Now that I’ve put the 2024 movie year to bed, it’s time to return to music posts. And I’m kicking things off with an installment of my Hall of Fame series.
I’ve been working backward, covering each Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction class from the most recent to the inaugural class of 1986. So far, I’ve made my way back to 2013, so I’ll spend the next three weeks documenting the Class of 2012.
That year saw the induction of 15 artists, 12 as performers (voted in by a panel of experts) and three in the Musical Excellence category, selected by the Rock Hall’s leadership. 2012 was the first year an online fan vote was factored into the process.
The first inductee, alphabetically, was the hip-hop trio Beastie Boys, inducted in the Performers category.
Beastie Boys was first eligible for inclusion in the Hall in 2008, and were nominated twice, in 2008 and 2011, before making it into this class.
The New York City trio formed in 1981 as an offshoot of a hardcore punk band. Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz, Adam “MCA” Yauch, and Michael “Mike D” Diamond shifted to hip hop and released their debut album, Licensed to Ill, in 1985. It became the first rap album to top the Billboard 200.
Future records didn’t fare as well commercially as that Diamond-certified release, but their next four albums did go multi-Platinum. Those included the sample-heavy Paul’s Boutique (1989), the alt-rock Check your Head (1992), and 1994’s Ill Communication, which included the classic track ‘Sabotage.’
I remember my high school friends being obsessed with Paul’s Boutique, but I didn’t really get into the band until Check Your Head. I spent a fair amount of time with that album the year it came out, impressed by its use of organic instrumentation.
While the Beasties didn’t have a litany of hits, they were very influential on both rap acts and alt rockers. They have been compared to Elvis, as white performers of traditionally Black music who helped their genre reach a wider mainstream audience.
Sadly, Adam “MCA” Yauch died of cancer at just 47, several months after the band’s admission into the Hall. He was too ill to attend the ceremony, so Horovitz and Diamond read a letter by him during their acceptance speech. Yauch died between the show’s taping and its airing on HBO.
I can’t stand it, I know you planned it
I’ma set it straight, this Watergate
I can’t stand rocking when I’m in here
‘Cause your crystal ball ain’t so crystal clear
So while you sit back and wonder why
I got this fucking thorn in my side
Oh my god, it’s a mirage
I’m telling y’all, it’s sabotage
[Verse 2]
So, so, so, so listen up, ’cause you can’t say nothing
You’ll shut me down with a push of your button
But, yo, I’m out, and I’m gone
I’ll tell you now, I keep it on and on
[Verse 3]
‘Cause what you see, you might not get
And we can bet, so don’t you get souped yet
Scheming on a thing, that’s a mirage
I’m trying to tell you now, it’s sabotage
[Interlude]
Why?
(Our backs are now against the wall)
[Bridge]
Listen, all y’all, it’s a sabotage
Listen, all y’all, it’s a sabotage
Listen, all y’all, it’s a sabotage
Listen, all y’all, it’s a sabotage
[Verse 4]
I can’t stand it, I know you planned it
I’ma set it straight, this Watergate
But I can’t stand rocking when I’m in this place
Because I feel disgrace because you’re all in my face
But make no mistakes and switch up my channel
I’m Buddy Rich when I fly off the handle
What could it be? It’s a mirage
You’re scheming on a thing, that’s sabotage
Meet Me In Montauk 
Always enjoy your Rock Hall series!
I must confess I never really saw the appeal or got the critical praise heaped on the Beastie Boys. My first exposure to today’s song came when it was used in a Star Trek preview (and the movie itself). It definitely worked well in that context, but I wouldn’t otherwise leave it on the radio for more than 10 seconds.