Ill Communication is the fourth studio album by the hip hop band the Beastie Boys, released by Grand Royal Records on May 31, 1994. Co produced by Beastie Boys and Mario Caldato, Jr., it is among the band’s most varied releases, drawing from hip hop, punk rock, jazz, and funk, and continues their trend away from sampling and towards live instruments, which began with their previous release, Check Your Head (1992). The album features musical contributions from Money Mark, Eric Bobo and Amery “AWOL” Smith, and vocal contributions from Q-Tip and Biz Markie. Beastie Boys were influenced by Miles Davis‘s jazz rock albums On the Corner (1972) and Agharta (1975) while recording Ill Communication. The album became the band’s second number one album on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and their second triple platinum album. It was supported by the single Sabotage, which was accompanied by a music video directed by Spike Jonze that parodied 1970s cop shows.
Tracklist:
- Sure Shot
- Tough Guy
- B-Boys Makin’ with the Freak Freak
- Bobo on the Corner
- Root Down
- Sabotage
- Get It Together (featuring Q-Tip)
- Sabrosa
- The Update
- Futterman’s Rule
- Alright Hear This
- Eugene’s Lament
- Flute Loop
- Do It (featuring Biz Markie)
- Ricky’s Theme
- Heart Attack Man
- The Scoop
- Shambala
- Bodhisattva Vow
- Transitions
Beastie Boys: producers
Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz: vocals, guitar
Adam “MCA” Yauch: vocals, electric bass, double bass
Michael “Mike D” Diamond: vocals, drums
Money Mark: keyboards, organ
Eric Bobo: percussion; drums on “Ricky’s Theme”
Amery Smith: drums on “Tough Guy” & “Heart Attack Man”
Eugene Gore: violin on “Eugene’s Lament”
Q-Tip: vocals on “Get It Together”
Biz Markie: vocals on “Do It”
Mario Caldato, Jr.: producer
