Rap music has been an evolving and forever changing genre of music. Throughout its time there have been hundreds upon thousands of artists stepping to the scene, but only a handful rising to stardom. In this series, we cover our favorite artists throughout each rap generation.
The Beastie Boys
In 1981, out of New York City rose the rap group composing of Michal Diamond, Adam Yauch, and Adam Horovits. You may better know these three as Mike D, MCA, and Ad-Rock respectively. Each member had their own flare within the vocals, but they also played an instrument as if they were a band. This is not something we see or hear of in modern groups or even with solo artists. Mike D was the lead vocalists, while MCA slapped the bass and Ad-Rock strummed the guitar. I chose The Beastie Boys because I grew up loving the funky beats and storylines within the music.
The Origin of The Beastie Boys
At first glance they may not seem like your typical 80's rap group, that's because at first, they weren't.
The Young Aborigines were a hardcore punk group consisting of Mike D, MCA, John Berry, and Kate Schellenback. Their first EP was titled Polly Wog Stew had a few songs make it to NYC highlight tapes. After a small career and a few member changes, we ended up with the crew we know today, thanks to their experimental hip hop track "Cookie Puss". This began the start of the rap career for The Beastie Boys.
The Career of The Beastie Boys
A big buzz was going on around this rap crew, large enough that in 1985 they toured with Madonna and soon after the tour, released their first studio album, Licensed to Ill. This was followed up by 7 more studio albums, all leading to great success. So much so that The Beastie Boys are the greatest selling rap group, unofficially. Billboard only started tracking their sales in 1991. In 2012, they became the first rap group inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with 26 million records sold in the U.S alone.
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