The logo I sport is the face of the monkey
by Tim Cole
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In 1992 The Beastie Boys find themselves at the intersection between Hip Hop and skate culture, hard to believe it now but these two urban sub-cultures were not yet intertwined as they are now, skate vids at the time were mainly soundtracked with hardcore punk and other alternative sounds. Rocking a look that is still recognisable as streetwear.
The look is an oversized mixture of streetwear, Mike D had gone into partnership with the guys at XLarge clothing in LA the year before, arguably one of the first truly street brands, utilitarian workwear from the likes of Ben Davis and Dickies (The logo I sport is the face of the monkey, Union made, Ben Davis-quality, it's no junk, see?), Plaid shirts done up at the neck, knitted beanie hats, essential for the LA heat, and retro sneakers, at a time when it was all about the newest Jordans or Reebok Pumps.
They released Check Your Head in that same year, with a new sound with more live instrumentation (three years before they had released Paul's Boutique probably a pinnacle of sampladelic Hip Hop) with some tracks harking back to their time as a teenaged hardcore band. Check it out...
The Beastie Boys - Time for Livin'