Slayer guitarist Kerry King says he'd "be a rich man" if he's asked for a share of the profits for his performance on Beastie Boys hit No Sleep Till Brooklyn.
King took a one-off payment for his iconic guitar solo on the 1987 single, which appeared on the New York rappers' debut album Licensed To Ill. The album went on to sell more than 10 million copies and gain 'diamond' certification.
While King has enjoyed a wildly successful career in metal and must have done very well financially, he jokes that he'd really be rolling in money if he'd asked for a small percentage of the proceeds from the song.
The guitarist tells Border City Rock Talk: "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, because now I would be a rich man!"
The full interview, and the video for No Sleep Till Brooklyn, can be viewed below.
King recently released his first solo album under his own name, From Hell I Rise and gave Metal Hammer magazine a detailed breakdown of the songs.
