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Beastie Boys
artist

Beastie Boys

Beastie Boys is a hip-hop artist from United States formed in 1979. 72 releases are catalogued on Riffiter.

Hip-Hop · United States · Best hip-hop albums

4.3 /5
14 ratings
72
Releases
1982–2024
Active years
1979
Formed

Discography

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Hello Nasty cover3.5

Most popular

Hello Nasty

1998 · 22 tracks

Singles & EPs

51

Live & compilations

5

Videos

4

Collaborators

4

Community

More about Beastie Boys

Honors

7
  • MTV Video Music Awards

    ×2

    MTV Video Music Awards

    • 1999 · Best Hip-Hop Video
    • — · Best Direction
  • Grammy Awards

    ×2

    Grammy Awards

    • 1999 · Best Alternative Music Album
    • 1999 · Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
  • Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

    ×1

    Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

    • 2012
  • Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award

    ×1

    Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award

    • 1998
  • MTV Europe Music Awards

    ×1

    MTV Europe Music Awards

    • 1998 · Best Hip-Hop

Award data from Wikidata; photos via Wikimedia Commons — click a photo for its author and license.

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About

Beastie Boys is an American hip hop band from New York City, formed in 1979. For the majority of its career, the group has consisted of three MCs and musicians Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass) and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar). Originally formed as a four-piece hardcore punk band in 1979 by Michael Diamond (vocals), John Berry (guitar), Adam Yauch (bass) and Kate Schellenbach (drums), the band appeared on the compilation cassette New York Thrash, before recording their first EP Polly Wog Stew, in 1982. After achieving moderate local success with the 1983 experimental hip hop 12-inch "Cooky Puss", the group transitioned to hip hop in 1984 and released a string of successful 12-inch singles. The Beastie Boys toured with Madonna in 1985 and a year later released their debut album Licensed to Ill. The group sold 22 million albums in the United States and 40 million albums worldwide, making them, according to Billboard, "the biggest-selling rap group" since 1991.

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With seven platinum or better albums from 1986-2004, the Beastie Boys were one of the longest-lived hip hop acts worldwide, and they continued to enjoy commercial and critical success more than 25 years after Licensed to Ill. In 2009, the group released digitally remastered deluxe editions of their albums Paul's Boutique, Check Your Head, Ill Communication and Hello Nasty. Their eighth studio album, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, was released in 2011, and received positive reviews. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2012, "just the third rap group to enter the Hall, after Run-D.M.C. (2009) and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five (2007)." The following month, MCA died of cancer of the parotid salivary gland, which led to the speculation that the other members may decide to disband the group.

Beastie Boys in brief

How many Beastie Boys releases are on Riffiter?
72 releases are catalogued, spanning 1982 to 2024.
When was Beastie Boys formed?
Beastie Boys formed in 1979, in United States.
What genre is Beastie Boys?
Beastie Boys is catalogued under Hip-Hop.
What is the most recent Beastie Boys release on Riffiter?
Alive, released in 2024.
What awards has Beastie Boys won?
Beastie Boys has 7 award wins on record, including MTV Video Music Awards (2×), Grammy Awards (2×), Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1×).

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