THE BEAUTY OF THE BEASTIES

The Beastie Boys’ upcoming Capitol Records album, To the 5 Boroughs, is their first new studio disc since 1998’s #1-debuting Hello Nasty, which has sold 3.8 million OTC to date in the U.S., and first release since the 1999 compilation, The Sounds of Science. The disc is tentatively set to come out June 15.

Capitol President Andrew Slater, who once managed the band, says: “The group has delivered an album that can stand next to the best records in their catalog. It combines all the elements that make them a timeless act. It’s smart and funny and shows that, without the Beasties, there might not be an Eminem.”

The first single, “Ch-Check It Out,” went to radio and premiered as an iTunes download last week, where Mark Didia and John Boulos’ team powered it to a huge week at PoMo.

It’s a classic three-part rap roundelay featuring the pioneering Noo Yawk hip-hop trio—AdRock (Adam Horovitz), Mike D (Mike Diamond) and MCA (Adam Yauch)—doing what they do best—rhymin’ and jivin’. The classic lyrical flow is well-represented with lines like “No I didn’t retire/I’ll snatch you off with the needle-nosed pliers” and “I go by the name of the King Ad Rock/I don’t wear a cup nor a jock nor a thong.” The shout-outs include Lorne Greene, Bewitched’s Darren, TV maid Hazel, Nick at Night, Einstein and Miss Piggy. Other tracks rhyme Mike Piazza with “hide the matzoh,” while “An Open Letter to NYC” sports a tribute to the subway system, “We’re doin’ fine on the 1 and 9 line/On the L we’re doin’ swell.”

The self-produced album, recorded in their own downtown Manhattan studio, is a salute to the band’s home town, with a photo of the World Trade Center on the cover. Other titles include the anti-Iraq war attacks, “That’s It That’s All” and “Time to Build” as well as more playful tunes such as “Oh Word?” “The Brouhaha” and “Shazam!”

Adds Slater: “There are very few artists that can exist on the PoMo, Pop, Urban and Crossover charts, but they’re one of them. I just have to remind them I’m not their manager any more.”

The label plans a massive marketing/promotion campaign that includes both urban and alternative demos:

> “Ch-Check It Out” video goes directly into MTV Big 10 after premiere on channel’s Hip-Hop Week, featuring an appearance by the band

> MTV $2 Bill show from Las Vegas airs late June

> Performance on MTV Movie Awards

> Song is featured on Fox’s The O.C. last week

> Launch Artist of the Month for June

> Band will go on a promotional tour of Europe and Japan

> Cover of Spin July issue

> Entertainment Weekly “Listen2This” cover (mid-June)

> Band’s catalog released digitally for first time on iTunes

> Online banners and AIM Yahoo buddy icons available on label site