Beastie Boys

The Beastie Boys are an American hip hop group from New York City: Brooklyn and Manhattan. The main members are Mike D (real name Michael Diamond), MCA (Adam Yauch) and Ad-rock (Adam Horovitz). All three members are of Jewish ancestry. more...

Beastie Boys were the first successful white rap group and one of the few acts from the early days of hip hop that still enjoy major success. Their rock and punk-influenced rap has had a significant impact on artists both in and outside the hip hop scene.

History

The early days

Beastie Boys were formed in 1979 as a punk rock band called The Young Aborigines. In 1981, Adam Yauch (MCA) joined the group and changed the name to Beastie Boys. The name "Beastie" originally stood for "Boys Entering Anarchistic States Towards Inner Excellence," and the initials B.B. intended to mimic Washington DC punk band Bad Brains. The band's original line-up consisted of Adam Yauch on bass, Kate Schellenbach on drums, John Berry on guitar, and Michael Diamond on vocals. Their first gig was at Berry's house on Yauch's 17th birthday. The band quickly earned support slots for Bad Brains 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.

John Berry left the group (later forming Thwig) and was replaced by Horovitz—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 clubs upon its release.

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