Beastie Boys Biography

Beastie Boys are a trio of white rebel teenagers turned amateur rappers who became known as legends of the hip-hop scene.

Early Formation

The middle-class Jewish boys from New York were Mike D or Mike Diamond, MCA or Adam Yauch and Ad-Rock or Adam Horovitz. They were part of the underground punk community in the 80s. Beginning as a punk group, they reinvented and turned to rap in 1983 with the release of the record Cookie Puss.

Career Beginnings

The following year, with the help of new label founder Rick Rubin, the trio was signed to Def Jam Records in 1985. She’s on It a song that sampled AC/DC’s Back in Black was a hit. They were soon opening for acts like Madonna but were not received well due to their vulgar lyrics.

Success

Licensed to Ill their official debut album was released in 1986. Although panned by critics as obnoxious it became Columbia Records’ fastest-selling debut album. In addition, it became the best-selling rap album of the 80s. The rap group was attacked by hip-hop fans because of the white-washing of hip-hop music and from conservatives who thought their lyrics and performances were too violent and sexist. After an unfortunate lawsuit with Def Jam, the Beastie Boys relocated to California and signed to Capitol Records. With the help of production the Dust Brothers, they re-emerged with the retro-funk and pop-referenced second album Paul’s Boutique. The album was received poorly commercially but would later become a cultural piece of art. As a result of the lack of success, they founded their own label, Grand Royal and released the LP Check Your Head. It introduced Beasties Boys back into the charts with top ten hits like Jimmy James, Pass the Mic, and So Whatcha Want. 

Breakthrough

Ill Communication was issued in 1994, debuting at number 1. Singles like Sabotage and Sure Shot catapulted the album to double-platinum certifications. Along with the Smashing Pumpkins, Beastie Boys co-headlined the 4th Lollapalooza festival. In the following years, the group would focus on their label’s growth and on their music. In 1996 the hardcore EP Aglio e Olio plus the soul-jazz and funk LP The In Sound from Way Out!.  Hello Nasty the full-length record arrived in 1998 and became their third chart-topping album.

Yauch’s Death

After a long break, the Beastie Boys made a comeback with To the 5 Boroughs in 2004. Two years later the trio released a concert film titled Awesome: I Fuckin’ Shot That!. In 2007, The Mix-Up, a new album got the band a Grammy award. Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 1 was due for release in 2009, however, it got delayed due to Adam Yauch’s cancer diagnosis. After a radiation treatment, he and the other 2 members finally released their latest rap effort as Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2 in 2011. After a successful 2011, Adam Yauch died in 2012. Mike D and Horovitz claimed that in respect for Yauch they would never perform under the Beastie Boys name again.

Photo credit: Billboard