Now I’ve been a huge fan of the Beastie Boys ever since I discovered them years back, but let’s be honest, their most talked about albums are Licensed to Ill, Check Your Head, Ill Communication, among others, so when I went scrolling through my iPod and stumbled upon this album, I had to give it a full listen. The Mix-Up was a full-length instrumental album released by the Beastie Boys back in 2007 and was definitely met with praise, but in the large scheme of things, was no where’s near revered as much as some of their other albums. Among the awards and praise the album received, fans just couldn’t place it up with the three albums aforementioned. However, upon my listen, I was thoroughly pleased. This is not a beat tape; this is a musical masterpiece. Performing on live instruments, the Beastie Boys infused their hip hop specialty with their rock roots and added some funk and electronic elements to create the instrumental project known as The Mix-Up. From tracks like “Suco De Tangerina” to “The Rat Cage,” the sounds are unique, unlike those of any previous Beastie Boy project, but they are all enjoyable and this makes for one dope instrumental album that is not to be slept on any longer. So please, go ahead and check it out.
9/10
