What is this, blasphemy? Praise for Paul’s Boutique in the years since its 1989 release (when it was greeted with what can politely be described as mixed reviews) has practically become a cottage industry, as the Beastie Boys’ masterpiece has shown up on every Best Album, Best ‘80s Album, and Best Rap Album list you could imagine. And as much as people might enjoy the actual rapping—the Boys have never written better lyrics—nobody denies that the real strength of the album is the Dust Brothers’ innovative, sample-laden production, a collection of funky soundscapes that can never be repeated thanks to copyright laws. What would possess somebody to try to one-up those amazing beats?
As luck would have it, producer extraordinaire Madlib, along with a few of his Stones Throw labelmates, has taken a shot at remixing some Paul’s Boutique tracks. If there is one hip-hop producer I’d want to do it, it’d be him, and his remix of “Shake Your Rump,” while no match for the original (what could be?), would comfortably hold a spot on any first-rate hip-hop mix. For the first verse Madlib throws down a shuffling drum beat supplanted with a monster bassline that would probably do some damage to a subwoofer—the lyrics don’t entirely mesh at first, but eventually everything nicely comes together. The next verse features another marvelous bassline that sounds like it was plucked from an 80’s R&B track, and the final verse is laid over a strange, almost sci-fi synth run miles away from the funky guitar licks of the original. It all sounds very cool, even as unsettling as it may be at first. But the real highlight of the track is the chorus, when Madlib loops an absolutely filthy break beat from God knows what jazz or soul record he’s got in one of his crates. Somebody could build a whole new beat around it, but it’s put to perfect use here.
It’d be a lot of fun to see Madlib remix entire classic albums—Madlib vs Illmatic! Madlib vs AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted! He’s certainly got enough beats for it, and Lord knows it’d tide his fans over until Madvillain 2 actually comes out. And if he could properly reinvent a Paul’s Boutique track, what else could he put a new face on? I know I’m not the only one who’d want to find out…
[buy stuff here]