Hip-hop supergroup Beast Coast's guide to NYC

Mixing envelope-pushing sonics with old-school tactics, Beast Coast is a reminder that New York hip-hop history is built not only on headline-making rivalries but also raucous collectives that exemplify the us-against-the-world attitude that makes our city great. This past spring, the group, which includes members of Flatbush Zombies, Pro Era and the Underachievers, released its long-awaited LP Escape from New York, a kaleidoscopic collection that trips out into psychedelic terrain but keeps its feet planted firmly on the grimy sidewalk. After thunderstorms zapped its set at the Governors Ball Music Festival, the outfit is making it up with a pair of headlining shows at The Rooftop at Pier 17 on August 22 and 23. Here’s what they get into offstage. 

Meat-sweats central: Paisanos Butcher Shop
“I like to cook on the grill. If you want good, you know, steaks and exotic meats like kangaroos and all that bison meat and all that shit, and you want to support a good fucking butcher shop, go to Paisanos. It’s got every goddamn animal you can think of in that motherfucker. Shout out Paisanos.”—Meechy Darko   

Pizza plus: L&B Spumoni Gardens
“It’s got one of the best square slices ever in the whole world. For real. It’s got Italian ices. I get the cremolata. It’s also got a really good kitchen. Some people think it’s just pizza—it’s not just pizza.”—Nyck Caution 

Duds den: Blue in Green
“I’m a big shopper and into retail therapy and stuff like that. I love that spot a lot because it’s got some of my favorite brands. I like a lot of Japanese brands. Kapital is one of my favorites right now.”—Kirk Knight

Gamer go-to: Bulletproof Comics and Games
“I like to play video games and collect toys and read comic books, and I’ve been shopping at Bulletproof Comics since I was 9, 10 years old. You can rent movies, DVDs; you can play video games at the store. I even participated in Yu-Gi-Oh! and NBA 2K tournaments. I grew up in that motherfucker.”—Zombie Juice

Hot spot: The Commodore
“It’s like a fried fish, fried chicken place, but it’s also a bar and plays dope music and has an arcade. I’ll be in there just chilling and shit on the weekend.”—AK the Savior

Top tomes: Dashwood Books
“It stocked my first publication, Spring Forward. It’s a very small shop, but it has really cool photography books, art books. I like to give money to people who are doing things on their own, much as we are.”—Erick Arc Elliott