Over the past weekend, the Beastie Boys discography was in heavy rotation at the crib, as was undoubtedly the case with many rap aficionados. Among the many dope releases that came along was also this mixtape Green Lantern did back in 2004 as a promotion for the To The 5 Boroughs album back in 2004. Physical cd-copies were very limited around that time but the mix always stayed popular among those in the know and even got pressed on some vinyl a while back. Of course, given that it’s a mixtape made without a commercial release in mind means that it’s still a sort of semi-official business, and copies remain quite rare. It also means it can sample any beat Green Lantern saw fit, reminiscent of that unbound Beasties classic, Paul’s Boutique.
Very fitting for the album it was intended to promote (which also featured the ode to NY ‘An Open Letter to NYC’), the tape features a slew of classic beats and places The Beasties firmly in the NY rap tradition, with Beasties vocals blended with Mobb Deep’s ‘Quiet Storm,’ Biggie’s ‘Hypnotize,’ Nas’ ‘Hate Me Now’ and many others. Busta Rhymes drops by for an update on ‘Paul Revere’ labeling it the ’04 version and M.O.P. does so for ‘No Sleep ’till Brooklyn.’ The snippets of Biggie vocals blended into ‘Hey Ladies’ also work perfectly and it’s a masterfully done tape that serves as a dope reminder of how deep the BB discography runs.
New York State Of Mind isn’t the easiest Beasties release to find, so here it is, re-upped for your listening pleasure. There’ll be no shortage of tribute mixes in the coming days but with this one and Mick Boogie’s recent Grand Royal tape the competition is already nothing to sneeze at. Download it, turn up the volume and raise a glass to Adam Yauch.
DOWNLOAD: The Beastie Boys & DJ Green Lantern – New York State Of Mind
