Friday(ish) YouTube: Wee Sleekit Cow'rin Tim'rous Beasties

I've decided that "Root Down" is my favorite Beastie Boys song. It used to be "Shadrach," (pssst...check out this remix!), but "Root Down" has taken the lead. It's Mike D's final, autobiographical verse that sends it over the top for me:

Every day I'd take the train to the High Street Station
Doin' homework on the train, what a fucked up situation
On the way back up hearin' battle tapes
Through the underground underneath the skyscrapes
Like Harlem World Battles on The Zulu Beat Show
Like Busy B/Kool Moe Dee, that's one you should know
Enough of that, just gotta give some respect
To MCA, grab the mic and Ma Bell will connect

(I had to look that up. I always thought the last line was "To MCA, grab the mic and rock it all to heck" or something) I love the picture that paints so vividly of growing up in NYC in the 70's and 80's. And "underneath the skyscrapes" has a great, percussive sound to it.

It's my favorite video on the Video Anthology, too. Not as flashy as some of the others, but it goes with the song. Lots of vintage clips that might be from Wild Style or Style Wars.



The live version is the hilight of the Awesome: I Fuckin' Shot That DVD. When Mixmaster Mike drops "Apache" in the middle, and they slide right into it...God, that's good!



If you dig this stuff, you should check out Jimmy Smith's tune "Root Down and Git It," which is thoroughly plundered on the Beasties' track.

And here's my favorite Beastie Boys video which for some reason isn't included on the Anthology, "Jimmy James."