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Beastie Boys

Musical Group
Forlisteners into hip-hop, rap-rock crossover, funk-driven 90s alternative, sampling nerds, and anyone curious about beastie boys’ classic run and late-career surprises.
14 Reviews 17 Definitions 22 Charts

The Profile

Beastie Boys were an American music group from New York City, best known for blending hip-hop with rock, funk, punk and sample-heavy experimentation across a landmark run of albums from the 1980s through the 2010s.

Publicly verifiable: the group’s core members were Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock), Michael Diamond (Mike D) and Adam Yauch (MCA). Their debut studio album was "Licensed to Ill" (1986). The group formed in New York City, were active from 1981 to 2012, and are widely associated with alternative hip hop and rap rock.

Across these reviews, Beastie Boys come off as genre-hopping New York icons: rap, rock, funk, punk and instrumentals all in the same messy, lovable package. Ill Communication and Paul's Boutique get the most “classic” treatment, while To the 5 Boroughs and The Mix-Up split opinion. The writing keeps circling back to their crossover impact, sampling craft, and the fact they can actually play. Also: videos (Spike Jonze-era mythology) and gigs that convert skeptics into believers.

Who knows Beastie Boys?

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