BEASTIE BOYS

LICENSED TO ILL  (1986)

Three Jewish kids from Brooklyn could never be one of hip-hop's major acts, not a chance. Yet even though it almost seemed as if they were a novelty act, Mike "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "MCA" Yauch and Adam "Ad Rock" Horovitz have become a staple in the hip-hop scene since their debut record, Licensed to Ill, was released in 1986. Def Jam producer Rick Rubin discovered this "punk band" and molded them into something they weren't: marketable. He took their strange brand of rock/rap and perfected it.

I first saw the Beastie Boys in 1985 when they opened for Madonna (for the record, I was with a girlfriend). Strange billing, right? I didn't really know what to think of the Boys' loud 40-minute set, but, looking back now, it seems like the first step for hip-hop in white America. With the release of their now classic video, "Fight For Your Right," they became a household name.

"Rhymin' and Stealin'" had a metal vibe, and "She's Crafty" even sampled a little band named Led Zeppelin. "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" was a guitar-driven single that received a little attention on FM radio. Same goes for "Hold It Now, Hit It." It was rap music, but for its time it was amazingly complicated. It sounded like nothing I had ever heard before, and it rocked just enough that I couldn't hate it.

Other great tracks on this album include "Slow Ride" (complete with a great mix of War's "Low Rider") and the familiar "Brass Monkey." The Beastie Boys chose their samples with the care, picking loops from artists like Aerosmith, Kurtis Blow, Black Sabbath and the Clash. Licensed to Ill was a heck of a debut for a band that has since released over 10 studio albums while collaborating with some of the best hip-hop artists of all time. Their latest release, the excellent The Mix Up, was released a few months ago. (Dennis Donahue)