Hello Nasty
Hello Nasty is the fifth studio album by the 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]
Hello Nasty
July 14, 1998
1997–1998
- G-Son (Los Angeles)
- Oscilloscope Laboratories (New York City)
67:28
- Beastie Boys
- Mario Caldato, Jr.
Background[edit]
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]