Synopsis

The Beastie Boys deliver "Pass the Mic" in a loose, kinetic performance video built around their G-Son studio compound in Los Angeles. Dressed in matching green outfits, Mike D, MCA, and Ad-Rock trade verses while moving through stairways, outdoor spaces, and the studio's skateboarding areas. Quick cuts, playful gestures, domino games, and skate footage give the clip an informal, clubhouse atmosphere. Rather than following a narrative, it presents the group as musicians, skaters, and friends sharing the same creative space.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed at G-Son Studios in Atwater Village, Los Angeles, the Beastie Boys' own creative base and the main recording location for much of *Check Your Head*.

• The song was released in April 1992 as the first single from *Check Your Head*, an album that marked the group's return to playing instruments alongside rapping, sampling, scratching, and programming.

• Professional skateboarder Christian Hosoi appears skating the half-pipe installed at the G-Son complex. The skateboarding imagery reflects the band's long-standing connection to skate culture.

• The video was later included in the 2000 *Beastie Boys Video Anthology*. That release offered several alternate audio versions of the clip, including the album version, "Part 2: Skills to Pay the Bills," the Prunes remix, the Nardone remix, and an a cappella version.

• The song became part of a landmark sampling copyright dispute. James Newton sued over the use of a short flute passage from his composition "Choir"; the courts ultimately ruled that the Beastie Boys were not liable for using the licensed sound recording without separately licensing the composition.