90's Jams #44: Beastie Boys "Sabotage" (1994)

Hardcore never had much of a chance of mainstream success, but if anyone had a shot with this, it had to be Beastie Boys. Combining their punk roots with record scratching and a slowed-down version of Motörhead's bass & screaming combination (and the cool false ending), "Sabotage" brought all of their best elements together once and for all... This shit gets you pumped. Possibly without peer as the most massive rap-rock single that's ever existed.

While the video takes most of the credit for its success, the song's energy was more than enough to create one of the best VMA's performances... Later in the same show, Adam Yauch dressed as Nathanial Hornblower, rushed to the podium just as Michael Stipe was about to accept an award for "Everybody Hurts," expressing anger for a few seconds before being escorted away by security, a decently spontaneous and youthful moment from a guy who rapped about having gray hairs on the follow-up single "Sure Shot."