"Too Many Rappers"
Single by Beastie Boys featuring Nas
from the album Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
ReleasedJuly 21, 2009
Recorded2008
Genre
Length
  • 4:51 (New Reactionaries/Album version)
  • 4:24 (Single version)
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)Michael Diamond, Adam Horovitz, Adam Yauch, Nasir Jones
Producer(s)Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys singles chronology
"Lee Majors Come Again"
(2009) 		"Too Many Rappers"
(2009) 		"Make Some Noise"
(2011)
Nas singles chronology
"My President"
(2008) 		"Too Many Rappers"
(2009) 		"As We Enter"
(2010)
Music video
"Too Many Rappers" on YouTube

"Too Many Rappers" is a song by American hip hop group the Beastie Boys, released as the second single from their eighth studio album Hot Sauce Committee Part Two. It features fellow American rapper Nas. The song was nominated for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 52nd Grammy Awards.

The song was released digitally to iTunes and Amazon, as well as on 12" vinyl, on July 21, 2009, about two years prior to the release of the album. The version featured on Hot Sauce Committee Part Two is an alternate version, known as the "New Reactionaries" version.

Music video

The four-and-a-half-minute video for "Too Many Rappers" was directed by Roman Coppola but, for undisclosed reasons, never got an official premiere. The clip intercuts seemingly raw footage of Ad-Rock, Mike D, MCA and Nas rolling through various vignettes—Nashville's Centennial Park, a bridge, a store—with live and studio footage.

In January 2015, a contributor to the BeastieBoys.com message board discovered and posted the clip, which had been hosted on the website of film editor Neal Usatin. News of the discovery made headlines internationally; the Beastie Boys' official YouTube account would begin to host the videoclip a short time later.[2][3][4]

Track listing

12" single
No.TitleLength
1."Too Many Rappers"4:24
2."Too Many Rappers" (instrumental) 
3."Too Many Rappers" (a capella) 

Charts

Chart (2009) Peak
position
Canadian Hot 100 70
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[5] 93

References

  1. ^ Alexandra, Kristi (May 25, 2011). "Beastie Boys venture into uncharted waters on Hot Sauce Committee Part Two". The Georgia Straight.
  2. ^ Gordon, Jeremy (January 12, 2015). "Beastie Boys' Unreleased "Too Many Rappers" Video Featuring Nas Surfaces". Pitchfork.
  3. ^ Drell, Cady (12 January 2015). "See Beastie Boys and Nas' Long Lost 'Too Many Rappers' Video". Rolling Stone.
  4. ^ Chancey, Alex (13 January 2015). "Unreleased Beastie Boys/Nas Video Surfaces". The Daily Beast.
  5. ^ "Beastie Boys Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2011-05-11.


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