List of songs recorded by Beastie Boys

American hip hop group Beastie Boys performing in 2007.
Beastie Boys performing in 2007. Left to right: Ad-Rock, Mike D, and MCA.

The American hip hop group Beastie Boys recorded 177 songs during their career. Active between 1982 and 2012, the group primarily consisted of Michael "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "MCA" Yauch, and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz. Originally a hardcore punk band, the group released their debut single, "Cooky Puss" in 1983, which marked a change in style to a more hip-hop oriented sound.[1] They fully transitioned to rap after signing with Def Jam Recordings in 1984.[2]

With Rick Rubin's assistance on writing and producing, Beastie Boys released the singles "Rock Hard" (1984) and "She's on It" (1985), before releasing their debut studio album, Licensed to Ill (1986).[3] The album blended rock and rap, and featured intricate wordplay between the three members.[4][5] After leaving Def Jam and signing with Capitol Records, they released their second album, Paul's Boutique, in 1989.[3][4] Co-produced with the Dust Brothers, the album's songs are almost entirely composed of samples, aside from the group's vocals.[6] Paul's Boutique marked the group's longtime collaboration with Mario Caldato Jr.[7] Check Your Head (1992) featured instrumentation from all three members and was less sample-heavy than their previous albums.[7] The album was also more diverse, featuring elements of alternative and punk rock.[8] Ill Communication (1994) continued the style of Check Your Head and featured their signature song, "Sabotage".[9] Hello Nasty (1998) featured bombastic beats, samples, and more experimentation than their previous albums.[10] The anthology compilation album, The Sounds of Science (1999), contained previously unreleased songs, B-sides, and greatest hits.[11]

To the 5 Boroughs (2004), their first studio album in six years,[11] marked a return to the style of their early 1990s albums, and featured their signature blend of pop culture references and absurdity.[12] The group's next album, the entirely instrumental The Mix-Up (2007), earned the group a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album in 2008.[13] In 2009, the group announced their next studio album, Hot Sauce Committee, as a two-part album.[14] Pt. 1 was delayed after Yauch was diagnosed with cancer.[15][16] A year later, Pt. 1 was shelved indefinitely.[17] Pt. 2, released as Hot Sauce Committee Part Two (2011), contained experimentation reminiscent of Check Your Head and Hello Nasty, as well as old-school raps that contrasted with contemporary hip-hop trends.[18][19] The album featured guest appearances by Nas and Santigold.[20][21] A year later, on May 4, 2012, Adam Yauch died of cancer.[22] After his death, Diamond and Horovitz disbanded the group out of respect for Yauch.[23]

  1. ^ Barshad, Amos (April 24, 2011). "Rude Boys". New York. p. 2. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  2. ^ Zwickel 2011, pp. 18, 19.
  3. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Beastie Boys – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Beastie Boys Bio". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  5. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Licensed to Ill – Beastie Boys". AllMusic. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  6. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Paul's Boutique – Beastie Boys". AllMusic. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  7. ^ a b Coleman 2007, p. 27.
  8. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Check Your Head – Beastie Boys". AllMusic. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  9. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Ill Communication – Beastie Boys". AllMusic. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  10. ^ Fitzgerald, Trent. "Beastie Boys' 'Hello Nasty' Album Celebrates 15th Anniversary". TheDrop.fm. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  11. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference anthology was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "To the 5 Boroughs – Beastie Boys". AllMusic. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  13. ^ "Beastie Boys". Grammy. May 14, 2017. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  14. ^ Adam Anonymous (June 28, 2009). "Boys will be boys: Beastie Boys talk Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 1". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on July 4, 2009. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  15. ^ Jones, Damian (February 23, 2009). "Beasties promise 'strange' record". BBC News. Archived from the original on October 23, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  16. ^ Fullerton, Jamie (July 20, 2009). "Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch diagnosed with cancer". NME. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  17. ^ "Beastie Boys Reveal Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 Track List". IGN. November 15, 2010. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  18. ^ "Reviews for Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2 by Beastie Boys". Metacritic. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  19. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2 – Beastie Boys". AllMusic. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  20. ^ "Listen: Beastie Boys' Organ-Driven Funk on 'Make Some Noise'". Rolling Stone. April 6, 2011. Archived from the original on October 9, 2013. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  21. ^ "Beastie Boys: Hot Sauce Committee Part Two - review". The Guardian. April 29, 2011. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  22. ^ "Beastie Boys star Adam Yauch dies aged 47". BBC News. May 4, 2012. Archived from the original on May 4, 2012. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  23. ^ "Mike D Says Beastie Boys Won't Be Making Any More Music". Pitchfork. June 2, 2014. Archived from the original on June 4, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2014.