By Erin Rose
“I’d rather be a hypocrite than the same person forever”
Ad-Rock (Adam Horovitz)
I was in second grade when the Beastie Boys’ ‘License to Ill’ was released in 1986. Two of my friends in my Catholic school class were obsessed with them. They each had older siblings that introduced them to the Beast Dee Boyzz. They knew all the words to ‘Fight For Your Right To Party.’ I knew all the words to the super catchy ‘Girls.’ In my mind, the guys who MTV couldn’t get enough of were rapping about girls. I was a girl. So that was pretty cool to me. I even figured out how to play it on the piano by ear. Note: I also had the same fondness for the song “Girls Girls Girls” by Mötley Crüe for the same reason. Again, I was 8.
Fast forward to 1993. I was a freshman in high school and on the swim team. I walk into the pool area before a swim meet and License to Ill was blaring over the speakers, which was unusual and awesome all at the same time (perks of swimming against a public school). ‘Girls’ came on and I was quietly singing along.
I hope she’ll say,
Hey me and you should hit the hay
I asked her out, she said, no way
I should of probably guessed their gay
So I broke north with no delay
I heard she moved real far away
That was two years ago this May
I seen her just the other day
Jockin’ Mike D. To my dismay
Girls, to do the dishes
Girls, to clean up my room
Girls, to do the laundry
Girls, and in the bathroom.
Girls….
Record scratch.
“What the…? What did they just say?” All these years I had been listening to this song, singing along and repeating the words from memory. Now for the very first time, I actually heard them. And I was pissed.
My love for the Beastie Boys dissolved in the pool that evening.
Now that following spring, after the swim meet incident, Ill Communication was released (the irony of that title is not lost on me as I am writing this). The only song I knew off that album was Sabotage. It wasn’t until around college that I actually heard all the lyrics to the first song on the album, Sure Shot:
I want to say a little something that’s long overdue
The disrespect to women has got to be through
To all the mothers and the sisters and the wives and friends
I want to offer my love and respect to the end
“Wow. That’s cool. They apologized in one of their songs. That’s a great start,” I thought.
The Beastie Boys didn’t stop there.
What’s important, and I cannot stress this enough, is they kept going and put those lyrics into action.
They never wrote another sexist or homophobic lyric again.
They changed those problematic lyrics when performing live in concert.
Over the years, they have addressed and apologized publicly for their disrespect towards women and the gay community on numerous occasions.
One example is Ad-Rock writing a letter to Time Out New York apologizing for the band’s early years.
“I would like to formally apologize to the entire gay and lesbian community for the shity and ignorant things we said on our first record, 1986’s “Licensed to Ill.” There are no excuses. But time has healed our stupidity. We hope that you’ll accept this long overdue apology.”
They spoke up and publicly sparred with Prodigy, requesting them not to play the song “Smack My Bitch Up” at the Reading Festival in England they were both playing at.
MCA (Adam Yauch) reportedly said, “We just wanted to let the Prodigy know that we felt like that song had a real meaning, has a definite meaning with those lyrics.… we were kinda more going to them saying, ‘We’ve been through this and we feel weird about this stuff and we’d like to suggest or ask you guys not to play it.’ ”
Those asshats played it despite their request.
In their 2018 ‘Beastie Boys Book’, Mike D (Mike Diamond) & Ad-Rock (Adam Horovitz) addressed MCA’s famous lyrics in ‘Sure Shot’:
MD: I remember taking note of those lines. In terms of our evolution, I’m proud that they stick out. On “Paul’s Boutique,” our style changed a lot from “Licensed to Ill,” but lyrically we were in kind of the same place. On “Check Your Head,” we started to realize the effect of the things we were saying. “Ill Communication” was the next step, where we felt empowered to make a change and comment on things we had done.
AR: We never had a conversation about that specific line, but I’m sure Yauch was referencing himself or us as a band. Or men in rap, or men in general. We said some stupid stuff when we were younger, and it’s nice to know that now, in a way, we’re looked upon as men who can actually change and learn from mistakes. I hope that’s part of what that line means to people.
As recent as last month, Ad-Rock and his wife, badass feminist activist punk rock singer Kathleen Hanna (Le Tigre, Bikini Kill), signed posters where 100% of the proceeds went to support NOISE for NOW, a national initiative that enables performers to connect with and financially support grassroots organizations that work in the field of Reproductive Justice including abortion access, and Planned Parenthood clinics throughout the country.
(Trigger Warning)
When several women came forward publicly about the sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of Israel Horovitz, Adam’s father, he gave a statement to the New York Times and said, “I believe the allegations against my father are true, and I stand behind the women that made them.”
Please just sit with that for a minute (or more). That’s a lot and it is heavy.
There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t hear the term “Cancel Culture” referenced. From those in the entertainment industry to social media influencers to our elected officials and everything in between. There are people worried about “Being Canceled” or are against “Cancel Culture” in general. Other people have taken things too far and enjoy dragging anyone and everyone in the town square we call Twitter. There are people who absolutely deserve to be “canceled.” With that said, it is also important to give people the time and space to grow and come forward when they are ready to sincerely apologize for what they thought, said, or did years ago to a few days ago. By understanding their personal evolution, it will better serve all of us and help others in the future.
So a message to those who have been outed, ousted, or are about to be, and to those who want to come back to those former careers, relationships, etc. (looking at you Brett Ratner, Louis C.K.):
- Step one is the self actualization that what you did is wrong and why it is wrong. This is the look-at-yourself-in-the-mirror moment. You need to feel like utter shit for this to work. You need to feel the shame.
- Step two is a sincere apology. Multiple apologies. Like a legit, from the depths of your soul, not because you got caught, non-generic PR team crafted public statement. A real acknowledgement of what you did wrong and the utter sorrow you feel from it. Own it.
- Step three, do the work. Actions speak louder than words and for the love of all things holy, don’t just throw money at some organization. There has to be accountability with action.
The Beastie Boys have spent almost three decades doing the work. It doesn’t happen overnight.
And after all that, if you still are questioning and letting your ego and pride get the best of you, ask yourself one question:
Would you rather be a hypocrite or the same person forever?
