Licensed to Ill - Beastie Boys | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic Licensed to Ill google+ AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine Perhaps Licensed to Ill was inevitable -- a white group blending rock and rap, giving them the first number one album in hip-hop history. But that reading of the album's history gives short shrift to the Beastie Boys ; producer Rick Rubin , and his label, Def Jam, and this remarkable record, since mixing metal and hip-hop isn't necessarily an easy thing to do. Just sampling and scratching Sabbath and Zeppelin to hip-hop beats does not make for an automatically good record, though there is a visceral thrill to hearing those muscular riffs put into overdrive with scratching. But, much of that is due to the producing skills of Rick Rubin , a metalhead who formed Def Jam Records with Russell Simmons and had previously flirted with this sound on Run-D.M.C. 's Raising Hell , not to mention a few singles and one-offs with the Beasties prior to this record.

He made rap rock, but to give him lone credit for Licensed to Ill (as some have) is misleading, since that very same combination would not have been as powerful, nor would it have aged so well -- aged into a rock classic -- if it weren't for the Beastie Boys , who fuel this record through their passion for subcultures, pop culture, jokes, and the intoxicating power of wordplay. At the time, it wasn't immediately apparent that their obnoxious patter was part of a persona (a fate that would later plague Eminem ), but the years have clarified that this was a joke -- although, listening to the cajoling rhymes, filled with clear parodies and absurdities, it's hard to imagine the offense that some took at the time. Which, naturally, is the credit of not just the music -- they don't call it the devil's music for nothing -- but the wild imagination of the Beasties , whose rhymes sear into consciousness through their gonzo humor and gleeful delivery.

There hasn't been a funnier, more infectious record in pop music than this, and it's not because the group is mocking rappers (in all honesty, the truly twisted barbs are hurled at frat boys and lager lads), but because they've already created their own universe and points of reference, where it's as funny to spit out absurdist rhymes and pound out "Fight for Your Right (To Party)" as it is to send up street corner doo wop with "Girls." Then, there is the overpowering loudness of the record -- operating from the axis of where metal, punk, and rap meet, there never has been a record this heavy and nimble, drunk on its own power yet giddy with what they're getting away with. There is a sense of genuine discovery, of creating new music, that remains years later, after countless plays, countless misinterpretations, countless rip-off acts, even countless apologies from the Beasties , who seemed guilty by how intoxicating the sound of it is, how it makes beer-soaked hedonism sound like the apogee of human experience.

And maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but in either case, Licensed to Ill reigns tall among the greatest records of its time. Track Listing Licensed to Ill by Beastie Boys on Apple Music 13 Songs iTunes Review Linking timeless Zeppelin and Sabbath riffs to heavy-bottomed funk with hook-savvy producer Rick Rubin, the Beastie Boys made first-rate party music that defined the late '80s. “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)” and “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” displayed an understanding of metal, while “Paul Revere,” “Time to Get Ill” and “Hold It, Now Hit It” swung and bounced furiously. Customer Reviews by Jake In Salt Lake Beastie Boys album is one of the greatest hip hop albums to date. It's strength comes from the great beats, solid lyrics, and NY style. A must for any music collection. The Best(ie) Album Ever! by TheTallOne This has a little bit of everything, because this was when the Beasties still had the punk rock feel. It is amazing that these songs have been hits for so long.

If you look ate songs 7-9, these all get radio play, and are some of the most memorable Beatsies Boys tracks. "Paul Revere" is the tall tale of how the group started, and "Fight For Your Right" is corny yet strangly awesome. "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" also appeals to the rock audience as it has great guitar riffs. The juvinille "Brass Monkey" is also memorable. This album is a must buy. Liscensed To Ill by bigpimpin225 The Beasties' classic 1986 debut hit the scene like a 500 ton megablast -- the first rap record to reach No. 1. It's loaded with crass humor, pop culture references, and numerous odes to dust, beer, and girls. Backed by rock-tinged 808 beats from Rick Rubin and Run-D.M.C., the album is a far cry from their later, more politically correct work. Obnoxious rap at its finest.

Biography Formed: 1979 in New York, NY Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap Years Active: '80s, '90s, '00s, '10s As the first white rap group of any importance, the Beastie Boys received the scorn of critics and strident hip-hop musicians, both of whom accused them of cultural pirating, especially since they began as a hardcore punk group in 1981. But the Beasties weren't pirating -- instead, they treated rap as part of a post-punk musical underground, where the D.I.Y. aesthetics of hip-hop and punk weren't that far apart. Of course, the exaggerated b-boy and frat-boy parodies of their unexpected hit debut... Top Albums and Songs by Beastie Boys 1. Beastie Boys' 'Licensed to Ill' Certified Diamond - Rolling Stone Life After Beastie Boys: Ad-Rock Looks Forward, and Back "What do you do with your life when your former life is no more?" says Adam Horovitz. "I have to figure it out" Def Jam released Licensed to Ill on November 15th, 1986.

Produced by the label's co-founder Rick Rubin, the hip-hop trio's debut is stocked with some of the group's biggest and most memorable hits, including "Fight For Your Right," "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" and "Paul Revere." It was certified platinum in February 1987. Ill became one of the first successful hip-hop albums, and the Beastie Boys found continued success through the early millennium, selling over 40 million copies of their LPs. the group released their final release, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, in 2011. Following the death of Adam "MCA" Yauch in 2012, surviving members Michael "Mike D" Diamond and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz made clear that they would not continue with the group. Ad-Rock recently spoke with Rolling Stone about life following the loss of Yauch and disbandment of his group. "It's a big challenge. It's like, 'What do you do with your life when your former life is no more?' I have to figure it out.

I don't know if I ever will." Horovitz also revealed to RS that he and Diamond have no plans to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Licensed to Ill. "Twenty-five should've been a bigger deal, but I didn't even notice," he noted. "Thirty is a bland anniversary. Maybe the 50th." The surviving members have been working on a memoir, originally slated to be released in 2015. "There's not way it's going to happen [before 2017]," he admitted. "I might get sued by saying this, but I'm just being realistic." Don’t Miss a Story Sign up for our newsletter to receive breaking news directly in your inbox. We may use your e-mail address to send you the newsletter and offers that may interest you, on behalf of Rolling Stone and its partners. For more information please read our Privacy Policy How we use your email address Trending Ranked on a scale from 1 to 10, the trending score reflects the number of users reading a story in real time. What is this?

Beastie Boys - Licensed To Ill - Amazon.com Music Licensed To Ill Audio CD, March 28, 1995 "Please retry" Includes FREE MP3 version of this album. Provided by Amazon Digital Services LLC. Terms and Conditions . Does not apply to gift orders. Complete your purchase to save the MP3 version to your music library. See all buying options $4.99 Free Shipping for Prime Members | Fast, FREE Shipping with Amazon Prime In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available. Frequently Bought Together Add all three to Cart Add all three to List Buy the selected items together This item:Licensed To Ill by Beastie Boys Audio CD $4.99 In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. FREE Shipping on orders over $49. Details Check Your Head [Explicit] by Beastie Boys Audio CD $7.99 In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. FREE Shipping on orders over $49. Details Ill Communication by Beastie Boys Audio CD $7.22 In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. FREE Shipping on orders over $49.

Details Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1 This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. Page 1 of 1 Start over Sponsored Products are advertisements for products sold by merchants on Amazon.com. When you click on a Sponsored Product ad, you will be taken to an Amazon detail page where you can learn more about the product and purchase it. To learn more about Amazon Sponsored Products, click here . Ad feedback Special Offers and Product Promotions Editorial Reviews Product Description Universal Music Catalogue are re-pressing and re-issuing a series of classic albums from Def Jam, the most groundbreaking and inspired hip hop and urban music label of a generation. Drawing on its hugely impressive catalogue, created in the 21 years since Amazon.com The joke of Licensed to Ill's cover--that the Beasties could crash their jet into the side of a mountain and keep on tickin'--serves as a good metaphor for a career that even some of their 1986 admirers thought might be over after the one-time-only shock of this full-length debut.

That thousands of funk-junkie wannabes have since failed at re-creating its groove, breaking-the-law vibe, and ear-splitting mix of rock and rap is an even better joke. And funniest of all is the record itself, which packs dexterous boasts, aural puns, and lots and lots of yelling into a disc that can still be listened to with as much pleasure as it gave in '86. --Rickey Wright Stream Licensed To Ill by Beastie Boys and tens of millions of other songs on all your devices with Amazon Music Unlimited . Exclusive discount for Prime members. Sample this album Artist (Sample) 1 Listen Now $1.29 Sold by Amazon Digital Services LLC. Additional taxes may apply. By placing your order, you agree to our Terms of Use . Product Details Audio CD (March 28, 1995) Number of Discs: 1 for 88 albums, discussions, and more. Sponsored Products Related To This Item (What's this?) Page 1 of 1 Start over Sponsored Products are advertisements for products sold by merchants on Amazon.com.

When you click on a Sponsored Product ad, you will be taken to an Amazon detail page where you can learn more about the product and purchase it. To learn more about Amazon Sponsored Products, click here . By G.C. on January 14, 2000 Format: Audio CD It's hard to believe, but sometimes true that what goes around, comes around. I saw the Beasties on stage in London in September 1986 (with Run DMC and LL Cool J) shortly after this album came out (they were last on the bill and played only three songs, including "Slow and Low" and "Fight For Your Right"). The prevailing opinion at the time was that "Licensed To Ill" was one of the most obnoxious releases in the history of music. But what a party! The Beastie Boys seemed like a one-hit wonder when they changed record labels and took three years to release their follow up (Paul's Boutique), plus the fact these white boys were being universally panned by most of the rap community. But the Boys must be having the last laugh, and listening to this album again, it still sounds good.

I am amazed at all the kids that weren't even born in '86 are discovering this record, which attests to the band's endurance, although the band owes a lot to Rick Rubin, their producer who meshed the Boys' brashness with great sound samples. As a parent I can say that, based on the feedback I've read here, if you are trying to decide on a music purchase for your teenager, this may do the trick. Beastie Boys: Licensed To Ill - Music on Google Play Full Review Ethan Barrow October 8, 2014 Rappers now days need to look back at this album Its a great album that needs to be remembered. They put the rock and the rap together to form great songs. If your mates have a argument about who is the who best white Rappers just say to them "Beastie Boys all the way no questions asked" Full Review A Google User August 10, 2012 Loved this when it came out ON CASSETTE! Vinyl was already long since dead in the home, by the time this hit shelves. Many of my more privileged friends had already started their compact disc collections by then..

Full Review Dan Leicester August 26, 2014 One of the best albums ever made! If another band came along and made this music I don't think I would even like it. I grew up in the 80s with these and played them non stop with my mates. Full Review John Toe December 16, 2013 Songs didn't show up I want a reimbursement for a songi bought and it never showed up. Plus i added a couple of free songs and those aren't in my play list. Where can i directly contact you google.I'm so unsatisfied Full Review LOST OPPORTUNITIES February 12, 2016 Classic Beasties I have always loved this album especially "no sleep til' brooklyn" and "fight for your right." Please buy this album. Classic rap. This stuff is better than those new rappers like lil wayne. Fight for your right to PAAAAAAARTYYY Full Review A Google User May 12, 2012 Thank U Thank you to the beastie boys. Very sad to hear of MCA. I got this tape in high school.

Sporting my fila shoes and thick rope with Cadillac emblem living north of Detroit this white boy was happy. Full Review Delores Phillips December 10, 2013 There is no other like this album, this is an amazing jam that still rocks to this day. This is one of those that will never be replicated and through the ages will still pop off in any party scene. Full Review A Google User February 2, 2012 Truly a classic This album and Slippery When Wet were the first cassette tapes I ever purchased. Both of them are truly masterpieces. I can listen to this album beginning to end and not have the urge to skip a song. Full Review Jon Byrd December 15, 2013 Beastie Boys break it big in a BIG way!!! Full of Hits!!!! This was the very first cassette tape I ever purchased, believe was like 12 years old, Lol. This was just the beginning for a band that would not only reinvent hip hop, but rap music as our generation knew it! Full Review Amy Alexander December 14, 2013 Amazing Album with history that will last forever!

I fumbled through my HS years listening to this album, and still listen to it to this day. I have it on my iPod touch and my kids do as well! Some songs/albums are just made to last throughout time and generations, this album is one of those. Full Review Brian Scully July 18, 2015 Classic. Not to be overlooked Brash, nasal and uncompromising; the first Beastie Boys hiphop album was them at their most naive and dumb stage. But the rawness of it and stupid 'I don't care' youthful outlook are difficult to ignore. compared to the other hiphop of that time, it stood out. Infamous more than famous, maybe, but It's a timeless album for me. Not their best by any means, but still a great example of their work and also a worthy sidenote in the evolution of pop music and hiphop, both Full Review Juan Herrera September 17, 2015 RIP MCA I remember staying up all night with this cassette blasting while drinking Jolt cola with my friends. Miss those days.. I still blast the BEASTIES till this day and my kids love them too.

A Google User December 12, 2013 Borering n loud Really don't make any sense their voices are truly annoying too A Google User May 6, 2012 Who remembers Turtle Stamps? Used many, many stamps for this cassette. To my moms dismay. Full Review Boomer Moomer December 15, 2013 Massive! Successful side-step from the original hardcore punk heard via "Aglio" but brought on an entire new evolution in music: B-Boys stayed true to their selves by being themselves. For follow-up, I recommend "Paul's Boutique" and "In Sound From Way Out," the former being personification of a sampling and the latter a welcome surprise for any music listener. Full Review A Google User May 4, 2012 R.I.P. - MCA, u will be missed I grew up listening to the beasties and wanting to do what they did and 20 years later Eminem almost replicated it Full Review A Google User May 7, 2012 Love it Probably should invest in a digital copy, but I still have this album on a cassette tape and still listen to it often.

Marvelous example of old-school rap when it was just getting started. Ever rapper since then owes a debt to these three guys. Full Review A Google User June 24, 2012 Love the Beastie Boys ... but the audio quality on this purchase its horribad. The audio seems like it was ripped at 60% volume level. It could be a lot louder than what it currently is. Full Review Dakota S September 15, 2015 Pretty good, not my favorite My favorites are Paul's Boutique & Check Your Head, so if that sounds like you this album is roughly 3rd/4th in my humble opinion. Good songs here though; She's Crafty, Paul Revere, & No Sleep till Brooklyn shouldn't be missed. Full Review Robert Miller May 25, 2013 Vintage Classic Real Cool Ol Skill Rap. When Hip Hop Wuz Golden and When There Wuz Skillz And Talent And Actual Rhyming. Like Run Dmc, LL Cool J,Salt N Pepa,Fat Boys And Kurtis Blow,Etc. My Favorite Type Of Music. Old School Will Never Die Out.

Full Review A Google User May 4, 2012 R.I.P. MCA - Adam Yauch This is the music of my youth and still stands up to the test of time. May MCA rest in peace. You will be missed. Full Review A Google User May 8, 2012 NO Sleep Til Brooklyn I remember copying my friends lp to a cassette. This on 1 side, Run Dmc, Doug E Fresh & the "Biz" on the other. Those were the days. You know whitey had to jump in the rap game to say they were there in the begining. Full Review A Google User October 6, 2012 Brilliance! 3 white kids made early rap history. As innovative as Run DMC, bolder than LL Cool J, and as musically talented as the Rolling Stones. Full Review February 4, 2014 Just the best... For me, 1987 can be summed up by three things...BMX, fake "Bruce Willis in Moonlighting" Raybans and this album ! Happy days indeed. ..

Full Review Mickey Ropes August 18, 2014 There will never be another beastie boys. And it just seems like rap continues to get worse. With the exception of a few people. Full Review Andrew Alleyne August 26, 2014 Apologies to the VW owners of the '80s I was 16 when this came out, massively into Run DMC, later P.E., EPMD, LL, Kane, etc. I even 'acquired' a VW badge to wear on my belt like Ad Rock. R.I.P., MCA, this still sounds fresh (shudder) 30yrs later. I also owe thanks to this LP for introducing me to Led Zep (via sampled tracks). Full Review Kris Williams December 14, 2013 Can't beat the old school B Boys. Love it! Get CHA pull. Is just no beating the Beastie Boys. Mix Master Mike on the tables always get you dancin Full Review Brian J.

Robinson March 7, 2013 bitching album beastie boys.:lisxenses to get my a This album is for.dope...it may be ten years old but it still can rock my world. Full Review Chris Jones September 29, 2013 AWESOME Debut Album!!! From the First Track to the Last, Classic Old School Rap.Breaking Ground for ALL Cucasians With Funk in Thier Soul!!! Full Review A Google User May 7, 2012 One the best Albums I ever heard! I still have my actual album, bought it cassette form, then cd, now digital just because. Full Review A Google User October 9, 2012 Classic Hip Hop... ROCK HOP. Awesome.. The first to hit number one on the Hip Hop time line.. Don't be Jealous because there Cool as Heck.. Haaaaa Haaaaa :) Full Review Kris Nielsen December 13, 2013 Fantastic Back when Hip-Hop actually sounded good and required real talent! These boys were game changers. 5 stars. Full Review A Google User May 5, 2012 MCA we will miss you!

Best album of all time...my first record I bought as a kid. I figure I would buy it on my phone too! Full Review Ugean Spyrll April 11, 2015 Best of the Beasties This is definately, in my opinion the best album the Beastie Boys have ever released and possibly the best hip-hop album ever. Definately worth your money. Joe Gee December 15, 2013 Awesome This is the real rap.don't hear about gangs an killing. bring on some more great tunes. Full Review Bill Napier January 4, 2013 A classic!! Not a bad track on the album. Every song a winner that can be listened to over and over again. Full Review Lucy Pagenkopf December 29, 2014 Classic rap at it's best This was the soundtrack of my senior year of high school. Fun, relatable material and good memories! Full Review A Google User August 12, 2012 One of the illest albums! Hydra206 can suck it. This is one of the pioneering classics of Hip Hop.

Full Review A Google User October 4, 2012 Best CD ever. One of the few cds you can listen the whole way through and not skip a track. Beastie Boys - Licensed To Ill at Discogs Beastie Boys DEF 450062 1, DEFCL 32 580 3 Germany DEF 450062 1, 450062 1, BFC 40238 Europe referencing Licensed To Ill, LP, Album, RE, 30t, B0024720-01 This record sounds great I have listened to it 10+ times since I got it I am hearing things I never heard before deep bass nice reverbs echos are good too can hear the voices very clear can even hear some studio sounds like wall reverb from vocal booth the mix is really good well balanced this puts the cd to shame for dynamic range Beastie Boys | Rolling Stone artists > B > Beastie Boys > Bio Beastie Boys Bio Beastie Boys were the first big white rap group, and they have stayed popular — at times hugely popular — for nearly a quarter century.

After emerging from New York's hardcore punk underground in the early Eighties, the trio crossed over into the mainstream in 1986 with their first full-length album, Licensed to Ill, the first rap album to reach Number One. Featuring "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)" (Number 7) and "Brass Monkey" (Number 48 pop, Number 83 R&B, 1987), the album sold 720,000 copies in six weeks, becoming one of Columbia's fastest-selling debuts ever. In the late Eighties, Beastie Boys' take on hip-hop began maturing, and throughout the Nineties the group ventured into spaced-out funk, psychedelia and lounge music, yet retaining its adolescent charm and hit-making sensibility. The members of the group were teenagers, all from wealthy Manhattan families, playing in various hardcore punk bands when they came together in the early Eighties as Beastie Boys. The initial lineup consisted of singer Mike D (b. Michael Diamond, Nov. 20, 1966, New York, NY), bassist MCA (b. Adam Yauch, Aug.

5, 1965, New York), drummer Kate Schellenbach (b. Jan. 5, 1966, New York) — who later formed Luscious Jackson — and guitarist John Berry. Inspired by the DC hardcore band Bad Brains' mix of whiplash punk and lilting reggae, the Beasties released an independent EP, Polly Wog Stew, in 1982, after which Berry departed. From the hardcore band the Young and the Useless, the Beasties added fourteen-year-old guitarist Adam Horovitz (b. Oct. 31, 1967, New York), the son of playwright Israel Horovitz, who became known as Ad-Rock. The group's first attempt at rap came on the 1983 12-inch vinyl hip-hop spoof, "Cookie Puss," based on a crank call they made to the Carvel ice cream company. With Schellenbach's depature, The Beasties began taking hip-hop more seriously, teaming with friend Rick Rubin, the producer who would start the Def Jam label in his college dorm room the the following year.

The marriage was perfect, producer Rubin working samples into the group's bratty raps that contained familiar white, middle-class pop-culture references: Led Zeppelin, heavy-metal guitar riffs, and the theme to TV's Mr. Ed. With thumbs-up from Rubin's then-partner, Russell Simmons, the head of Rush Productions and manager of Run-D.M.C., Beastie Boys signed to Def Jam in 1985. That same year they appeared in one of the earliest hip-hop movies, Krush Groove, performing the single "She's on It." The trio also opened for Madonna's Virgin Tour, during which they shouted obscenities to the audiences and got booed for it. In 1986 The Beasties toured with Run-D.M.C. as part of the violence-plagued Raisin' Hell tour. Beastie Boys experienced a watershed in 1987. The success of "Fight for Your Right" led to the trio headlining their own tour, which was plagued by lawsuits, arrests, blame for violence and vandalism, and accusations of sexism and obscenity.

The group was criticized for co-opting a black musical form, but the criticism didn't last long, as The Beasties established themselves as authentic hip-hop artists respected by their fellow rappers. After appearing in Run-D.M.C.'s movie, Tougher Than Leather, in 1988, the trio broke with Rubin and Def Jam over financial and personal differences, and moved to L.A., where they met producers the Dust Brothers (John King and Mike Simpson). With the Dust Brothers, The Beasties created their classic second album, Paul's Boutique (Number 14, 1989), released on Capitol. It was an artistic leap for The Beasties, turning their white, bourgeois take on rap into a funky, album-long sound collage. The record produced a Top Forty hit, "Hey Ladies" (Number 36), but sold far less than Licensed to Ill. It trio would spend another three years on Check Your Head (Number 10, 1992), an eclectic album for which The Beasties picked up their instruments again, blending their hip-hop sensibilities with their hardcore punk roots.

The album came out on the group's own Capitol-distributed Grand Royal label, and marked the first appearance of longtime sidemen DJ Hurricane and keyboardist Money Mark (a.k.a. Mark Ramos Nishita). Released two years after Nirvana helped usher alternative rock into the mainstream pop world, Check Your Head broke the Top 10 in a week, even though the music jumps stylistically from funk to rap to hardcore. In 1994 The Beasties released a compilation of their early hardcore singles and EPs as Some Old Bullshit (Number 46), followed closely by a new album, Ill Communication (Number One pop, Number Two R&B, 1994), which continued in the eclectic vein of Check Your Head. That summer, Beastie Boys joined Smashing Pumpkins, the Breeders, George Clinton, and other big names for Lollapalooza 1994 (with Luscious Jackson playing on the second stage). It would be four more years before Beastie Boys returned with another full album of new material.

Meanwhile, they demonstrated a lingering fondness for hardcore punk on the Aglio E Olio EP (1995), and collected some jazzy, soul-influenced instrumental outtakes along with a few new tracks for The In Sound From Way Out! (Number 45, 1996). In 1998 The Beasties released Hello Nasty (Number One), which was their most eclectic set yet, featuring 22 tracks of hip-hop, rock, soul, bossa nova, opera, salsa, and cutting-edge turntablism from Mixmaster Mike (replacing DJ Hurricane). The band toured that same year, and won two Grammys: Best Alternative Music Performance for the Number One title track, and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Intergalactic." Another tour scheduled for 2000 — to include coheadliner Rage Against the Machine — was canceled after Diamond was seriously injured in a bicycle accident.

Increasingly active in political issues, The Beasties spent the early part of the 2000s organizing and performing a post-9/11 benefit concert in 2001 and releasing an anti-Iraq War protest song, "In a World Gone Mad," as a free download in 2003. After headlining the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the group released its first album of new material in six years, To the 5 Boroughs (Number One, 2004). By then, however, The Beasties were considered elder statesmen of golden-age hip-hop and alternative rock, and the album got wildly mixed reviews, some hailing its hard-hitting political bite, leaner, old-school sound and tribute to the perseverance of New York City, others suggesting the group had run out of ideas. Three years later The Beasties returned with another all-instrumental set, The Mix-Up, which only reached Number 15 but won a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Album. A new rap album, reportedly featuring guests like Nas, is due in 2010.

During their Nineties peak, Yauch, who had been responsible for some of The Beasties' wildest early behavior (with girls, drugs, and egg-throwing), embraced Buddhism and organized the annual star-studded Tibetan Freedom Concert, which advocated independence for Tibet. During the same period Diamond assumed hands-on management of Grand Royal, which branched off into a short-lived magazine, and co-owned the clothing line X-Large. In 1993 Diamond married film director Tamra Davis. Horovitz, who in the late Eighties dabbled in acting and was briefly married to actor Ione Skye, created the side project BS2000, releasing Simply Mortified in 2001. In 2006 he married Le Tigre singer Kathleen Hanna, who helped pioneer the Nineties riot grrl punk movement as leader of Bikini Kill. Portions of this biography appeared in The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001). Mark Kemp contributed to this story. The Beastie Boys The Beastie Boys Rap Group The Beastie Boys solidified their place in hip hop history as the first big white rap act.

The trio—Mike D (Michael Diamond), MCA(Adam Yauch) and Ad-Rock (Adam Horovitz) all hailed from wealthy families and began as a punk group before switching to hip hop. Their 1986 album License to Ill, the first rap album to reach number one, contained the hit singles “No Sleep ‘til Brooklyn” and“Fight For Your Right to Party.” The Beastie Boys also got involved with politics and activism work, including organizing and performing in both a post 9/11 benefit concert and the Tibetan Freedom Concert. Yauch, who announced his battle with cancer in 2009, died on May 4, 2012. He was 47-years-old. Beastie Boys’s Biography — Free listening, videos, concerts, stats and photos at Last.fm Listeners Biography Beastie Boys were an American hip-hop trio from New York City, United States: Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Originally formed as a four-piece hardcore punk band, The Young Aborigines, in 1978 by Michael Diamond (vocals), John Berry (guitar; died May 2016), Adam Yauch (bass) and Kate Schellenbach (drums), for the majority of its career the group consisted of Mike D (real name Michael Diamond), Ad-Rock (Adam Horovitz) and, until his death in May 2012, MCA (Adam Yauch). The Beastie Boys were the first successful white rap group and one of the few acts from the early days of hip-hop that still enjoyed major success their whole career Their rock and punk-influenced rap has had a significant impact on artists both in and outside the hip-hop scene, and they were the first rap group to gain a substantial following with alternative rock fans. The Beastie Boys came together in 1979 as a punk band called The Young Aboriginies . In 1981 MCA joined the group and from the suggestion of their guitarist John Berry, they changed their name to Beastie Boys.

Their line up then consisted of Adam Yauch (aka MCA) on bass, drummer Kate Schellenbach (later of Luscious Jackson ), guitarist John Berry (of Big Fat Love), and Mike Diamond (aka Mike D) on the mic. Beastie Boys' debut EP, the Pollywog Stew vinyl 7" was released in 1982. The band's first foray into hip hop, the Cooky Puss 12", followed in 1983, with The Young and the Useless guitarist Adam Horovitz (aka Adrock) replacing John Berry. "Cooky Puss" would be the first B Boys record to receive play at NYC clubs like Danceteria as the band played its first shows outside the city. The Mike D/MCA/Adrock Beastie Boys lineup debuted in 1984 with the "Rock Hard"/"Beastie Groove" 12." Produced by Rick Rubin , who went on to produce albums for the Red Hot Chili Peppers , Johnny Cash and Audioslave .

The "She's On It"/ "Slow And Low" 12" followed in 1985 and Beastie Boys went on Madonna's "Virgin Tour." as her opening act. Licensed to Ill dropped in fall 1986 and became the first Beastie Boys album–and the first Rap album ever–to go #1. Fueled by Fight for Your Right and No Sleep Till Brooklyn it remained at #1 for seven weeks and simultaneously reached #2 on the urban chart, becoming the fastest selling debut to date for Columbia and the first hip hop record to break 5 million. In 1989 Beastie Boys released their second album Paul’s Boutique produced by Beastie Boys and the Dust Brothers. Paul's Boutique laid down the blueprint for a generation of emergent genres and went over the collective head of a nation. The likes of "Shake Your Rump," "Lookin' Down The Barrel Of A Gun," "Car Thief," Shadrach," and the hip hop "suite" "B-Boy Bouillabaisse" contained lyrical and musical references too plentiful and diverse for the average mind to compute in one sitting.

Check Your Head , released in 1992, heralded the return of live instrumentation into the B Boys mix. The album was produced by the band and Mario Caldato Jr. (who first worked with B Boys as engineer on Paul's Boutique), Check Your Head would yield a watershed of new B Boys staples, including So Whatcha' Want , Pass The Mic, "Gratitude" and "Jimmy James." With the assistance of Keyboard Money Mark, Eric Bobo and assorted percussionists, Beastie Boys returned to the touring circuit and Check Your Head hit double platinum. In the summer of 1994, Ill Communication , also produced by the band and Mario Caldato Jr., entered the charts #1. The album featured such hits Sure Shot and Sabotage . Ill Communication was supported by Beastie Boys' first arena headline tour since the '80s. Following the tour's conclusion, Beastie Boys recorded and released Aglio e Olio consisting of eight songs clocking in at 11 minutes, the EP recalls the vintage hardcore punk of the band's infancy. On July 14 1998, their fifth album titled Hello Nasty was released.

Spurred by the monster success of the "Intergalactic" single and video, the record clocked first week sales of nearly 700,000 in the U.S. and went straight in at #1 in England, Germany, Australia, Holland, New Zealand and Sweden. Early in the tour, Beastie Boys made live tracks available for free download to fans unable to attend the shows-and were blindsided by their label pulling the tracks down. Having closed 1998 by accepting the Video Vanguard lifetime achievement honor at the MTV Video Music Awards, Beastie Boys rang in 1999 with Artist, Band and/or Record of the Year accolades from the likes of Rolling Stone, SPIN, The New Yorker and Playboy, among others. A month later, at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards, the now quadruple-platinum Hello Nasty took Best Alternative Music Performance, while "Intergalactic," nailed Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group–the first time an artist has ever won in both Rap and Alternative categories.1999 would also see "Intergalactic" take Best Hip Hop Video honors at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards.

Beastie Boys' sixth studio album, To The 5 Boroughs , released in summer 2004, was the band's third consecutive #1 debut-and Rolling Stone magazine's only 5-star review of the year. To The 5 Boroughs was supported by world tour - traveling pageant - supported by Talib Kweli and Bob Moore's Amazing Mongrels (yes, a live dog show, hence the pageant appellation). 2006 saw the release of the film, Awesome, I Fuckin' Shot That!, a concert film made up of footage filmed by audience members, which debuted at Sundance in early 2006 and was released theatrically the same year. In 2007 Beastie Boys released The Mix-Up , first ever full length offering of all-new, all-original instrumental recordings. On February 3rd, 2009, they digitally remastered and released Paul's Boutique on their website. The band's next record, "Hot Sauce Committee Part 2" was released in the first quarter of 2011.

It features the same tracklisting as the previously announced "Hot Sauce Committee Part 1", which was delayed indefinitely after Yauch was diagnosed with a tumor on his parotid gland (which was successfully removed). Bassist and vocalist Adam Yauch died on May 4, 2012 of cancer. In June 2014, Mike D stated that the Beastie Boys would not continue their careers as a group, as a promise to Adam Yauch. "We have not been able to tour since MCA, Adam Yauch, died," Diamond said. "We can't make new music."

Question: What hip hop group had a "License to Ill"?
Answer: Beastie Boys