Beastie Boys

Beastie Boys
A group of three men on a stairwell in front of a light background
Beastie Boys in 2009; from left to right: Ad-Rock, MCA, and Mike D
Background information
OriginNew York City, U.S.
Genres
DiscographyBeastie Boys discography
Years active1981–2012
Labels
Spinoffs
Spinoff ofThe Young Aborigines (1979–1981)
Past members
Websitebeastieboys.com

Beastie Boys[a] were an American hip hop/rap rock[2] group from New York City, formed in 1981.[3] The group was composed of Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums, programming). Beastie Boys were formed out of members of experimental hardcore punk band The Young Aborigines, which was formed in 1979, with Diamond on drums, Jeremy Shatan on bass guitar, John Berry on guitar, and Kate Schellenbach later joining on percussion.[4] When Shatan left New York City in mid-1981, Yauch replaced him on bass and the resulting band was named Beastie Boys. Berry left shortly thereafter and was replaced by Horovitz.

After achieving local success with the 1983 comedy hip hop single "Cooky Puss", Beastie Boys made a full transition to hip hop, and Schellenbach left. They toured with Madonna in 1985 and a year later released their debut album, Licensed to Ill (1986), the first rap album to top the Billboard 200 chart.[5] Their second album, Paul's Boutique (1989), composed almost entirely of samples, was a commercial failure that later received critical acclaim. Check Your Head (1992) and Ill Communication (1994) found mainstream success, followed by Hello Nasty (1998), To the 5 Boroughs (2004), The Mix-Up (2007), and Hot Sauce Committee Part Two (2011).

Beastie Boys have sold 20 million records in the United States and had seven platinum-selling albums from 1986 to 2004.[6] They are the biggest-selling rap group since Billboard began recording sales in 1991.[7] In 2012, they became the third rap group to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In the same year, Yauch died of cancer and Beastie Boys disbanded.[8] The remaining members have released several retrospective works, including a book, a documentary, and a career-spanning compilation album.

  1. ^ Barshad, Amos. "The Beastie Boys on Their New Movie, Bidet Toilets, and Why You've Been Saying Their Name Wrong All These Years". GQ. Archived from the original on April 26, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  2. ^ "The Beastie Boys On Their Hip-Hop Journey And Missing Adam Yauch". NPR. October 24, 2018. Archived from the original on March 12, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  3. ^ Erlwine, Stephen. "Beastie Boys: Biography". AllMusic. RhythmOne Group. Archived from the original on October 19, 2018. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  4. ^ "Exclaim! Canada's Music Authority". Archived from the original on July 14, 2009. Retrieved August 24, 2008.
  5. ^ Burkett, Jacob (November 16, 2016). "8 Things You Didn't Know About The Beastie Boys' Licensed To Ill". Moshcam. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  6. ^ "Obituary: Adam 'MCA' Yauch". BBC News. May 4, 2012. Archived from the original on May 8, 2012. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
  7. ^ Caulfield, Keith (May 4, 2012). "Beastie Boys Blazed Billboard Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
  8. ^ Gordon, Jeremy (June 2, 2014). "Mike D Says Beastie Boys Won't Be Making Any More Music". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on June 4, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2014.


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