In a recent interview with Ernest Skinner of Canada’s Border City Rock Talk, SLAYER guitarist Kerry King discussed his unexpected guest appearances on the BEASTIE BOYS‘ 1987 track “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” and SUM 41‘s pop-punk hit “What We’re All About”.
“The simplicity of it is what’s funny about it,” Kerry said. “We [SLAYER] were doing what became the Reign In Blood album and the [BEASTIE BOYS] were doing Licensed To Ill in the same studio, like down the hall from each other. And [producer] Rick Rubin was doing both projects. So they needed a lead on that particular song, ‘No Sleep Till Brooklyn’. So I thought about it, and I went, ‘Yeah, why not? I can use a couple hundred bucks.’ I certainly wasn’t well to do back then. So, that’s what I did. I went in there and I did it. And in hindsight, I wish I didn’t get paid. I wish I took a quarter point or something, ’cause now I would be a rich man. [Laughs]”
Commenting on his contribution to “What We’re All About”, Kerry mentioned: “It’s funny. I just ran into [SUM 41] in Europe a couple of times. They were on the same festivals with us, and I hadn’t seen them in a long, long time. So they made a way to come out and say ‘hey’, which I was happy about, ’cause I hadn’t seen them forever.
“How that one happened — I remember I turned it down for months and months and months,” he explained. “I’m, like, ‘My fans won’t get it. My fans won’t get it. My fans won’t get it.’ Then the guy from the record label — here’s another funny story, kind of full circle of what we were talking about — he comes up to me and he says, ‘Well, you did the BEASTIE BOYS.’ And I went, ‘Motherf**ker!’ [Laughs] So I’m, like, ‘You’re right.’ So I did it.”
King released his debut solo album, From Hell I Rise, on May 17. In addition to King, the album features DEATH ANGEL vocalist Mark Osegueda, longtime SLAYER drummer Paul Bostaph, former HELLYEAH bassist Kyle Sanders, and ex–MACHINE HEAD and ex-VIO-LENCE guitarist Phil Demmel.
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