Mike D Makes The ‘Switch’ With First Solo Track

More than a decade after Hot Sauce Committee Part Two marked the final studio release from the Beastie Boys, group member Mike D is officially back with his first solo music. The 60-year-old rapper/producer has dropped “Switch Up,” a loose, genre-blurring cut that emerged from casual home studio sessions with his sons Davis and Skyler Diamond and their band Very Nice Person.

According to a statement, what began as low-stakes experimentation evolved organically through a rotating cast of collaborators and recording locations, giving the song its freewheeling feel. Produced by Carter Lang and Very Nice Person, “Switch Up” was mixed by Derek “MixedByAli” Ali at No Name Studios, while the single artwork comes courtesy of San Francisco artist Thad Higa.

More from Spin:

• Report: Katy Perry, Future, J Balvin To Rock FIFA
• Charli xcx Goes ‘Rock,’ Kinda, On New Single
• Tame Impala Welcomes Dua Lipa In London

Mike D quietly premiered the track last night (May 7) during a sold-out pop-up performance at Los Angeles’ Plaza Nightclub & Dance Hall. The intimate gig is part of a string of unconventional small-room appearances that have recently seen him popping up at places like Brothers Marshall Surf Shop in Malibu and the Ojai Valley Woman’s Club. The mini-run continues Sunday at Los Angeles’ Sid the Cat Auditorium before heading east for two nights at Xanadu Roller Arts in Brooklyn, N.Y., on May 22-23.

The rapper has also been revisiting Beastie Boys material live during recent surprise appearances alongside Very Nice Person, performing classics including “So What’cha Want” and “Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun,” The pioneering group dissolved following member Adam Yauch’s 2012 death from cancer at age 47.

Beyond his own return to recording, Mike D co-produced The Hives’ 2025 album The Hives Forever Forever the Hives.

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.