Hello Nasty
The Beastie Boys laying in a tuna can with the sun in the background.
Studio album by
Beastie Boys
ReleasedJuly 14, 1998 (1998-07-14)
Recorded1997–1998
Studio
  • G-Son (Los Angeles)
  • Oscilloscope Laboratories (New York City)
GenreAlternative hip hop
Length67:28
Label
Producer
Beastie Boys chronology
The In Sound From Way Out!
(1996) 		Hello Nasty
(1998) 		Scientists of Sound (The Blow Up Factor Vol. 1)
(1999)
Singles from Hello Nasty
  1. "Intergalactic"
    Released: June 2, 1998
  2. "Body Movin'"
    Released: November 5, 1998
  3. "The Negotiation Limerick File"
    Released: December 8, 1998
  4. "Remote Control / Three MC's and One DJ"
    Released: January 23, 1999

Hello Nasty is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released through Grand Royal and Capitol Records on July 14, 1998. It sold 681,000 copies in its first week, debuting at number 1 on the Billboard 200 album sales chart, and won Best Alternative Music Album and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group (for "Intergalactic") at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards. In Beastie Boys Book (2018), Ad-Rock said he felt Hello Nasty was the group's "best record".[1]

Background

The album was released on July 14, 1998, just over four years after the previous Beastie Boys album, Ill Communication. It marked the addition of DMC champion Mix Master Mike to the group's line-up,[2] and was the last time the band worked with percussionist Eric Bobo or a co-producer.[3] There are several guest vocalists on the album, including Miho Hatori of Cibo Matto on "I Don't Know", and Jamaican dub musician Lee "Scratch" Perry on "Dr. Lee, PhD".[3]

The title of the album was allegedly inspired by the receptionist of the band's NY-based publicity firm Nasty Little Man, who would answer the phone with the greeting "Hello, Nasty."[4] In addition, the title is mentioned in the song "Putting Shame in Your Game". The cover art depicts the three Beastie Boys (Horovitz, Yauch, and Diamond, from left to right) stuffed in an aluminum sardine tin and getting baked in the sun. The band references this image in the song "Body Movin'", with the lyrics: "MCA, where have you been?/Packed like sardines in a tin."

There were CD, double-vinyl LP, MiniDisc, and cassette tape releases of the album. One of the cassette formats was packaged for a limited run by BioBox in a small cardboard box, rather than a clear plastic case, in an attempt to distinguish the retail product and augment sales.[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Chicago Sun-Times[6]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[7]
The Guardian[8]
Los Angeles Times[9]
NME9/10[10]
Pitchfork8.5/10[11]
Rolling Stone[3]
Spin7/10[12]
The Village VoiceA[13]

Hello Nasty received mostly positive reviews upon its release. Caroline Sullivan, writing for The Guardian, named it the "Pop CD of the Week" and said it "fills a gap created by the current profusion of serious rock bands like Radiohead; elbowing its way up front, [and letting] rip with adolescent vigour."[8] She went on to summarize the record as "the perfect party soundtrack by the perfect party band."[8] Select's John Harris praised the Beastie Boys' lyrics for being as "fantastically off-beam as ever", while at the same time noting that they had "broadened their musical vistas yet further".[14] Although AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine felt the album's ending was "a little anticlimactic", he also saw Hello Nasty as a progressive step forward from the group's 1992 LP Check Your Head and praised the contributions of the group's new recruit, Mix Master Mike: "Hiring DJ Mixmaster Mike 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."[2] In his review for Entertainment Weekly, David Browne highlighted the album's multi-genre sound as its most engaging aspect:

Hello Nasty is a sonic smorgasbord in which the Beasties gorge themselves with reckless abandon. They dabble in lounge-pop kitsch (the loser put-down "Song for the Man"), make like a summit of Santana and Traffic (the Latin-flavored "Song for Junior"), and subtly incorporate a drum-and-bass shuffle into the mix ("Flowin' Prose"). The melange makes for a looser, more free-spirited record than their earlier albums; the music invites you in, rather than threatening to shut you out.[7]

Accolades

Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Les Inrockuptibles France Best 50 Albums of the Year[15] 1998 44
Melody Maker United Kingdom Best 50 Albums of the Year[16] 1998 2
Mixmag United Kingdom Best 10 Albums of the Year[17] 1998 5
Musikexpress Germany Best 50 Albums of the Year[18] 1998 22
Muzik United Kingdom Best 75 Albums of the Year[19] 1998 2
NME United Kingdom Best 50 Albums of the Year[20] 1998 2
Pitchfork United States Best 50 Albums of the Year[21] 1998 20
Q United Kingdom Best Albums of the Year[22] 1998 *
Rocksound France Best 50 Albums of the Year[23] 1998 17
Rolling Stone United States Best 5 Albums of the Year[24]
The Essential Recordings of the 90s[25] 		1998
— 		2
*
Select United Kingdom Best 30 Albums of the Year[26] 1998 13
SPIN United States Best 20 Albums of the Year[27] 1998 10
Technikart France Best 10 Albums of the Year[28] 1998 2
The Face United Kingdom Best 20 Albums of the Year[29] 1998 11
The Village Voice United States Albums of the Year Poll[30] 1998 9
Uncut United Kingdom Best 40 Albums of the Year[31] 1998 12
* denotes an unranked list

Track listing

All tracks are written by Beastie Boys, except where noted

Hello Nasty[32]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Super Disco Breakin'" 2:07
2."The Move" 3:35
3."Remote Control" 2:58
4."Song for the Man" (with Brooke Williams) 3:13
5."Just a Test" 2:12
6."Body Movin'"
3:03
7."Intergalactic"
  • Beastie Boys
  • Caldato
3:51
8."Sneakin' Out the Hospital" 2:45
9."Putting Shame in Your Game" 3:37
10."Flowin' Prose" 2:39
11."And Me" 2:52
12."Three MC's and One DJ"
2:50
13."The Grasshopper Unit (Keep Movin')" (with Biz Markie) 3:01
14."Song for Junior" (with Jill Cunniff)
3:49
15."I Don't Know" (with Miho Hatori) 3:00
16."The Negotiation Limerick File"
  • Beastie Boys
  • Caldato
2:46
17."Electrify"
  • Beastie Boys
  • Caldato
2:22
18."Picture This" (with Brooke Williams)
  • Beastie Boys
  • Brooke Williams
2:25
19."Unite" 3:31
20."Dedication"
  • Beastie Boys
  • Nishita
2:32
21."Dr. Lee, PhD" (with Lee "Scratch" Perry)
4:50
22."Instant Death" 3:22
Total length:67:28
Japanese bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
23."Slow and Low" (Mix Master Mike Version)3:00
Tour Edition bonus disc
No.TitleLength
1."Hail Sagan (Special K)"4:06
2."Body Movin'" (Fatboy Slim Remix)5:34
3."Intergalactic" (Prisoners of Technology Remix)5:46
4."Peanut Butter & Jelly"2:16
2009 Remastered Edition Bonus Disc
No.TitleLength
1."Description of a Strange Man"1:21
2."Dirty Dog"0:47
3."Intergalactic" (Colleone & Webb Remix)3:54
4."Dr. Lee, PhD" (Dub Mix)4:39
5."Switched On"1:35
6."Body Movin'" (Fatboy Slim Remix)5:33
7."Auntie Jackie Poom Poom Delicious"1:39
8."Putting Shame in Your Game" (Prunes Remix)4:26
9."Stink Bug"2:02
10."Peanut Butter & Jelly"2:14
11."Piano Jam"1:51
12."Happy to Be in That Perfect Headspace"0:50
13."The Negotiation Limerick File" (The 41 Small Star Remix)3:20
14."The Drone"2:44
15."20 Questions Version"2:26
16."The Biz Grasshopper Experiment"1:13
17."Hail Sagan (Special K)"4:04
18."Body Movin'" (KutMasta Kurt Remix)3:16
19."Creepin'"2:32
20."Learning Remote Control"1:50
21."Oh My Goodness This Record's Incredible"0:04

Personnel

Adapted from the AllMusic credits.[33]

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[61] Platinum 70,000^
Belgium (BEA)[62] Gold 25,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[63] 3× Platinum 300,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[64] Platinum 200,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[65] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[66] Platinum 15,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[67] Gold 25,000*
Sweden (GLF)[68] Gold 40,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[69] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[70] Platinum 300,000‡
United States (RIAA)[71] 3× Platinum 3,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  3. ^ a b c Touré (July 9, 1998). "Hello Nasty". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
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External links

Beastie Boys
Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album
Authority control databases
Categories