‘Licensed to Ill is a generational classic that is 364 days younger than me. It is no wonder it and Beastie Boys have always been in my life, and I am confident they always will.’
-Broc Nelson
Release date: November 15, 1986 | Def Jam/Columbia | Facebook | Twitter | Website
Hey y’all, it’s David filling it for this ASIR. Would you believe me if I said Licensed to Ill is Beastie Boys‘ worst album? Even still, with all the hits it produced and careers stoked and launched, it’s an incredibly important cultural touchstone for hip-hop. They only improved from there throughout the ’90s and into the aughts. I talk about all that and more in my EINthology covering the trio’s work. This is the origin of the best hip-hop group of all time. RIP MCA.
Broc Nelson
KICK IT!
Beastie Boys have been a ubiquitous presence in my life. The very first CD I purchased with my own money, allowance saved for a couple of weeks spent immediately at Sam Goody, was Hello Nasty, which remains my favorite Beastie Boys album. I loved their video for “Intergalactic” and had to hear more. Beyond that, their epic video for “Sabotage” was still getting regular airplay at the time. That song would later become the entrance music for the improv troupe I was with the longest. I have no idea how many times I ran onstage to that classic bassline. “Beastie Rap” is also an improv game I have played many times that involves setting up your fellow performers to fill in the rhyme in a rotating freestyle that continues a story between each player. Not every performer could spit even rudimentary bars, making the game notoriously hard under the pressure of stage lights and onlookers An ex-coworker two times over and longtime friend was also an avid Beastie Boys fan and a few years my senior. He showed me the Beasties’ earlier work. When To The 5 Burroughs came out, I again rushed to by the CD.
Much of this is probably familiar territory to many people (ok, maybe not the improv). Throw a handful of peanuts in any local dive bar with people between 30 and 50 and you’re likely to hit a handful of Beastie Boys fans. They are a fucking institution, a pillar of hip hop with crossover appeal. This started for Mike D, MCA, and Ad-Rock because of their most ubiquitous song, “Fight For Your Right” from 1986’s Licensed to Ill. By nature of their own caucasity, the three energetic young Manhattan-ites transitioned from a hardcore punk band into one of the most famous hip-hop groups of all time.
Their blend of playful humor and rock-inspired beats and sleaziness made hip-hop feel safe to suburban white people, while their endorsement from RUN-DMC and innovation gave them some real hip-hop cred. Licensed to Ill became the first hip-hop album to hit #1 the Billboard Top 200, however it remains one of my least favorite Beastie Boys albums due to a few lyrics that haven’t aged well, including the cringey “Girls”. Despite this, Licensed to Ill is still an undeniable classic.
“Fight For Your Right” still makes me want to slam a beer or seven and flip off a cop. “Paul Revere” is the earliest hip-hop song I can think of that uses a low, reversed bass in its beat, paving the way for The Low End Theory’s famously heavy bass. “Brass Monkey” (even with its own cringey lyrics) is another classic party song that lead to at least one day drinking session of the namesake beverage. “No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn” has become a mandatory expression whenever the driver on a late-night road trip complains of sleepiness. There is a lot to love, here. Their use of samples was also innovative, mixing Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and more into their beats.
Importantly, nobody at the time, or really since, has ever sounded like Beastie Boys’ Licensed to Ill. Joey Valance & Brae do a great job of paying homage to the Beasties, but they have never been as punk sounding as this album. Paris Texas have, but they don’t have the same bravado and brashness. Besides inspiring future artists, it also established the distinctive sound and experimentation of Beastie Boys whose later output remained forward thinking, cementing them as one of hip-hop’s most consistent innovators. Licensed to Ill is a generational classic that is 364 days younger than me. It is no wonder it and Beastie Boys have always been in my life, and I am confident they always will.
