:18
  4. "Dope Little Song" - 1:50
  5. "Sure Shot (European B-Boy Mix)" - 2:59
  6. "Heart Attack Man (Unplugged)" - 2:22
  7. "The Vibes" - 3:07
  8. "Atwater Basketball Association File No. 172-C" - 1:27
  9. "Heart Attack Man (live)" - 2:10
  10. "The Maestro (live)" - 3:16
  11. "Mullet Head" - 2:53
  12. "Sure Shot (European B-Boy Instrumental)" - 2:58

Singles

  1. "Sabotage
    Sabotage (song)
    "Sabotage" is a song by American hip-hop group Beastie Boys, released as the first single from their fourth studio album Ill Communication....

    ": January 28, 1994
  2. "Get It Together
    Get It Together (Beastie Boys song)
    "Get It Together" is a song by American hip-hop group the Beastie Boys, released as the second single from their fourth studio album Ill Communication...

    ": 1994
  3. "Sure Shot
    Sure Shot
    "Sure Shot" is a song by American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released as the third single from their 1994 album Ill Communication. The single was released a few days after the release of the album, on May 31, 1994.-Release:...

    ": May 31, 1994
  4. "Root Down": 1995

Samples

  • "Sure Shot"
    • "UFO" by ESG
      ESG (band)
      ESG are a band that emerged from the South Bronx, New York, U.S. in the early 1980's. Trouser Press called it "one of the most dynamic bands that New York could offer at the top of the '80s." ESG have been influential across a wide range of musical genres, including hip hop, post punk, disco,...

    • "Rock the House" by Run-D.M.C.
      Run-D.M.C.
      Run–D.M.C. was an American hip hop group from Hollis, in the Queens borough of New York City. Founded by Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, and Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizell, the group is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture.Run–D.M.C...

    • "Howling for Judy" by Jeremy Steig
      Jeremy Steig
      -Biography:Steig is the son of New Yorker cartoonist William Steig,At age 19 Steig was involved in a motorcycle accident which left him paralyzed on one side...

    • "The Funny Sides of Moms Mabley, Pt. 1" by Moms Mabley
      Moms Mabley
      Jackie "Moms" Mabley, born Loretta Mary Aiken , was an American standup comedian and a pioneer of the so-called "Chitlin' Circuit" of African-American vaudeville.-Early years:...

  • "B-Boys Makin' with the Freak Freak"
    • "Beat Bop
      Beat Bop
      "Beat Bop" is a hip hop single by American rappers Rammellzee and K-Rob, originally released in 1983 by record label Tartown. Initially distributed merely as a test pressing, it is notable for being featured in the hip-hop documentary film Style Wars and having a cover designed by famed New York...

      " by Rammelzee vs. K-Rob
      K-Rob
      Malik Johnson, better known as K-Rob, is an American rapper, most famous for providing vocals for "Beat Bop" with Rammellzee in 1983 and "I'm a Homeboy", a single under his own name, in 1986. "The Day K-Rob Came Back" was also released in 1986...

    • "That Ain't My Finger" by Mantan Moreland
      Mantan Moreland
      Mantan Moreland was an American actor and comedian most popular in the 1930s and 1940s.-Career:Born in Monroe, Louisiana, Moreland began acting by the time he was an adolescent, reportedly running away to join the circus...

       (uncredited - the "mashed potatoes" sample)
  • "Root Down"
    • "Root Down (And Get It)" by Jimmy Smith
      Jimmy Smith (musician)
      Jimmy Smith was a jazz musician whose performances on the Hammond B-3 electric organ helped to popularize this instrument...

    • "The Show
      The Show (Doug E. Fresh song)
      "The Show" is a 1985 hip hop single by Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew. Described as "a reality show of a Hip Hop performance" the track focuses on a conversation between Doug E Fresh and MC Ricky D as they prepare for a show...

      " by Doug E. Fresh
      Doug E. Fresh
      Douglas E. Davis , better known by the stage name Doug E. Fresh, is an American rapper, record producer, and beat boxer, also known as the Human Beat Box...

       & Slick Rick
      Slick Rick
      Richard Walters , better known by his stage name Slick Rick is a Grammy-nominated English-American rapper...

       (uncredited)
  • "Get It Together"
    • "Inside-Looking Out
      Inside-Looking Out
      "Inside-Looking Out", often written "Inside Looking Out", is a 1966 single by The Animals. It was a substantial hit in their native land, reaching number 12 on the UK Singles Chart, number 21 in Canada, but was at best a minor hit in the United States, reaching number 34 on the U.S...

      " by Grand Funk Railroad
      Grand Funk Railroad
      Grand Funk Railroad is an American rock band that was highly popular during the 1970s. Grand Funk Railroad toured constantly to packed arenas worldwide. A popular take on the band during its heyday was that, although the critics hated them, audiences loved them...

    • "Nothing is the Same" by Grand Funk Railroad
      Grand Funk Railroad
      Grand Funk Railroad is an American rock band that was highly popular during the 1970s. Grand Funk Railroad toured constantly to packed arenas worldwide. A popular take on the band during its heyday was that, although the critics hated them, audiences loved them...

    • "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In
      Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In
      "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" is a medley of two songs written for the 1967 musical Hair by James Rado & Gerome Ragni , and Galt MacDermot , released as a single by The 5th Dimension. The song peaked at number one for six weeks on the U.S...

      " by Moog Machine
    • "Four Play" by Fred Wesley and the Horny Horns
    • "Headless Heroes" by Eugene McDaniels
  • "The Update"
    • "Children of the Earth Flames" by John Klemmer
      John Klemmer
      John Klemmer is an American saxophonist, composer, song writer and arranger.He was born in Chicago, Illinois and began playing guitar at age 5 and alto saxophone at age 11. His other early interests included graphics and visual art, writing, dance, puppetry, painting, sculpting and poetry...

  • "Alright Hear This"
    • "Hey DJ
      Hey DJ
      "Hey! DJ" is a song by the World's Famous Supreme Team. Writing is credited to Larry Price, Malcolm McLaren, Ronald Larkins Jr. and Stephen Hague. Released on 12" in 1984 on Island Records, there were three mixes included...

      " by The World's Famous Supreme Team
      World's Famous Supreme Team
      The World's Famous Supreme Team was an American hip hop group founded in the 1980s. Members included Larry Price and Ronald Larkins Jr., among others. The group joined forces with Malcolm McLaren on a number of early hit hip hop records. Among the group's most well-known works were the singles...

    • "Samba de Amor (Fantasy)" by Yusef Lateef
      Yusef Lateef
      Dr. Yusef Lateef is an American Grammy Award-winning jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, educator and a spokesman for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community after his conversion to the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam in 1950.Although Lateef's main instruments are the tenor saxophone and flute, he is known for...

  • "Flute Loop"
    • "Flute Thing" by Blues Project
      Blues Project
      The Blues Project is a band from the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City that was formed in 1965 and originally split up in 1967. While their songs drew from a wide array of musical styles, they are most remembered as one of the earliest practitioners of psychedelic rock, as well as one...

    • "Dub Revolution" by Lee Perry
  • "The Scoop"
    • "Atma-Tomorrow" by Michał Urbaniak
    • "Jacob's Ladder" by Cedar Walton, Jr
      Cedar Walton
      Cedar Anthony Walton, Junior is an American hard bop jazz pianist.-Biography:Walton grew up in Dallas, Texas. His mother was an aspiring concert pianist, and was Walton's initial teacher. She also took him to jazz performances around Dallas...

      .
    • "Tough" by Kurtis Blow
      Kurtis Blow
      Kurt Walker , better known by his stage name Kurtis Blow, is an American rapper and record producer. He is one of the first commercially successful rappers and the first to sign with a major record label...

  • "Bodhisattva Vow"
    • "Kissing My Love" by Afrique

Personnel

  • Beastie Boys
    Beastie Boys
    Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....

     - Producer
    Record producer
    A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

  • Mario Caldato, Jr. - Producer
  • John Klemmer - Sample Source
  • Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz - Vocals, Guitar
  • Michael "Mike D" Diamond - Vocals, Drums
  • Adam "MCA" Yauch - Vocals, Electric Bass, String Bass
  • Eugene Gore - Violin
  • Eric Bobo - Percussion
  • Amery Smith
    Amery Smith
    Amery "AWOL" Smith is a drummer from Los Angeles, California. He is best known for playing drums in the Venice punk band "Suicidal Tendencies."-Early Life:...

     - Drums
  • "Keyboard Money Mark" Nishita - Keyboards, Organ
  • Q-Tip
    Q-Tip (rapper)
    Kamaal Ibn John Fareed , better known by his stage name Q-Tip, is an American hip hop artist, producer, singer, and actor from St. Albans, Queens, New York, part of the critically acclaimed group A Tribe Called Quest...

     - Vocals
  • Biz Markie
    Biz Markie
    Marcel Theo Hall better known by his stage name, Biz Markie, is an American rapper, beatboxer, DJ, comedian, singer, reality television personality, and commercial spokesperson. He is best known for his single "Just a Friend", an American Top 10 hit in 1989...

    - Vocals

Album

Year Chart Position
1994 Billboard 200 1
1994 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 2

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
20 December 1993 "Get It Together" Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales #5
14 March 1994 "Sabotage" Modern Rock Tracks #18
31 May 1994 "Sure Shot" Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales #48
6 March 1995 "Root Down" Billboard Hot 100 #50
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