Hold It Now - Hit It!
Beastie Boys · Licensed to Ill [1986]
When I fill my pocket with a knot of dollar bills
Sipping pints of ale out the window sill
When I get my fill I'm chilly chill
Now I just got home because I'm out on bail
What's the time? - it's time to buy ale
Peter eater - parking meter all of the time
If I run out of ale - it's Thunderbird wine
Miller drinking - chicken eating - dress so fly
I got friends in high places that are keeping me high
Down with Mike D. and it ain't no hassle
Got the ladies of the eighties from here to White Castle
(chorus) Hold it now - hit it!
M.C. - Adam Yauch in the place to be
And all the girls are on me cause I'm down with Mike D.
I'm down with Mike D. and it ain't no baloney
For real, not phony - "O.E." and Rice-a-Roni
I come out at night 'cause I sleep all day
And I'm the King Adrock and he's M.C.A.
Well I'm cruising, I'm bruising - I'm never ever losing
I'm in my car - I'm going far and dust is what I'm using
Around the way is where I'm from
And I'm from Manhattan and I'm not a bum
Because you're pud-slapping, ball-flapping - got that juice
My name's Mike D. and I can do that Jerry Lewis
(repeat chorus)
Hip-hop, body rockin' - doing the do
Beer drinking, breath stinking, sniffing glue
Belly flipping, always illing, busting caps
My name's Mike D. and I write my own snaps
I'm a peep-show seeking on the forty-deuce
I'm a killer at large and I'm on the loose
Pistol packing, Monkey drinking, no money bum
I come from Brooklyn 'cause that's where I'm from
Cheap-skate, perpetrating - money hungry jerk
Everyday I drink a "O.E." and I don't go to work
You drippy nose knuckle-head - you're wet behind the ears
You like men - and we like beer.
(repeat chorus)
King of the Ave. with the Def female
You're rhyming and stealin' with the freshest ale
Cooling at the crib watching my TV
Ed Norton - Ted Knight - and Mr. Ed
Pump it up homeboy - just don't stop
Chef Boy-ar-dee cooling on the pot
I take no slack cause I got the knack
And I'm never dusting out cause I torch that crack
The King Adrock - that is my name
And you're drinking Moet - we got the champagne
A quarter dropping - going shopping buying wigs
Surgeon general cut professor - D.J. Thigs
(repeat chorus)
Hold It Now - Hit It!
Released on the Beastie Boys' landmark 1986 album Licensed to Ill, "Hold It Now - Hit It!" stands as a quintessential example of their pioneering hip-hop fusion. The track features the group's signature blend of aggressive rapping and catchy, melodic hooks, delivered over a driving, sample-based beat that defined the sound of the mid-80s. Produced by Rick Rubin, the recording captures the band's raw energy and their ability to merge rock instrumentation with urban rhythms. As one of the album's most recognizable singles, it helped propel the Beastie Boys to mainstream success and solidified their status as a cultural force. The song remains a staple of the genre's history, showcasing the group's unique voice and their impact on the evolution of hip-hop music.