Beastie Boys Biography

Beastie Boys Biography

The Beastie Boys are a hip hop musical group from New York City consisting of Michael "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "MCA" Yauch, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz. The official DJ for the group is Michael "Mix Master Mike" Schwartz.

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-lived hip hop acts and continue to enjoy commercial and critical success in 2007, more than 20 years after the release of their debut album. On September 27, 2007 they were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Beastie Boys came together in 1979 as a punk band called The Young Aborigines.In 1981 Adam Yauch (MCA) joined the group and from the suggestion of their guitarist John Berry, they changed the name to Beastie Boys. The name "Beastie" is sometimes thought to have originally stood for "Boys Entering Anarchistic States Towards Internal Excellence," and that the initials B.B. intended to mimic Washington DC punk band Bad Brains, however these were actually after-thoughts once the band's name was already Beastie Boys, according to Mike D and MCA on the Charlie Rose Show, August 28, 2007.

The band's original line-up consisted of Adam Yauch on bass, Kate Schellenbach on drums, John Berry on guitar, and Michael Diamond (Mike D) on vocals. Their first gig was at Berry's house on Yauch's 17th birthday. The band quickly earned support slots for Bad Brains, the Dead Kennedys, and Reagan Youth 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, an early recorded example of New York hardcore.

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.It became a hit in New York underground dance clubs upon its release.