"Pass the Mic" is the first single from the third studio album ''

Check Your Head ''Check Your Head'' is the third studio album by American rap rock group Beastie Boys, released by Grand Royal and Capitol Records on April 21, 1992. Three years elapsed between the releases of the band's second studio album ''Paul's Boutique' ...

'' by American rap 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 April 7, 1992.

Sampling lawsuit

In 2003, Beastie Boys were involved in the landmark sampling decision, ''Newton v. Diamond''. In that case, a federal judge ruled that the band was not liable for sampling

James Newton James W. Newton (born May 1, 1953) is an American jazz and classical flutist. Biography He was born in Los Angeles, California, United States. From his earliest years, James Newton grew up immersed in the sounds of African-American music, inclu ...

's "Choir" in their track, "Pass the Mic". The sample used is the six-second flute stab. In short, Beastie Boys cleared the sample but obtained only the rights to use the sound recording and not the composition rights to the song "Choir". In the decision, the judge found that:

Track listing

# "Pass the Mic" (LP version) – 4:30 # "Dub the Mic" (Instrumental) – 4:26 # "Drunken Praying Mantis Style" – 2:37 # "Pass the Mic (Pt. 2, Skills to Pay the Bills)" – 4:24 # "Netty's Girl" – 5:39

Samples

* "Choir" by

, from ''

Axum Axum, or Aksum (pronounced: ), is a town in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia with a population of 66,900 residents (as of 2015). It is the site of the historic capital of the Aksumite Empire, a naval and trading power that ruled the whole region ...

'' * "Big Take Over" by

Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American rock band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1976. Originally a jazz fusion band under the name Mind Power, they are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this ...

, from ''

'' * "So What'cha Sayin'" by

EPMD EPMD is an American hip hop duo from Brentwood, New York. The duo's name is a concatenation of the members' names "E" and "PMD" or an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referring to its members: emcees Erick Sermon ("E" a.k.a. ...

, from '' Unfinished Business'' * "Big Sur Suite" by

Johnny "Hammond" Smith John Robert "Johnny Hammond" Smith (December 16, 1933 – June 4, 1997) was an American soul jazz and hard bop organist. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, he was a renowned player of the Hammond B-3 organ so earning "Hammond" as a nickname, whi ...

, from ''Higher Ground'' * "Tax Free" by

Jimi Hendrix Experience James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

, from ''Los Angeles Forum - April 26, 1969'' (sample at 1:48)

Charts

References

1992 singles 1992 songs Beastie Boys songs Capitol Records singles Songs written by Ad-Rock Songs written by Mike D Songs written by Adam Yauch Songs written by Mario Caldato Jr. Song recordings produced by Mario Caldato Jr. {{1990s-single-stub