To The 5 Boroughs
by Beastie Boys
  • Record Label: Capitol
  • Release Date: Jun 15, 2004
Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 25
  3. Negative: 2 out of 25
  1. AllMusic
    80
    If there are no classics here, there's no duds, either, and given that the Beasties' pop culture aesthetic once seemed to be the territory of young men, it's rather impressive that they're maturing gracefully, turning into expert craftsmen that can deliver a satisfying listen like this.
  2. E! Online
    67
    Fun, but hardly fresh.
  3. Entertainment Weekly
    83
    The beats... are simple and effective, with a welcome lack of distracting bells and whistles that made Hello Nasty feel overstuffed. [18 Jun 2004, p.83]
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  5. Filter
    88
    Boroughs' greatest strength is its aural cohesiveness, fueled by a litany of Golden Age samples... and the heavy, often dark, bass-driven soundscapes. [#11, p.90]
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  6. New Musical Express (NME)
    80
    Like Missy Elliott, the Beasties are reimagining hip-hop--what it was, what it is, what it can be. [12 Jun 2004, p.47]
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  7. Pitchfork
    79
    Unlike all previous Beastie Boys albums (with the possible exception of Licensed to Ill), To The 5 Boroughs sounds homogenous and singular in purpose-- dark, steel, and dirty like that incomplete Times Square station.
  8. Playlouder
    100
    Picking highlights from a release so well executed and downright ass-shaking is difficult.... 'To The 5 Boroughs' is a triumph.
  9. PopMatters
    90
    The best album the Beasties have put out since Paul's Boutique.
  10. RapReviews.com
    65
    In all honesty, it's not the sentiment that bothers this reviewer. Rather, it's the insertion of the sentiment into what should have ostensibly been a light-hearted romp, a fun return to their days of old.
  11. Rolling Stone
    100
    To the 5 Boroughs is an exciting, astonishing balancing act: fast, funny and sobering.
  12. The A.V. Club
    80
    Boroughs unabashedly travels backward, but like Missy Elliott's similarly retro-minded Under Construction, it's so joyful that it makes regression feel progressive and growth overrated.
  13. Uncut
    80
    The music is strikingly minimal throughout, the emphasis is firmly on The Word and the Beastie Boys have plenty left to say. [Jul 2004, p.108]
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  14. Urb
    80
    Signals something of a rebirth of their signature creativity. [Jul/Aug 2004, p.123]
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Awards & Rankings

35
#35 Most Discussed Album of 2004
19
#19 Most Shared Album of 2004

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 75 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 59 out of 75
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 75
  3. Negative: 8 out of 75
  1. j30
    Aug 15, 2011
    8
    Average record comparatively to earlier B-Boys' records, but still awesome. I do miss the instrumental work, but this is just pure Hip-hopAverage record comparatively to earlier B-Boys' records, but still awesome. I do miss the instrumental work, but this is just pure Hip-hop record. A love letter of some sort to the city they love, New York City.… Full Review »
  2. iamtheoneneo
    Aug 10, 2011
    9
    Don't get all the hate for this album tbh , I really like it. I think its pretty clever all round and has some cracking dialogue presentedDon't get all the hate for this album tbh , I really like it. I think its pretty clever all round and has some cracking dialogue presented throughout. classics like: "walk like jabba the hut" , "which one of you shunks took my rhyme book" lol

    I think it flows really well aswell, more so then any other BB album I own. I think regardless of the wait for this it is a great modern album and one that has the BB written all over it.    … Full Review »
  3. RG.
    Oct 26, 2007
    3
    Very disappointing. Cannot understand why the B-boys have decided to separate their hip-hop personae from their instrumental side - that Very disappointing. Cannot understand why the B-boys have decided to separate their hip-hop personae from their instrumental side - that combination is what made them so interesting, fresh and innovative over the past decade and a half (longer, really), and it's absence is exactly what's made the last 2 CD's so boring.… Full Review »
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