Legendary Slayer guitarist Kerry King spoke with Canada’s Border City Rock Talk, reflecting on his surprise guest appearances on Beastie Boys’ 1986 track, “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” from their debut album, Licensed to Ill, and Sum 41’s 2002 hit “What We’re All About,” featured on the Spider-Man soundtrack. During the discussion, King revealed how he wish he made a different financial deal on the famous Beatie Boys track, explaining:
“The simplicity of it is what’s funny about it. We 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 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.”
When discussing his decision to contribute to Sum 41’s track, King explained how everything eventually came in full circle, stating:
“‘What We’re All About. ‘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. 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, ‘Motherfucker!’ So I’m, like, ‘You’re right.’ So I did it.”
King’s debut solo album, From Hell I Rise, was released on May 17 via Reigning Phoenix Music (read our review here). Kerry King will be a special guest on the upcoming Lamb of God/ Mastodon North American Ashes Of Leviathan co-headline tour. See all stops here.
