Beastie Boys are the first New York-based rock band and the first white rap performers who have gained a substantial fan base.It is really great to know that this band was hugely responsible for growing the mainstream audience for rap music all over the world. The formation of the hip hop band Beastie Boys took place in New York City in the year 1981 and they garnered worldwide fame with their albums ‘Licensed To Ill’ and ‘Paul’s Boutique’.Did you know that Horovitz and Jill Cuniff (ex-Luscious Jackson) studied together in school?The group has been formed by Adam Yauch, Michael Diamond (Mike D or Mike Diamond), as well as Adam Horovitz. The band was formed by the members of The Young Aborigines, an experimental hardcore punk band in which Diamond was a vocalist, Kate Schellenbach was the drummer, and Jeremy Shatan and John Berry were guitarists. In 1981, Shatan left the band and was replaced by Yauch on guitar, and since then, the band has been renamed Beastie Boys. After some time, Berry also left the band and Horovitz replaced him. After the death of Adam in 2012, the other two members discontinued the band. Hence, it can be said that the band has been 31 years old from 1981-2012. The Beastie Boys were all born in the mid to late 20th century.As Adam Yauch discovered Tibetan Buddhism, the new music from the band would feature Tibetan monks and would also contribute to the Free Tibet movement. The Dust Brothers (John King and Mike Simpson) are a crucial component of the Beastie Boys’ history. Beastie Boys opened their own record label, Grand Royal Record, which also introduced Sean Lennon and Atari Teenage Riot! Adam Yauch once crashed the stage of the MTV Music Video Awards! Russell Simmons of Def Jam Records also managed Beastie Boys.Read on to know more about DJ Hurricane, Ian Rogers, Mike D, Joseph Simmons, Ad-Rock Rick Rubin, and their relation with the band. Afterward, also check Christmas music facts and Brazilian music facts.Musical Fashion And LegacyBeastie Boys started as a hardcore punk group but later shifted its musical style to rap-rock and hip-hop. The band continued its musical legacy from 1981-2012 and got disbanded after the death of Adam in 2012.The original band had been a hardcore punk group; however, by the time they started working on their first album, the band transitioned its musical fashion with a mixture of punk, hip-hop, electro, funk, Latin music, and funk. Beastie Boys were often labeled as an alternative rock and hip-hop band. Starting from 1981, the musical legacy of the band continued till the death of Adam in 2012; since that year, the band also got disbanded. The rest two band members, Diamond and Horovitz, began releasing numerous retrospective albums, consisting of a documentary movie, as well as a book with details of the history of the band and a career-spanning compilation rap album. Horovitz started acting in small roles in the movies and also continued to play music, whereas Diamond began producing acts such as Portugal, The Man. Beastie Boys has been considered the 12th most influential band by Spine Magazine in 2020.Lawsuits On Beastie BoysBeastie Boys faced lawsuits in the different sampling cases in 1989, as well as in 2003.In 1989, Beastie Boys has been accused of violating copyright law for using unsanctioned samples during the recording of their second album, ‘Paul’s Boutique’. TufAmerica filed the case against the band in 2012, just one day before the death of Adam. However, the attempt by TufAmerica for suing the band for using their samples failed.It is because the judge found that TufAmerica does not have an exclusive license to the copyrights of the samples, and it has only the right for suing the band on the behalf of the original musicians. The original samples were from the songs ‘Say What’ and ‘Let’s Get Small’ by another music band, Trouble Funk. For bringing a lawsuit against Beastie Boys, TufAmerica must have permission from all the members of the band, Trouble Funk, which it did not have. So, TufAmerica failed to sue Beastie Boys in the copyright case.In 2003, the band has been involved in a breakthrough sampling case, Newton Vs. Diamond. In this case, the band was accused by James Newton of copyright infringement of his song. The federal judge gave the decision that Beastie Boys were not legally responsible for sampling the song ‘Choir’ on their album, ‘Pass the Mic’. ‘Choir’ was sung by Newton. Beastie Boys used only a six-second flute part in their song. Briefly, to say, the sample was cleared by the band and got the rights for only using the sound recording of the song. Hence, the band partially won the case.Band MembersThere were three band members of Beastie Boys who were the founding members of the band.The group has been formed by three members. The first member of the band was Michael Diamond or Mike D who has been a drummer and a vocalist for the band. The second member of the band was Adam Yauch or MCA who has been a bass guitarist and also a vocalist. In his name, MCA stands for ‘Emcee Adam’ who is a Master of Ceremonies. The third member of the band was Adam Horovitz or ‘Ad-Rock’ who has been a guitarist, vocalist, and programmer of the band.Disco TraditionThe discography of the band, Beastie Boys includes eight studio albums, five video albums, four compilation albums, 40 singles, 44 music videos, and seven extended plays.The disco tradition of Beastie Boys lasted for 31 long years from 1981-2012. After accomplishing local success with their hip-hop single ‘Cooky Puss’ in 1983, the band made a complete shift to hip-hop. In 1985, they traveled around with Madonna and after one year, in 1986, their first album ‘Licensed to Ill’ was been released which was the first rap album that reached the top of the Billboard 200 list. In 1989, they released their next album ‘Paul’s Boutique’ which was composed of nearly complete samples, which became a commercial failure; however, later it was critically acclaimed.Consequently, from 1992-2011, six albums by Beastie Boys were released that received mainstream success. The band sold 20 million record-selling albums in the USA and from 1986-2004, and the band sold seven platinum-selling albums. In 1991, Beastie Boys became the biggest-selling rap band after Billboard started selling records. Beastie Boys became the third rap band in 2012 after its inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In that year, Adam died of parotid cancer and the band has since been split.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Beastie Boys facts, then why not take a look at Antonio Vivaldi facts, or Alice Cooper facts?
Beastie Boys are the first New York-based rock band and the first white rap performers who have gained a substantial fan base.
