"Sure Shot" is a song by American

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

group

Beastie Boys The Beastie Boys were an American Hip-hop, hip hop and Rap rock, rap rock group formed in New York City in 1979. They were composed of Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Mike D, ...

, released by Grand Royal and Capitol as the third single from their fourth album, '' Ill Communication'' (1994), on June 2, 1994, two days after the album's release. The song was co-written by the group with Mario Caldato Jr., who also co-produced it with them. It features a looped sample of jazz flautist

Jeremy Steig Jeremy Steig (September 23, 1942 – April 13, 2016)Peter Keepnews, "Jeremy ...

's song "Howlin' for Judy" from the 1970 album '' Legwork''. The brief vocal sample after the second verse ("''Oh yes indeed, it's fun time''") was taken from a comedy record by Moms Mabley.

Release

The CD and cassette maxi single (with a total of 7 tracks) features three

remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...

es of the title track, by Large Professor, Mike Nardone and Dred Scott, and the Prunes, respectively. It also features 3 new songs, "Mullet Head" (a punk-rock-style song whose title references the much-ridiculed mullet hair-style), "Son of Neckbone" (an instrumental track) and "The Vibes", a more traditional rap song akin to "Sure Shot". "Mullet Head" was also featured on the 1994 EP ''Pretzel Nugget''.

Critical reception

Upon the release,

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' magazine wrote, "It's in there. The kooky trio rarely misfires, having become experts at their hybrid of frat-rap and rock. Ever aware of the old school, the Beasties shout, scratch, and sample a frantic masterpiece of twisted flutes, barking dogs, and juvenile lyrics. Ill and real." Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

'' noted, "Coming to you with a screen saver for your PC, the

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

scumbags have singled out one of the purest

tracks from their "media rehabilitation" album, ''III Communication''." According to various publications, the song is noteworthy for including the verse: :''“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 sisters and wives and friends/I wanna offer my love and respect to the end.”'' The verse is widely considered to be a contrition for the group's early lyrics and demeanor which are perceived by some as misogynous.

Music video

Directed by American filmmaker, actor, musician, and photographer

Spike Jonze Adam Spiegel (born October 22, 1969), known professionally as Spike Jonze (), is an American Filmmaking, filmmaker, actor, musician, and photographer. His work includes films, commercials, music videos, skateboard videos and television. Jonze ...

, the music video for "Sure Shot" features the group, along with DJ Hurricane, performing, skating, and wearing suits while attending a party.

Track listing

# "Sure Shot" (LP Version) # "Sure Shot" (Large Professor Remix) # "Mullet Head" # "The Vibes" # "Sure Shot" (Nardone Mix) # "Son Of Neckbone" # "Sure Shot" (European B-Boy Mix)

Charts

References

{{Authority control Beastie Boys songs 1994 singles Music videos directed by Spike Jonze Songs written by Mario Caldato Jr. Song recordings produced by Mario Caldato Jr. 1994 songs Capitol Records singles Songs written by Mike D Songs written by Ad-Rock Songs written by Adam Yauch