Professional ratings
Retrospective reviews
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
The A.V. Club	A
Christgau's Record Guide	A
Mojo
NME	9/10
Pitchfork	10/10
Q
Rolling Stone
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
Spin Alternative Record Guide	10/10

Paul's Boutique is the second studio album by the American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on July 25, 1989, on Capitol Records. Featuring production by the Dust Brothers, the album was recorded in Matt Dike's apartment and the Record Plant in Los Angeles from 1988 to 1989, and mixed at the Record Plant. Subsequent remixes were done at the Manhattan-based Record Plant Studios. The album is noted for being almost completely composed of samples, excluding the group's vocal output.

Paul's Boutique was initially considered a commercial failure by the executives at Capitol Records, as its sales did not match that of the group's previous record, Licensed to Ill, and the label eventually decided to stop promoting the album. The album's popularity continued to grow, however, and it has since been touted as a breakthrough achievement for the Beastie Boys. Highly varied lyrically and sonically, Paul's Boutique secured the Beastie Boys' place as critical favorites in the hip-hop genre. Often called the "Sgt. Pepper of hip-hop", the album's rankings near the top of many publications' "best albums" lists in disparate genres has given Paul's Boutique critical recognition as a landmark album in hip hop.

On January 27, 1999, Paul's Boutique was certified double platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America. In 2003, the album was ranked number 156 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The album was re-released in a 20th anniversary package remastered in 24-bit audio and featuring a commentary track on January 27, 2009.

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Wikipedia