In 1979, the hardcore band The Young Aborigenes was formed, consisting of Michael "Mike D" Diamond, Kate Schellenbach, John Berry and Jeremy Shatan, who began playing in New York punk clubs. A few years later, at a Bad Brains concert, Diamond met Adam "MCA" Yauch, a student who played bass with the intention of creating a band: Diamond invited Yauch to participate in his band's auditions and decided to include him in the band in place of the unaware Shatan. The new band Beastie Boys was born.
In 1982, the band released the EP "Polly Wog Stew" with Rat Cage Records. During the same period, the group met Adam "Ad-Rock" Horowitz, lead singer of the punk band The Young and the Useless, who later replaced Berry and joined the Beastie Boys. In 1983, the group recorded their first hip hop track, "Cooky Puss", which anticipated a new EP of the same name. Later, British Airways used a sample of a track from that EP ("Beastie Revolution") without authorization and the group managed to obtain a large refund from the airline.
The very positive response from the public to the EP convinced the group to focus on hip-hop, choosing student Rick Rubin as DJ for their live shows. Shortly after, Rubin founded his own label with Russell Simmons, Def Jam Recordings and called the Beastie Boys to sign them. During this period, drummer Schellenbach was fired from the group and her place was taken by Diamond. In 1984, Beastie Boys released the single "Rock Hard", Rubin's second single for Def Jam, following T La Rock & Jazzy Jay's "It's Yours". The following year, the group supported Madonna on her first concert tour, and in 1986, Beastie Boys opened for Public Image Ltd., headlining Fishbone and Murphy's Law with DJ Hurricane, and later that year taking part in the Raising Hell tour with Run-DMC, Whodini, LL Cool J, and Timex Social Club.
The group's new visibility brings their song "Hold It Now, Hit It" to the rnb and dance charts. The boys also achieve success with "She's on It", a rap metal track used on the Krush Groove (1985) soundtrack, and "Paul Revere / The New Style", a double A-side released at the end of the year. In 1986, the group commits to recording its first studio album and releases it at the end of the year. The original title of the album is "Don't Be a Faggot", but Columbia Records refuses to release it and the label convinces Russell Simmons, head of Def Jam and the group's manager, to force the boys to find another title.
There was a rare astral conjunction in late 1986. Rick Rubin's minimal drum machine meets three white guys who went from hardcore punk to rap: this record was born, peeps still laughing about the stupidity of the title. The three aren't better than the others from a technical point of view, with simple rapping and basic rhyme patterns, but their three different delivery styles form an indissoluble mic chemistry and the resulting energy overflows from the disk. If Rubin's drum machine goes to compose a raw sound that a few years later will be simply dated, the samples drawn by the producer and the rock riffs are always guessed and are fit with the quick and lively, imaginative and humorously evil bars dropped by the group, who creates the best possible rap for audiences unaccustomed to the genre.
This effort sets several records: it's the first rap album to reach the top of the Billboard 200, soon becoming mainstream, favored by its party-punk vibes. Today it's an essential listening, perhaps even more for the legacy it has released compared to its intrinsic value, which remains quite high.
Highlights: "The New Style", "Fight for Your Right", "Paul Revere", "Hold It Now, Hit It".
Rating: 8/10.
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