Beastie Boys

The Beastie Boys are an American hip-hop music group originating from New York City. Its main members are Mike D (real name Michael Diamond), MCA (Adam Yauch) and Adrock (Adam Horovitz), but several other musicians have played with the group for a long time.

Influence

The Beastie Boys rated #11 on VH1's list of greatest hip hop artists. They were certainly the first white rappers of any significance, paving the way for others such as Eminem. Licensed to Ill was the first rap album to reach #1 on the Billboard 200 charts, and together with the success of Run-DMC's Raising Hell album in 1986, marked a breakthrough for rap music. Licensed to Ill was the most successful album released by any rap artist in the 1980s.

Related Topics:
VH1's list of greatest hip hop artists - Eminem

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The Beastie Boys are equally influential in rock music history. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame acknowledged "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)" as one of the 500 most influential tracks in the history of rock music being a major influence on rapcore and incorporation of hip hop into music. The Beastie Boys influence can be seen in many nu metal acts featuring a DJ.

Related Topics:
Rapcore - Nu metal

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The Beastie Boys were leaders in the use of sampling with Paul's Boutique being notable for its effective use of samples. The influence of this album can be seen for example on Beck's 1996 Odelay album (also produced by the Dust Brothers).

Related Topics:
Beck - Odelay - Dust Brothers

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The group is also known for extending hip hop to its fullest potential. Hip hop is based upon incorporating many different cultures into one type of music. The Beastie Boys have recorded rap songs throughout their entire career, but also have recorded punk (first appearing before Licensed to Ill, then resurfacing in Check Your Head through Ill Communication), heavy metal (Check Your Head through Ill Communication), jazz funk (Check Your Head through Hello Nasty) and softly sung, often electronic tracks (Hello Nasty).

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The chart consistency of the Beastie Boys must be acknowledged. Since 1986, they have had four albums reach the top of the Billboard album charts: Licensed to Ill, Ill Communication, Hello Nasty and To The 5 Boroughs. Few, if any, of the Beastie Boys' contemporaries have matched this feat.

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