Beastie Boys facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys live at Virgin Festival, 2007
Background information
Origin	New York City, United States
Genres	Hardcore punk Hip-Hop
Years active	1981 — 2012
Labels	Def Jam, Grand Royal, Capitol
Associated acts	Mix Master Mike Nathaniel Hörnblowér The Dust Brothers DJ Hurricane Rick Rubin BS 2000 Mario C Bad Brains The Young and the Useless Thwig Luscious Jackson
Past members	Mike D Ad-Rock Mix Master Mike John Berry Kate Schellenbach Rick Rubin Doctor Dré DJ Hurricane Adam Yauch

The Beastie Boys were a very popular American rap group. They started in 1981 in New York City. At first, they played punk rock music. The name "Beastie" is said to be a backronym. This means the letters stand for something else. For them, it meant Boys Entering Anarchic States Towards Internal Excellence.

The main members were Michael Diamond (known as Mike D), Adam Horovitz (known as Ad-Rock), and Adam Yauch (known as MCA). They became famous for mixing rap with rock music.

The Beastie Boys' Music

The Beastie Boys released many successful albums. Their most famous ones are Licensed To Ill (1986) and Paul's Boutique (1989).

Licensed To Ill

Licensed To Ill was their very first album. It came out in 1986. This album is known for helping to create a new style of music called "rap rock." This is where rap vocals are combined with rock guitar sounds or drum beats.

Paul's Boutique

Paul's Boutique was released in 1989. This album is famous for its creative use of "samples." Samples are small pieces of music or sounds taken from other songs. The Beastie Boys put these samples together in very interesting and new ways.

Important Members

The Beastie Boys had a few members over the years. The core group that became famous included Mike D, Ad-Rock, and MCA.

Adam Yauch (MCA)

Adam Yauch (MCA) was one of the founding members of the band. He was born in 1964 and passed away in 2012. He was a key part of the group's sound and success.

John Berry

John Berry was an original guitarist for the band. He was born in 1963 and passed away in 2016. He helped start the group in its early punk rock days.

Mix Master Mike

Michael Schwartz (known as Mix Master Mike) joined the group later as their DJ. He added his scratching and mixing skills to their live shows and albums.

Images for kids

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  Beastie Boys logo used around 1985–1987

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  Beastie Boys at Club Citta Kawasaki, Japan, in 1992

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  Beastie Boys at Voodoo in 2004

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  Beastie Boys at Trans Musicales 2004 in Rennes

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  Left to right: Ad-Rock, Mike D, and MCA performing in Barcelona, Spain in September 2007

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  Left to right: Adam Horovitz, Adam Yauch, Michael Diamond