Beastie Boys - Gratitude

What this video is

Released in January 1993 as a companion to the fourth single from Check Your Head (October 1992), 'Gratitude' arrived at a pivotal crossroads moment when the Beastie Boys had decisively reinvented themselves from sample-heavy rap pranksters into a credible live-instrument funk-rock ensemble. The video's Pompeii homage signals a conscious alignment with psychedelic rock and art-film lineage, positioning the group…

Why it matters

A landmark artifact of the hip-hop/rock crossover moment, 'Gratitude' demonstrates how Beastie Boys synthesized distorted bass (Univox Super Fuzz pedal), live drums, wah-wah guitar, and Hammond organ into a hybrid genre language predating the mainstream rap-rock explosion of the late 1990s. The…

The director

Bronx-born Puerto Rican New Yorker and self-described photographer-director-cinematographer. Attended the Fashion Institute of Technology before pursuing photography full-time. Rose through the industry via The Source magazine, shooting hip-hop artists early…