Listen to Beastie Boys on Batanga

Formed in New York City in 1981 by Mike Diamond and Adam Yauch, with drummer Kate Schellenbach and guitarist John Berry, The The Boys began as straight ahead punk rock band, joining the burgeoining underground club scene.

In 1983, Schellenbach and Berry left, and Adam Horovitz joined; one year later they joined forces with aspiring record moguls Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons and their fledgling Def Jam Records. Early single "She's On It" created a stir with it's obvious ACDC sample and sneering raps, and The Beasties soon found themselves annoying audiences on tour with Madonna.

Their debut album, Licensed to Ill, was released in 1986, and the mix of heavy metal riffs, punk attitude, and hip hop sensibility made the album an overnight sensation and the best-selling rap album of the 1980's. The associated tours got well out of hand, especially in Britain, where the tabloids hounded the Beasties out of the country with all manner of false accusations. Nonetheless, the Boys had become a parody of themselves, and decamped for a rethink.

They split with Rubin and Def Jam, feeling his ideas were holding them back. Rubin was furious, and swore that he'd created them and could destroy them. Instead, after a three-year hiatus, Rubin found himself shaking his head in disbelief at the record the Beasties made without his input. Paul's Boutique was a monstrous leap forward artistically, a groundbreaking masterpiece that introduced the world to the inimitable production style of The Dust Brothers.

In 1992, the band formed their own record label, Grand Royal, built their own studio, G-Son, and picked up their instruments again to record Check Your Head, which catapulted them back into the spotlight. Ill Communication followed (relatively) closely in 1994, captilalizing on all of its predecessors strengths and establishing the Beasties as arguably the most important band of the decade.

It would be another four years before the release of a full length album of new material, 1998's Hello Nasty. The album was a huge critical and commercial success and re-staked the Beasties claim as Emperors of All That Is Cool. The Sounds of Science compilation is their latest release, and includes rare mixes and unheard tracks. The The Boys are also the founders of the Tibetan Freedom Concert, The Milarepa Foundation (dedicated to raising awareness and money in an effort to end Chinese oppression of Tibet and its people), Grand Royal Magazine, and X-Large Clothing. The Boys will be appearing on De La Soul's forthcoming album, Art of Official Intelligence..