Pass the Mic

"Pass the Mic"
Single by Beastie Boys
from the album Check Your Head
B-side	"Time for Livin'", "Drunken Praying Mantis Style", "Netty's Girl"
Released	April 7, 1992
Format	CD single
Genre	Hip hop, rap rock
Length	4:16
Label	Capitol
Writer(s)	Michael Diamond, Adam Horovitz, Adam Yauch, Mario Caldato, Jr.
Producer(s)	Beastie Boys, Mario Caldato
Beastie Boys singles chronology
"Shadrach" (1989) "Pass the Mic" (1992) "So What'cha Want" (1992)

"Pass the Mic" is the first single from the third studio album Check Your Head by Beastie Boys, released on April 7, 1992.

The last track on the single, "Netty's Girl", has a short clip stitched on the end of it, as well as a secret 3 second clip at the end of the track. The actual song is only 3 minutes long, as it appears on the compilation The Sounds of Science.

The song was the subject of the landmark Newton v. Diamond case, in which the band was found not liable for infringement of copyright on the underlying composition of a three-note, six-second sampled recording of James Newton's "Choir". The band had paid Newton's record label for the use of the sound recording in 1992. The court found that they were not obligated to also license the underlying composition, as three notes qualifies as de minimis use.

Track listing

1. "Pass the Mic" (LP version) - 4:30
2. "Dub the Mic" (Instrumental) - 4:26
3. "Drunken Praying Mantis Style" - 2:37
4. "Pass the Mic (Pt. 2, Skills to Pay the Bills)" - 4:24
5. "Netty's Girl" - 5:39

Samples

• "Choir" by James Newton, from Axum.
• "Big Take Over" by Bad Brains, from Bad Brains.
• "So What'cha Sayin'" by EPMD, from Unfinished Business.
• "Big Sur Suite" by Johnny "Hammond" Smith, from Higher Ground.

Charts

References

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics