Today Tamra Davis, aka Tammy D aka Mrs. Michael Diamond, was a guest DJ on KCRW radio in Los Angeles. She chose five songs and discussed their significance to her. Her first song pick was Beastie Boys's "So What'cha Want." Davis explained the song pick by sharing a personal story:

I love that song. It, to me, really defines a time and this attitude. It's also a personal song to me because my husband is Mike D, and while he was making that record, I was just like the wife at home like, 'Oh God, you're just like taking so long on this record,' and the record company had asked them to make one more single and I was just like, 'Oh god, not another week in the studio every night.' So then he comes back and he plays me this song, "So What'cha Want" and I remember sitting in the front of our house in the car listening to it and I just was like, 'This? This is the song that you spent all this time on?!? This isn't that good.'

Time changed her opinion of the song, which she says is the best song that she has ever heard.

You may listen to and/or download audio of the program at KCRW's website (click on the "Listen" box at the upper left of the page), as well as read a full transcript of the show.

Tamra Davis is currently promoting her film Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, which contains music composed by Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz.

(Shoutout to Mama B)

More than a year ago, Beastie Boys fans got to hear "Pop Your Balloon," a new song from Hot Sauce Committee, Pt 1 (and on Pt 2) when it was included as an audio track on the NBA Live 10 video game.

Because I don't like album spoilers, I avoided listening to the song. However, yesterday's announcement from the band made me realize that I've been holding out on listening to the song for no good reason. What the band will eventually release on Pt 2 may not sound or have the same lyrics as the NBA Live 10 track.

Because of my holdout, Beastiemania.com does not have a discography and lyrics page for "Pop Your Balloon." We'll correct the matter now that I have finally broken down and listened to the track. Please help Beastiemania.com by providing feedback on my lyric transcription. The only verse that I had a problem with is Mike D's last one. He spits out too many syllables too quickly. I catch that he's rapping about Tron and Kahn.

Pop Your Balloon (Clean Version/NBA 10 Live)

Rickity-rickity-rickity-rickity-wow!
I got the golden style
You people go wild when I bless this crowd
Ooh to the ahh, to the ooh, to the eee
You want to know who funky and I said 'Je suis'

Well, I give you a wedgie, I give you a noogie
But my [censored] electric boogie
Break dancing at your door on a pile of [censored]
Set the bag on [censored]

I bust into your radio station
Put on my [censored] mask and put my tape on
By the time you figure out what went wrong
Light up my jet pack and I'm gone

Pop your balloon, pop-pop your balloon
Pop your balloon, pop-pop your balloon
Pop your balloon, pop-pop your balloon
Pop your balloon, pop-pop your balloon

I grab my mic and people lose their minds
And twist their hands in the air and bop their heads in time
Rockin', shoutin' (Do your dance, Mike)
Because I'm built for speed like a Tour de France bike

I got the tape spinnin' in the echoplex
I keep the competition sealed under a hex
And if you waste my time then I get vexed
I never sleep 'cause it's the cousin of death

Like Franz Harary, I'm a magic man
Films in the cam, cat's in the bag, carpet is shag
You can try to take the boast, but you can't take the brag

Pop your balloon, pop-pop your balloon
Pop your balloon, pop-pop your balloon
Pop your balloon, pop-pop your balloon
Pop your balloon, pop-pop your balloon

We come together upon the mic and rock it
We got styles ain't none of y'all can top it
We in the cut and, yes, we in the pocket
We're getting down and that's right, that's right, that's right, that's right…

Yo, because I'm down in the basement mixin' up
I'm on the edge and I'm on the break
You've got the press, and I've got the plates
We pressin' [censored] by the crate

Yes, we make it happen with the rappin'
With the crunch with the Cap'n and the Boo Berry
With Count Chocula, the sound that you love
We've been getting fly with the highest above

I'm on, the one, the battle tank in Tron
You're too far gone -- ARGH! -- another pawn
Guide searching, what channel is he on?
'Cause there ain't no sunshine when Mike D's gone

Pop your balloon, pop-pop your balloon
Pop your balloon, pop-pop your balloon
Pop your balloon, pop-pop your balloon
Pop your balloon, pop-pop your balloon…

Yo, the sound man almost lost his soup on that one
He's still contemplating it though
Oh-oh, look out!

Someone please suggest an alternate lyric for "We've been getting fly with the highest above." It's too Christian rock to be Beastie Boys.

🎵 You may listen to the song HERE.

Beastie Boys have announced via their fan email list that the tracklist for Hot Sauce Committee Pt 2 will be the same as announced for Hot Sauce Committee Pt 1. The songs on HSCP2 will be remixed, redone, refurbished, recalculated versions of the songs that they originally recorded for HSCP1. The band plans to release Hot Sauce Committee Pt 2 in spring 2011.

Hot Sauce Committee Pt 2 Tracklist:

1. Tadlock's Glasses
2. B-Boys in the Cut
3. Make Some Noise
4. Nonstop Disco Powerpack
5. OK
6. Too Many Rappers (featuring Nas)
7. Say It
8. The Bill Harper Collection
9. Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win (featuring Santigold)
10. Long Burn the Fire
11. Funky Donkey
12. Lee Majors Come Again
13. Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament
14. Pop Your Balloon
15. Crazy Ass Shit
16. Here's a Little Something for Ya

Beastie Boys recently updated fans with this new information:

"Although we regret to inform you that 'Hot Sauce Committee Part 1' will continue to be delayed indefinitely, 'Hot Sauce Committee Part 2' will be released on time as originally planned in Spring of 2011."

It also appears that Beastieboys.com might be undergoing some sort of makeover (for the new album?) as the message board (and everything else) seems to be down, and the above message is the only text on the screen. So keep an eye on changes to that page!

No time to say hello?

The French music industry has been abuzz with talk that Beastie Boys have invited French artist Philippe Zdar (of house music duo Cassius) to help them mix Hot Sauce Committee. Zdar has successfully mixed albums and songs for Phoenix, Cut Copy, and Chromeo, among other artists.

A source close to the band has shared that Mike Diamond confirmed Zdar will be mixing HSC. It appears that Zdar will reign over the mix of the entire album, not just a few songs or remixes.

A very rare recording of a 1986 concert featuring the Beastie Boys has surfaced in an audio sharing forum. The recording is from a July 19, 1986, concert at Madison Square Garden.

The audio captures two hours of a mega-concert with performances by Run-DMC, Whodini, LL Cool J, Timex Social Club, and Beastie Boys. Beastie Boys performed only two songs: "Slow and Low" and "Hold It Now, Hit It."

You can download the audio HERE [DEAD LINK].

The concert is in mp3 format and not divided by song. Beastie Boys's performance can be found in the second file around the 10:30 mark.