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Brooklyn's true original hip hop sons The Beastie Boys are one of the few bands to have weathered the rap movement and come out intact and on top. The all-white combo of MCA (Adam Yauch,) Mike D (Michael Diamond) and Ad-rock (Adam Horovitz) were originally a hardcore rock act with a female bass player. But they were quick to embrace the rebel spirit of their neighborhood's rap culture and started experimenting with beats and rhymes. After recording their first rap track, "Cooky Puss," they caught the attention of the budding Def Jam records and ace producer Rick Rubin. After losing the bass and fully embracing hip hop, the ill boys opened for the trend-spotting Madonna in 1985, then went on to tour with Run DMC and LL Cool Jfor the historic Raising Hell tour. Like early punk rock, early hip hop was about a similar mind set expressing their ideas in different styles and the Beasties got away with being a bunch of nasal white boys cleverly rhyming about the stoopid life on an all black tour bill. Their first full-length album, Licensed to Ill, was the first rap record to hit #1 on Billboard, and also the best selling rap album of the 80's. The record saw The Beasties reveling in clever but immature rhymes and exploits and their supporting tour, with Public Enemy, was dogged by arrests, protests and general chaos. Which is why their second effort, Paul's Boutique, came as a mature surprise. Critically embraced as a hip hop masterpiece, the disc was produced by The Dust Brothers and features pioneering use of samples that probably couldn't be cleared today. The Beastie Boys haven't had a flop album since, each new recording being embraced by fans and reviewers alike. They've also come of age as individuals, and you'll find the same kids who allegedly dissed UK Leukemia patients in the 80's heading up the Free Tibet concerts and rocking other PC causes today.

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