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Beastie Boys is a Hip Hop musical group from New York City , consisting of Michael "Mike D" Diamond , Adam "MCA" Yauch and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz . They started out as a Punk Rock group in 1979 and have, since their switch to Hip Hop and release of their debut album '' Licensed To Ill '' (1986), enjoyed international critical acclaim and commercial success. They are well-known for their eclecticism, jocular and flippant attitude toward interviews and interviewers, obscure cultural references and kitschy lyrics, and performing in outlandish matching suits. They are one of the longest living hip hop acts and continue to enjoy commercial and critical success in 2007 , more than 20 years after the release of their debut album. The three main members of the Beastie Boys are of Jewish heritage.1 HISTORY Early days: 1979-1983 Beastie Boys came together in 1979 as a punk band called The Young Aborigines.2 In at venues such as CBGB and Max's Kansas City , playing at the latter venue on its closing night. That same year, the Beastie Boys recorded the 7" EP '' Pollywog Stew '' at 171A studios. John Berry left the group (later forming Thwig) and was replaced by Adam Horovitz (Ad-rock)—who had previously played in the punk band, The Young And The Useless in 1983. The band also performed its first rap track, '' Cooky Puss ,'' based on a prank call by the group to Carvel Ice Cream . The song became a hit in New York underground Dance Club s upon its release. ''Licensed to Ill'': 1984–1987 It was during this period that Def Jam record producer Rick Rubin entered the picture and the Beastie Boys changed from a punk rock outfit to a three-man Rap crew. The band released the 12" single, '' Rock Hard '', in 1984—the second record released by Def Jam that credited Rubin as producer. Soon after Rubin's arrival, Schellenbach developed creative differences with the band, citing her friction with Rubin. It was believed that Rubin objected to Schellenbach's place in the band as she did not fit the hip hop image to which the band aspired. Schellenbach went on to join Luscious Jackson in 1991. In 1985, the band supported Madonna on her North American ''Virgin'' tour. Later in the year, the group was on the ''Raising Hell'' tour with Run DMC , Whodini , LL Cool J , and the Timex Social Club . With their exposure on this tour, the track "Hold It Now, Hit It" made Billboard's national R&B and Dance charts. The track "She's on It" from the '' Krush Groove '' soundtrack continued in a rap/metal vein while a double A-side 12", " Paul Revere /The New Style," was released at the end of the year. The band recorded '' Licensed To Ill '' in 1986 and released the album at the end of the year. It was a smash success, becoming the best selling rap album of the 1980s and the first rap album to go #1 on the Billboard album chart, where it stayed for five weeks. It also reached #2 on the Urban album charts. It was Columbia Records ' fastest selling debut record to date and sold over five million copies. The first single from the album, " Fight For Your Right ," () reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 , and the video (directed by Ric Menello) became an MTV staple. The band took the ''Licensed to Ill'' tour around the world the following year. Opening acts, at least in Dayton Ohio's Hara Arena, included Fishbone and Murphy's Law. It was a tour clouded in controversy featuring female members of the crowd dancing in cages and a giant motorized inflatable Penis similar to one used by The Rolling Stones in the 1970s . The tour was troubled by lawsuits and arrests, with the band accused of provoking the crowd. In the United Kingdom , alleged insults supposedly aimed at Leukemia victims almost resulted in the band being kicked out of the country—though the Beastie Boys maintain that the incident was an exaggeration of actual events resulting when the band politely declined to sign an autograph. After the success of ''Licensed to Ill'', the Beasties parted ways with Def Jam and ended their relationship with Rick Rubin to sign with Capitol Records . A bootleg album featuring original demos of all the tracks from the final version of ''Licensed to Ill'' plus removed track "The Scenario" was released entitled "Original Ill" (also known as licensed to ill def jam master demos) in 1998. ''Paul's Boutique''/''Check Your Head'': 1988–1992 The group matured with their second album, '' Paul's Boutique '', produced by the Dust Brothers and Matt Dike. Recorded in 1988 , this extremely Sample -heavy opus is still considered one of the strongest works by the Beasties. It is also considered a landmark in hip hop recordings due to its intricate use of multi-layering {Link without Title} and large array of samples. The album was released in 1989 by Capitol Records, after the falling out between the Boys and Def Jam. It failed to match the sales of ''Licensed to Ill,'' reaching #14 on the Billboard 200 and #10 on the Billboard R&B charts. The lead single, " Hey Ladies ", reached #36 on the Billboard 100 and #10 on the R&B charts. '' Rolling Stone '' would describe the album as "the '' Pet Sounds ''/'' Dark Side Of The Moon '' of hip hop." ''Paul's Boutique'' would eventually sell a million albums, despite the initially weak commercial reception. The follow-up album, '' Check Your Head '', was recorded in the band's own "G-Son" studio in Atwater Village, California and released on its Grand Royal record label. The band played the instruments on this album, with Mike D on drums, Yauch on bass, Horovitz on guitar and Mark Ramos Nishita (" Keyboard Money Mark ") on keyboards. Mario Caldato Jr. ("Mario C") engineered the record and would become a longtime collaborator. ''Check Your Head'' was released in 1992 and went double platinum in the U.S., reaching a peak of #10 on the Billboard 200. The single "So What'cha Want" reached #93 on the Billboard 100 and made both the urban and modern rock charts while the album's first single "Pass the Mic" became a hit in dance clubs. The album also introduced a more experimental direction, with funk and jazz inspired songs including "Lighten Up" and "Something's Got To Give". Hardcore punk even made its reappearance with "Time For Livin'". The Beastie Boys signed an eclectic roster of artists to the Grand Royal label including Luscious Jackson , Sean Lennon and promising Australian artist Ben Lee . The Beastie Boys owned Grand Royal Records until 2001 when it was then sold for financial reasons. Grand Royal's first independent release was Luscious Jackson's album '' In Search Of Manny '' in 1993. The Beastie Boys also published ''Grand Royal Magazine'', with the first edition in 1993 featuring a cover story on their name. ''Ill Communication'': 1993–1996 '' Ill Communication '', released in 1994, saw the Beastie Boys' return to the top of the charts when the album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 & peaked at #2 on the R&B/ hip hop album chart. The single " Sabotage " () became a hit on the Modern Rock charts and the music video, directed by Spike Jonze , received extensive play on MTV . "Get It Together" reached Top 10 of the Billboard dance charts and also became an urban hit while "Sure Shot" was a dance hit. '' Some Old Bullshit '', featuring the band's early independent material, made #50 on the Billboard independent charts. The Beastie Boys headlined at Lollapalooza —an American travelling music festival—in 1994 , together with The Smashing Pumpkins . In addition, the band performed three concerts (in Los Angeles , New York City , and Washington D.C. ) to raise money for the Milarepa Fund and dedicated the Royalties from "Shambala" and "Bodhisattva Vow" from the ''Ill Communication'' album to the cause. The Milarepa Fund aims to raise awareness of Tibet an Human Rights issues and the exile of The Dalai Lama . In 1996 , Yauch organized the Tibetan Freedom Concert , a two-day festival at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco that attracted 100,000 people. In 1995 , the popularity of the Beastie Boys was underlined when tickets for an arena tour went on sale in the U.S. and sold out within a few minutes. One dollar from each ticket sold went to local charities. The Beastie Boys toured South America and Southeast Asia for the first time. The band also released ''Aglio e Olio'', a collection of eight songs lasting for just eleven minutes harking back to their punk roots, in 1995. ''The In Sound From Way Out!'', a collection of previously released Jazz / Funk instrumentals, was released on Grand Royal in 1996 with the title and artwork an homage to an album by electronic pop music pioneers Perrey And Kingsley . ''Hello Nasty'': 1998–2001 The Beastie Boys returned to New York City in 1997 to produce and record the album '' Hello Nasty ''. The album displayed a substantial shift in musical feel, with the departure of DJ Hurricane . He was replaced by Mix Master Mike , who added to the Beasties' sound with his kinetic DJ style. Released July 14 , 1998 , ''Hello Nasty'' clocked first week sales of nearly 700,000 in the U.S. and went straight to #1 in the U.S., the UK, Germany, Australia, The Netherlands, New Zealand, and Sweden. The album achieved #2 rank in the charts in Canada and Japan, and was in the Top Ten in Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, Belgium, Finland, France, and Israel. During 1998, rumors, seemingly generated by comments from the band, pointed to a possibility that they were to release a country album. Both Michael Diamond and Adam Yauch are credited with interview comments that piqued interest in whether or not an album would be released. Since they had long been notorious for pranking the media it was difficult for anyone to take these comments seriously until tracks became available, most notably on '' The Sounds Of Science '' anthology album. Adam Yauch published the following in the liner notes; "At some point after ''Ill Communication'' came out, Mike got hit in the head by a large foreign object and lost all of his memory. As it started coming back he believed he was a country singer named Country Mike. The psychologists told us that if we didn't play along with Mike's fantasy, he would be in grave danger. Finally he came back to his senses. These songs are just a few of many we made during that tragic period of time". How much is fact or fiction is difficult to determine, but when the album surfaced on eBay fans scrambled to get their hands on what had proven to be a rare album. The Beastie Boys won two Grammy Awards In 1999 , receiving the Grammy Award For Best Alternative Music Album for ''Hello Nasty'' as well as the Grammy Award For Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group for "Intergalactic". This was the first, and as of 2005, the only time that a band has won awards in both rap and alternative categories. Also at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards ( VMA ) they won the highly coveted Video Vanguard Award for their contribution to music videos. The following year at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards they also won the award for Best Hip Hop Video for their hit song " Intergalactic ". The Beastie Boys used both appearances at the Video Music Awards to make politically-charged speeches of considerable length to the sizeable MTV audiences. The Beastie Boys started an arena tour in 1998. Through Ian C. Rogers , the band made live downloads of their performances available for their fans but were temporarily thwarted when Capitol Records removed them from its website. The Beastie Boys was one of the first bands who made mp3 downloads available on their website; they got a high level of response and public awareness as a result including a published article in The Wall Street Journal on the band's efforts. The 1999 Tibetan Freedom Concerts featured shows in East Troy, Wisconsin , Sydney , Tokyo , and Amsterdam . On 28 September 1999 , the Beastie Boys joined Elvis Costello to play "Radio, Radio" on the 25th anniversary of '' Saturday Night Live ''. The Beastie Boys released '' The Sounds Of Science '', a two-CD anthology of their works in 1999. This album reached #19 on the Billboard 200, #18 in Canada, #6 on the Internet sales charts, and #14 on the R&B/Hip Hop charts. The one new song, the single "Alive", reached #11 on the Billboard's Modern Rock chart. In the years following the release of Hello Nasty the group launched their official website which underwent several transformations eventually culminating in one of the most popular recording artist related websites on the internet. In 2000 , the Beastie Boys had planned to headline the "Rhyme and Reason" tour with Rage Against The Machine , but the tour was canceled when drummer Mike D suffered a serious injury due to a bicycle accident. The official diagnosis was fifth degree Acromioclavicular Joint Dislocation ; he needed surgery and extensive rehabilitation. By the time he recovered, Rage Against the Machine had disbanded. Under the name "Country Mike," Mike D recorded an album, '' Country Mike's Greatest Hits '', and gave it to friends and family for Christmas 2000. Adam "Ad-rock" Horovitz's side project BS 2000 released '' Simply Mortified '' in 2001. ''To the 5 Boroughs'': 2002–2006 The band increased its level of political activism after the September 11th Terrorist Attacks In 2001 , organizing and headlining the New Yorkers Against Violence Concert in October 2001. Funds from the concert went towards the New York Women's Foundation Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Association For New Americans (NYANA) . In 2002, the Beastie Boys started building a new studio facility, ''Oscilloscope'', in downtown Manhattan, New York and started work on a new album. The band released a Protest Song , "In A World Gone Mad", against the 2003 Iraq War as a free download on several websites, including the Milarepa website, the MTV website, MoveOn.org , and Win Without War . It became the most downloaded track during April 2003. The 19th and 20th Tibetan Freedom Concerts were held in Tokyo and Taipei, the Beastie Boys' first Taiwan appearance. Beastie Boys also headlined the Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival . Their single, "Ch-Check It Out," debuted on The O.C. in "The Vegas" episode from Season 1 which aired April 28 , 2004 . '' To The 5 Boroughs '' was released worldwide on June 15 , 2004 . It was the first album the Beastie Boys produced themselves and reached #1 on the Billboard album charts, #2 in the UK and Australia, and #3 in Germany. The first single from the album, " Ch-Check It Out ", reached #1 in Canada and the US Modern Rock Tracks , #2 on the world internet download charts, and #3 on a composite world modern rock chart. The album was the cause of some controversy with allegations that it installed copy protection software installed on European copies of the album, this is standard practice for all European releases on EMI /Capitol Records released in Europe, and it does not install spyware or any form of permanent software. The band stated in mid-2006 that they were writing material for their next album and would be producing it themselves. {Link without Title} {Link without Title} ''The Mix-Up'': 2007–Present Speaking to British music weekly , 2007 , this was further cemented by an e-mail {Link without Title} sent to those on the Beastie Boys' mailing list - explicitly stating that the album will be all instrumental: The band subsequently confirmed this in public, playing several tracks from the album at the 2007 Virgin Festival at Pimlico Racetrack outside of Baltimore , Maryland . To support the release, a string of live dates have been announced that focus on festivals as opposed to a traditional tour, including the likes of ). The Beastie Boys performed at the UK Leg of Live Earth July 7 , 2007 at Wembley Stadium , London with Sabotage , So What'cha Want , Intergalactic , and Sure Shot .[http://liveearth.msn.com/artists/beastieboys They are working with Reverb , a non-profit Environmental organization, for their 2007 summer tour.http://www.reverbrock.org/site/ AS A BAND Ever since their early days as a Hardcore band, the Beastie Boys have continued creating instrumental music in addition to the rap music for which they're most well-known. Their music ranges over many disparate genres, from punk rock and hardcore to Funk and Bossa Nova . Such songs have been interspersed among the rap tracks on some of their major albums and have also been released in such collections as '' Aglio E Olio '' and '' The In Sound From Way Out! ''. The most common band setup features Mike D playing Drums , Ad-Rock on Guitar , and MCA on Bass . According to the band, listening to funk music from the 70's that served as samples for Paul's Boutique (particularly The Meters ) inspired them to start playing instruments again for Check Your Head. INFLUENCE The Beastie Boys are equally influential in rock and hip hop music history. Their blending of hip hop and punk rock genres could be seen as a precursor to the Rapcore and Nu Metal genres of the late 1990s which included bands such as Limp Bizkit and Korn . However, in their 1999 single ''Alive'' (taken from '' The Sounds Of Science '') Ad Rock distances the group from this genre through the line; "Created a monster with these rhymes I write, goatee metal rap please say goodnight". The band was also a leader in the use of sampling techniques, with ''Paul's Boutique'' being notable for its effective use of samples. The influence of this album can be seen on Beck's 1996 '' Odelay '' album (produced by the Dust Brothers , who also produced ''Paul's Boutique''). The Dust Brothers also sampled "So What'cha Want" on the song " E-Pro " from Beck's 2005 '' Guero '' album. The Beastie Boys have had four albums reach the top of the Billboard album charts ('' Licensed To Ill '', '' Ill Communication '', '' Hello Nasty '' and '' To The 5 Boroughs '') since 1986. A controversial concert in Columbus, Georgia in 1987 led to the passage of a lewdness ordinance in that city. {Link without Title} In their November 2004 issue, Rolling Stone Magazine named "Sabotage" the 475th song on their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.3 In their April 2005, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked them #77 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time .4 Sal Governale , a comedian on the staff of the Howard Stern Show , indicated on air on July 25, 2007, that he was the president of the Beastie Boys fan club in the 1980's on the Prodigy computer network.http://www.howardstern.com/rundown.hs. CULTURAL REFERENCES
:Fry: Back in the 20th century, I had all five of your albums. : Adam Horovitz : That was a ''thousand'' years ago! Now we got seven. :Fry: Cool. Can I borrow the new ones? And a couple of blank tapes?'' :Nevertheless, in " Hell Is Other Robots ", Mike D and Ad-rock provide the voices for themselves (though their characters were portrayed as heads preserved in jars). Additionally, the viewer is treated to a humorously "live" performance of "Intergalactic" (quite obviously the album version). Fry, Bender and Leela enter the mosh pit for "Super Disco Breakin'" and the concert ends with a harmonised, A Cappella version of "Sabotage". The Ending Credits also featured King Ad-Rock and Mike D performing a Shout Out to the show's characters over a remixed version of the ''Futurama'' Theme Song .
SAMPLING LAWSUIT In 2003, Beastie Boys were involved in the landmark sampling decision, ''Newton v. Diamond''. In that case, a federal judge ruled that the band was not liable for sampling James Newton 's "Choir" in their track, "Pass the Mic". The sample used is the six-second flute stab used in the song. In short, the Beasties cleared the sample but only obtained the rights to use the sound recording and not the composition rights to the song "Choir". In the decision, the judge found that "when viewed in relation to Newton's composition as a whole, the sampled portion is neither quantitatively nor qualitatively significant... Because Beastie Boys' use of the sound recording was authorized, the sole basis of Newton's infringement action is his remaining copyright interest in the 'Choir' composition. We hold today that Beastie Boys' use of a brief segment of that composition, consisting of three notes separated by a half-step over a background C note, is not sufficient to sustain a claim for copyright infringement." {Link without Title} BAND MEMBERS Regular members (as of 2005):
Other contributing members:
DISCOGRAPHY Albums
Compilations
Mixtapes
EPs
Singles Unreleased discography The 1987 Run-DMC film '' Tougher Than Leather '' features a live performance of an unreleased song titled "Desperado". The 1990 film '' Pump Up The Volume '' also includes an unreleased track, "The Scenario", supposedly excluded from ''Licensed To Ill'' for being too explicit. The song is not included on the Film Soundtrack but can be heard briefly. The song is available via bootlegs though, such as "Original Ill" (which also features the unreleased beatles cover "I'm Down" and demos of all the ''Licensed To Ill'' tracks.) Videography In addition to the above releases, The Criterion Collection issued a promotional DVD single of "Intergalactic" in 2000. There have also been some other promotional VHS and DVDs released by Capitol over the years, most notably the ''The Hiatus is Back Off, Again'' DVD, released in the lead up to the release of '' To The 5 Boroughs ''. REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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