"3-Minute Rule" is the seventh track on the album ''

Paul's Boutique ''Paul's Boutique'' is the second studio album by American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on July 25, 1989, by Capitol Records. Produced by the Dust Brothers, the album is composed almost entirely from samples, and was recorded over two y ...

'' by American hip hop group the

Beastie Boys Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...

, released on July 25, 1989. The track was produced and written by the

& the

Dust Brothers The Dust Brothers are a pair of songwriters and producers consisting of E.Z. Mike ( Michael Simpson) and King Gizmo ( John King). They are famous for the sample-based music they produced in the 1980s and 1990s, and specifically for their work on ...

, and engineered by Mario Caldato & Allen Abrahamson.

Content

Despite its title, the song is actually 3 minutes 39 seconds. It begins with the sound of what is apparently a

ping-pong Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...

ball being hit back and forth. Then Mike D raps from about the 0:12 mark to around the 1:12 mark. MCA follows from about 1:14 to 2:00. Finally, Ad-Rock takes over from around 2:09 and continues to 3:07, followed by another half minute of music. The track contains samples of "Feel Good" by

Fancy Fancy may refer to: Places * Fancy, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, a settlement * Fancy River, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Music Albums * ''Fancy'' (Bobbie Gentry album), 1970 * ''Fancy'' (Idiot Flesh album), 1997 * ''Fancy'' (video ...

and "Brave and Strong" by

Sly & the Family Stone Sly and the Family Stone was an American band from San Francisco. Active from 1966 to 1983, it was pivotal in the development of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic music. Its core line-up was led by singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi-i ...

. Incidentally, it is one of the few Beastie Boys tracks where each member has a standalone verse.

References

{{authority control Beastie Boys songs 1989 songs Psychedelic rap songs Songs written by Ad-Rock Songs about cannabis Songs written by Mike D Songs written by Adam Yauch Song recordings produced by Dust Brothers