Beastie Boys

Growing up in the 80’s, I was never a huge fan of Rap. It’s mostly because most of it was extremely violent and it seemed racially motivated by bands such as Public Enemy and NWA. I have complete respect for what they we’re doing and why they we’re doing it now as an adult! It’s a genre of music that I like better now as an adult and have come to love more in this divided world we are currently living in. I can better understand the animosity of these bands and what they we’re doing with their “Art Form” at the time now more than I could as a teenager. It wasn’t exactly clear to me back then, but it’s completely understandable why Black American’s we’re so political and are still completely pissed off at this Country now that I’m 50 years old!

I discovered the Beastie Boys with the release of their debut album which I like it a lot more now than when it first came out. MTV played “Fight For Your Right” far too much. This was when MTV actually played videos 24 hours a day. I just got tired of hearing the song so much. Since then I have the album and it’s a great album from beginning to end. I didn’t get hooked on them until there follow up album. In my opinion, their sophomore album “Paul’s Boutique” is their best album. It’s just an incredible album and with the amount of sampling, this album would cost millions to produce now. I was just amazed that they we’re signing about crazy things like mentioned in the song “The Eggman”. It’s just like something that I would have done as a teenager. Their later albums became more refined and incorporated more Rock like sounds, but they are all just as amazing albums, each in its own way, as well! I guess their antics were more relatable to me as a teenager than songs about selling cocaine and shooting police officers and unfortunately other rap artist views on what I now completely understand, the blatant racism that they faced and still face everyday. I guess I was just nieve about how much racism was going on in this Country and how it affected many Black communities.

It’s just incredible how three White Jewish guys from Brooklyn broke onto the rap scene and completely changed everything I had ever perceived about Rap music. It had nothing to do with race, but their songs were about prankster type antics, not about selling drugs or other things that I thought were extreme at the time. Now as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more aware of what most rappers we’re saying with music. It’s actually made me buy albums by artist like NWA and Public Enemy. As an adult, I see what they we’re doing visually in videos and what messages their songs were intended to send out to America. Stop the hatred of Black people!

It’s very similar in many ways to my experience as being a gay man and the fight against homophobia. I now understand what many Black communities we’re going through with drug related violence and suppression by Hate! Hatred was not something I was taught by my mother. She viewed it as wrong and it a ideology that wouldn’t be tolerated in our house. I wasn’t raised to hate others because of their skin color or any other reason. Unfortunately in the past couple of years, hatred has been allowed to be on public display and sadly I’m surprised at the number of people who are filled with hatred! It’s police officers and politicians and people who are secretly hiding their racist views. It’s completely disgusting that so many people are filled with hatred and it is something they we’re taught as children by their parents or their social environment as hate is not a genetic trait! I now respect what bands like Public Enemy and NWA we’re saying back then as I see the hatred first hand by others in mass numbers. I had no idea how much hate actually existed in America. We elected a Black President for two terms and I thought that most of the hatred of ethnicities was something we had finally put behind us. Sadly I was completely wrong and now people are not afraid to admit their racist. It’s completely unacceptable and shouldn’t be tolerated in this or any other Country!

Thank you to the The Beastie Boys for helping me personally understand that what you we’re doing at the time was a wake up call that has changed my personal views on a genre of music that I use to not care for that much. You actually opened my eyes about a huge problem in our Country that has affected our lives forever and that’s Hatred! Life is too short and we’re all human beings who have ambitions and dreams that shouldn’t be smashed by ignorance!

Texasbear

This band is part of my life. The first memory is No Sleep Till Brooklyn followed by Fight For Your Right, by now one of my least favorite tracks. But back than i was in awe over that song. They followed me through my youth and i remember buying Ill Communication like it was yesterday. That was for me the first album i ever bought on CD and i the first album i could rap along with most tracks. It's a shame it all came to an end like this, but as for all great things in life it has an ending. Like life itself, and more than often way too soon.
Thank you Beastie Boys for shaping my taste in music and the part you played for me in the most important years of my life.

i love these guys so much
sadly i never will se then live and stuff.... but maybe someday they will release something new, like that book about then, some lost songs or something like that haha
much love for adam yauch

A brilliant rap band to whom i will always be fond of as they were a big part of my life growing up as a kid as all the rap groups were big around that time, shame to hear of 2 band members passing away at such a young age. a lot of there vocals have since been ripped and used in the rave scene on various records.

some of the greatest musicians of all time to grasp the mic!

More than a decade after their genre-blending Licensed to Ill (which added rock guitar riffs and frat-boy humor to hip-hop), the trio still delivers their lyrics in a Run-D.M.C. pass-the-mic style. Their backing tracks, however, have progressed through the sample-a-rama of Paul's Boutique to the mostly organic Check Your Head and Ill Communication, and onto the turntablist-incorporating Hello Nasty. As the boys who helped usher rap into the mainstream, they've proved to be responsible stewards, pushing the envelope of the genre's sound, evolving lyrically, pushing political agendas and reigning at the top of the charts without selling out to pop conventions. Always ahead of the curve, the Beastie Boys were among the first "big name" acts to embrace MP3 technology as a way of promoting their music -- much to the chagrin of their handlers at Capitol Records.
...You've gotta fight, for your right, to party!!! R.I.P. MCA

The Beastie Boys! What can i say?!
The Greatest & most unique, influential Hip Hop bands in the history of Hip Hop! Nuff said! RIP Adam Yauch!

Thank you very much to the Beastie Boys, you'll be loved for ever. R.I.P. MCA.

RIP MCA, your are the best of the best group of HIP HOP of all times.
Beastie Boys is the most creative group, lyrics, song and clips.
Thanks you very much for all. &(