Fanspot
Paul's Boutique
“Growing up in New York City and hip-hop are two inseparable things, two things that are totally intertwined in our lives.”
Mike D
The Beastie Boys are one of those bands that have been able to get everyone on the same page since their first record. With Licensed to Ill, Mike D, MCA and Ad-Rock took the hip-hop scene by surprise, imposing a unique verve, frantic rhythms and breathtaking glibness. Following this success, the trio intended to go even further in 1989. Under the supervision of the Dust Brothers and Matt Dike, the musicians enter the studio with a strong sense of rage. They came out with Paul’s Boutique, a record whose cover gave rise to a photo session on Ludlow Street.
Behind the lens, photographer Jeremy Shant takes a panoramic shot. A shot inserted in the booklet of the album, of which only the part representing the fake Paul’s Boutique is highlighted on the cover. The Beastie Boys had a sign made that they superimposed on the sign of Lee’s Sportswear, the business located on the corner, where today you can taste wraps… When it was released, the specialized press celebrated the record and even qualified it as the “Sgt Pepper of hip-hop”. In spite of this, the Beastie Boys were not accepted by the public. It is therefore to time that this courageous and aggressive work owes its salvation. Today, the public and the critics have finally agreed: Paul’s Boutique is a masterpiece whose cover alone captures the essence of a certain New York at a time when the possibilities seemed infinite.
A total of 105 songs were sampled for the purposes of for the album Paul’s Boutique.
99 Rivington St
The intersection of Rivington and Ludlow Street, where Paul’s Boutique was temporarily located, is one of the key places on the Lower East Side. A neighborhood with a fascinating musical history.
If the fake Beastie Boys store has now been replaced by a restaurant, the street-art work of artist Danielle Mastrion, dedicated to Mike D, Ad-Rock and MCA, on Ludlow Street, reminds us that the place was once a hotbed of talent of all kinds.
Rivington and Ludlow were frequented by painters, poets, punks and rappers alike, and helped shape the New York scene. It was not far from the intersection that the Velvet Underground made its debut.
The Fantrippers Buying Board
Cult! music: 100 mythical music places [French Edition]
Embark immediately on an exhilarating world tour with some of music’s most iconic bands and artists!
Head to Melbourne, Australia for a stroll along AC/DC Lane before crossing the iconic Abbey Road pedestrian crossing in the company of The Beatles. Visit Janis Joplin‘s home in San Francisco and find out how Johnny Cash ended up playing his greatest hits to a crowd of prisoners in San Quentin. Travel the winding roads of Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and stop in Japan to catch up with Deep Purple, Phil Collins and Daft Punk. Drive down the Tina Turner Highway before entering some of the most legendary studios in music history. Go back to the troubled origins of Billie Holiday and make a pact with Robert Johnson at the famous crossroads in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Embark immediately on an exhilarating world tour with some of music’s most iconic bands and artists! Relive the Jimi Hendrix concert on the Isle of Wight before paying tribute to Bob Marley in Jamaica.
Produced by a team of pop-culture specialists and enhanced by numerous anecdotes, Cult! musictells the secrets of the places that made the history of music.
Content quality
Interest for fans
Value for money
Discover all the places Paul's Boutique on our map
By Gilles Rolland
Passionné de cinéma, de rock and roll, de séries TV et de littérature. Rédacteur de presse et auteur des livres Le Heavy Metal au cinéma, Paroles de fans Guns N' Roses, Paroles de fans Rammstein et Welcome to my Jungle : 100 albums rock et autres anecdotes dépareillées. Adore également voyager à la recherche des lieux les plus emblématiques de la pop culture.