Pubescents the world over inwardly heard peals of heavenly music in 1986, for delivered into their laps was a raunchy rap album seemingly produced by the heavens themselves. "License to Ill," a toxic blend of rap, rock, and sampling, was thrown together by three guys who were barely post-pubescents themselves. It was loud, rambunctious, and ingeniously accessible.

12 years, three studio albums, and an innumerable number of concerts later, the Beastie Boys have released what is quite likely thier finest album. Although they evolved beyond beer-swilling misogyny long ago, they haven't forgotten their sonic roots: "Hello Nasty" contains echos of the bass-n-beats style they brought to the masses. The odious punk blitzes and trippy musical meanderings of "Ill Communication" are conspicuously absent here, save a track or two. Also absent is the lyrical preaching; at one point MCA says you'll never see him in a commercial, but for the most part ! ! "Hello Nasty" is the Beastie Boys doing what they've always done best: talking about how great they are, waxing about world peace, and inserting nifty samples (courtesy of turntable phenom Mix Master Mike) into the mix. Think "Paul's Boutique" with a little "Check Your Head" thrown in for good measure.

"Hello Nasty" is 22 tracks' worth of great rap peppered by the occasional aural experiment. The Beasties have simply and effectively nullified the hype surrounding this album in one fell swoop; it is simultaneously behind and beyond all critical expectations.

Hello Nasty, the Beastie Boys' fifth album, is a head-spinning listen loaded with analog synthesizers, old drum machines, call-and-response vocals, freestyle rhyming, futuristic sound effects, and virtuoso turntable scratching. The Beasties have long been notorious for their dense, multi-layered explosions, but Hello Nasty is their first record to build on the multi-ethnic junk culture breakthrough of Check Your Head, instead of merely replicating it.

Moving from electro-funk breakdowns to Latin-soul jams to spacey pop, Hello Nasty covers as much ground as Check Your Head or Ill Communication, but the flow is natural, like Paul's Boutique, even if the finish is retro-stylized. Hiring DJ Mixmaster Mike (one of the Invisibl Skratch Piklz) turned out to be a masterstroke; he and the Beasties created a sound that strongly recalls the spare electronic funk of the early '80s, but spiked with the samples and post-modern absurdist wit that have become their trademarks. On the surface, the sonic collages of Hello Nasty don't appear as dense as Paul's Boutique, nor is there a single as grabbing as "Sabotage," but given time, little details emerge, and each song forms its own identity.

A few stray from the course, and the ending is a little anticlimactic, but that doesn't erase the riches of Hello Nasty - the old-school kick of "Super Disco Breakin'" and "The Move"; Adam Yauch's crooning on "I Don't Know"; Lee "Scratch" Perry's cameo; and the recurring video game samples, to name just a few. The sonic adventures alone make the album noteworthy, but what makes it remarkable is how it looks to the future by looking to the past. There's no question that Hello Nasty is saturated in old-school sounds and styles, but by reviving the future-shock rock of the early '80s, the Beasties have shrewdly set themselves up for the new millennium.

22 tracks, 67 minutes of pure eclectic genius. On-the-spot rapping, wacky but wonderful collaborations, excellent music: this album is one of the best of the 90s for me. Every listen is a great trip into another galaxy of fun sounds and thoughtful lyrics. It's a long way from the misogyny of "Licensed to Ill" but this album is well worth the time. Rap, bossa nova, old skool hip-hop, jazz, rock: they all come together for this huge party. Dance along!

While I have always liked the Beastie Boys I was never what you would call a rabid fan. I only owned one other album when I bought Hello Nasty and all I was expecting was something kind of fun for the morning drive or weekend road trip. This is one of those albums that I love more and more with each successive listening. It's so mercurial in its mix of styles, from one song to the next only the humor, wit and infectious rhythm and beat seem to be the common threads. The seemless blending of rap, techno and old-school funk makes this album energetic with a playful feel. I can see myself still listening to this regularly 10 years from now and honestly think that it is one of the best albums ever recorded. It's not often that I find a CD where I love every single track, but I have to look no further than Hello Nasty for that now.

Okay, I have 2 things to address. First off, I think a good deal of these awful reviews are from first time Beastie Boys listeners. To call them a bunch of "wannabees" or "white boys" is just plain stupid. They have been in the buisness hip hop buisness so long the race thing is no longer a issue. A rap-loving friend of mine who hated "Hello Nasty" was shocked to found that they have been around since 1985. Like it or not, they are a prominent member of the hip hop family, not because they stick out 'cause they're white, but because they have talent and a style all their own. Try "Paul's Boutique" instead. The second is my opinion on the album itself. I think the most noticible difference in "Hello Nasty" and the biggest problem long time fans will have with it is their new DJ, Mix Master Mike.Though they endlessly praise him through out the whole CD " 'Cause no body can do it like Mix Master Mike." fans may not share this sentiment. Mike definetly has cutting and scratching skills, he's no starnger to the turntables. But his style is very technological and gritty, whereas the old DJ(The big black dude, I forget his name)emphasized more on classic hip hop beats and rythms that sounded much more organic. It is a new step but the album ultimately starts to deflate on the second side. Alot of the stuff is very Beck and Fatboy Slim-like, and there's some girl(Probably a girlfriend.C'mon! This is the Beastie BOYS!) who ruins good sounding songs like "Song for Junior" and "Picture this". The best song is -no, not "Intergalactic", but "Body Movin'", you just can't sit still!Overall, I would recommend "Ill Communication" or "Check Your Head" beforehand.