Beastie Boys Live on Arsenio Hall

It is 1992 and the Beastie Boys hit the late-night circuit to promote their first album in three years, Check Your Head. Struggling to regain relevance after the group’s sophomore album, Paul’s Boutique, was both a critical and cultural flop, 1992 would be a pivotal year for the band.

Backed by a new beat by DJ Muggs from Cypress Hill, the trio rips through a reworked So What’cha Want (Soul Assassin Remix) on the Arsenio Hall Show, with Sen Dog and B-Real from the group sharing the stage to spit a few bars on the track.

Check Your Head would cement the band firmly within the alternative music zeitgeist, stacked with tracks that sliced across genres from rap to hardcore to jazz and had videos that lit up both MuchMusic and MTV ensuring that the album would be one of the best-received by the New York natives.