Beastie Boys

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The Beastie Boys
Background Information
Origin	New York City, United States
Genre(s)	Hip-Hop, Rap rock, Alternative Hip-Hop, Hardcore punk, Pop rock
Years active	1979 - Present
Label(s)	Rat Cage, Def Jam, Capitol, Grand Royal
Associated acts	Run-DMC, Biz Markie, B.G.

Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D (Michael Diamond) who plays the drums, MCA (Adam Yauch) who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock (Adam Horovitz) who plays the guitar.

The Beastie Boys began as hardcore punk band in 1979, first appearing on the compilation cassette New York Thrash before releasing their first EP, Polly Wog Stew, in 1982. After achieving moderate local success with the 1983 release of their experimental hip hop 12" Cooky Puss, they made the transition to hip hop in 1984 and a string of successful 12" singles followed by their debut album Licensed to Ill in 1986 which received international critical acclaim and commercial success. As of 2010, they have sold 22 million albums in the United States and 40 million albums worldwide.

They are one of the longest lived hip hop acts worldwide and continue to enjoy commercial and critical success in 2011, nearly 25 years after the release of their debut album. On September 27, 2007, they were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2009, the group released digitally remastered deluxe editions of their albums Paul's Boutique, Check Your Head, Ill Communication and Hello Nasty. Their eighth studio album, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, was released on May 3, 2011, and received positive reviews.

Band Biography

The Beastie Boys started out as a punk band, but in the early 1980s branched out into doing some rap stuff as well, though it was typically of a novelty nature (their first cut being based on a prank call). Over time, however they became known as doing more legitimate, though often, still fun, rap. They were the first white rap group to be successful and are still influential.

Their sound has changed a lot through the years. Their debut album, Licensed to Ill, was on Def Jam Records and was produced by Rick Rubin. After Licensed to Ill the band left Def Jam and signed a deal with Capitol Records so that they could have more say in their style and sound. Their second album, Paul's Boutique, was a collaboration effort with Mario Caldato, Jr. and the Dust Brothers. After Paul's Boutique they continued to work with Mario Caldato, Jr., who helped produce Ill Communication and Hello Nasty, and they began playing their own intruments on many of their beats. They did all of their own production for To The Five Borroughs, The Mix Up, and Hot Sauce Committee Part Two.

Discography

Albums

• Licensed To Ill
• Paul's Boutique
• Check Your Head
• Ill Communication
• Sabotage
• Licensed To Ill
• The Skills To Pay The Bills
• Some Old Bullshit
• Aglio E Olio
• The In Sound From Way Out!
• Country Mike's Greatest Hits
• Hello Nasty
• The Sounds Of Science
• Beastie Boys Video Anthology
• To The 5 Boroughs
• Solid Gold Hits

EPs

• Pollywog Stew
• Cooky Puss
• Rock Hard
• Love American Style

Appears On

Mix CDs

• The College Chronicles, Part One
• A Mix Tape.
• It's Variety!
• Digitally Remastered Toothpick

Radio Shows

• Chris Morris Music Show Episode 7: Try the new religious quiz, Beat The Bishop
• Chris Morris Music Show Episode 21: Including international tannoy contributions from Awilbi Faywed, Aheffbin Fayed and Babayev Rijboerdie - and more unsuspecting interviewees
• Chris Morris Music Show Episode 5

Further Reading

• Wikipedia Page