Beastie Boys

Year:
2012
Inducted by:
Chuck D (Public Enemy) & LL Cool J
Category:
Performers

Michael 'Mike D' Diamond
Adam 'MCA' Yauch
Adam 'Adrock' Horovitz

Introduction

Although the Beastie Boys first found fame as a rude 'n' crude party band, the hip-hop pioneers eventually settled into a more conscious groove driven by clever wordplay, inventive genre splicing and elaborate videos.

Still, the New York trio weren't afraid to evolve or experiment—in fact, each one of their albums sounded different—and they became known as vocal supporters of social causes and global issues.

Chuck D and LL Cool J Induct Beastie Boys

Chuck D of Public Enemy and LL Cool J Induct Beastie Boys at the 2012 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Chuck D and LL Cool J Induct Beastie Boys

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Beastie Boys Acceptance Speeches

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Beastie Boys medley performance

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Hall of Fame Essay

2012

Alan Light

The Beastie Boys altered the direction of popular music at least three times, and lived to tell the tale.

Their 1986 debut album, Licensed to III, was the first hip-hop album to reach Number One on the charts, and did more than any other recording to introduce the genre to the suburban masses. Paul’s Boutique, the 1989 follow-up, is generally considered the pinnacle of hip-hop’s golden era of sampling, and is still viewed as one of the finest rap albums ever made.

The Beasties’ third album, 1992’s Check Your Head, solidified a truce between the worlds of hip-hop and alternative rock, creating a kind of global hipster coalition that cast a decade-long shadow.