Perhaps MCA was lactose intolerant? Regardless, a brilliant way of incorporating the word, “gorgonzola” in a song…
Gorgonzola…

is a veined Italian blue cheese, made from unskimmed cow’s milk. It can be buttery or firm, crumbly and quite salty, with a “bite” from its blue veining.

Provolone…

is an all-purpose, semi-hard Italian cheese with a firm texture and a mild, smoky flavor. The thin, hard rind is golden-yellow and shiny. Italian-style provolone can be made with buffalo or cow’s milk, or a mixture of the two. Sometimes it’s lightly smoked. Provolone, like mozzarella, is a pulled or stretched curd cheese with two varieties. Dolce (mild Provolone) is aged 2-3 three months, and is a semisoft, mild, smooth table cheese. Piccante is aged 6-12 months and has a stronger flavor. Provolone used for cooking, dessert purposes and grating."

A fine wine gets better with age/time. As the Beasties rap more and more, they only get better. Also ties back to the previous line re: Chateau Neuf du Pap.

source: pastdeadline

Slow & Low

When RUN-DMC were recording their King of Rock album we had the good fortune of being around because we shared the same manager. They were amazing. I remember being in the studio while they were recording vocals for one of their songs, and being dumbfounded by how incredible they were. Anyway, when they finished the record and sequenced it they decided to leave off one of our favorite songs. It was called, “Slow and Low.” I remember rifling through Russell Simmons' desk one day when he was out and finding a cassette of it, and then secretly copying it so that I could have it to listen to…

Later as we were working on Licensed to Ill, we asked them if we could do a cover of it. We made new music but kept most of their lyrics. In fact the only lines we changed were: “D sees real well ‘cause he has four eyes” to “White Castle fries only come in one size,” and “RUN-DMC not Cheech and Chong” to “Beastie Boys not Cheech and Chong.” I wish I still had that tape of their version…

–Adam Yauch, in the liner notes/(book) for Beastie Boys Anthology: The Sounds of Science.

In baseball, extra innings may be used to break a tie. If you’re up against Tribe, “extra innings” would be unnecessary. With their rhymes always on point, ATCQ is constantly scoring…

Unfortunate that E’s & Rakim’s respective ladies weren’t more supportive of their creative process. Because on July 7, 1987, the album drops, and all that artistic integrity and vision will pay off with hip-hop immortality…

One of the most influential rap albums of all time, Eric B. & Rakim’s Paid in Full only continues to grow in stature as the record that ushered in hip-hop’s modern era… Rakim basically invents modern lyrical technique over the course of Paid in Full, with his complex internal rhymes, literate imagery, velvet-smooth flow, and unpredictable, off-the-beat rhythms…
-Steve Huey, All Music

What’s odd is that Paid in Full was literally created within a week. These ladies must be very impatient.

One of Mike’s early boasts re: his dance moves. For sure, he could cut a rug to shreds, and his references make for some humorous lyrics, but only a fool would mistake Mike’s ability to boogie for his primary skills and talents. Yet, that’s exactly what Peter Nash, aka Prime Minister Pete Nice does in this May 10, 2012 article…

The Beasties could never have conquered the pop music scene without the quick wit and Jerry Lewis moves brought to the table by MCA’s rhyming counterparts. What Mike D and Ad-Rock brought to the Beastie Boys shaped their identity, for sure but without MCA’s authentic voice and sound, could they really have recorded a track like “Hold It Now, Hit It”?

Tell me, who are you dissing?

Source: I’m Just Sayin'/arcasangels

Arguably a subtle diss at Russell Simmons and Def Jam, who withheld royalties (from Licensed to Ill) owed to the Beastie Boys… We can put out fresh material, and collect new royalties, and we don’t need Def Jam (or the Dust Brothers) to do it.

source: ratslime via bboysmakinwitthefreakfreak

Whatever inspired it, the double entendres is brilliant: “they” can refer to either the checks or the suckers who write them. If the checks bounce, the suckers pay a penalty. If the suckers bounce, Mike can enjoy the money and not have to deal with them. Heads—he wins, tails—they lose.

He’ll drink without stopping, likely until he passes out–the implication being that Johnny Ryall is a chronic alcoholic, and even entire bottles of booze do not satiate his cravings. In the 12-Step fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous, members will remind each other how insidious the disease of addiction really is. Cunning and baffling, addiction will convince a person s/he has the ability to stop after one drink. Those who choose to work a program of recovery remain vigilant, reminding each other how the paths of sobriety vs. relapse diverge at that first drink. Addicts have found it helpful to recall the adage:

One drink is too many and a thousand is never enough…

In spite of the humorous nature of the song, Beastie Boys were sensitive to the perils of addiction, having lost both friends and family to the disease. Licensed to Ill was dedicated to Adam Horovitz’s mother, Doris Keefe, who died of causes related to alcoholism. And one of the Beastie Boys' closest friends, David Scilken, died in 1991 of a drug overdose.