The Beastie Boys are a well-known name in the world of hip-hop and were one of just many trios coming out of New York in the 1980s. Comprised of Mike D, MCA and Ad-Rock, the collective, akin to Run-DMC were an act embracing the many parallels between rock and rap music. With the help of legendary producer Rick Rubin, the trio would take the wacky energy of punk and fuse it with hip-hop to create something truly unique.
The Beastie Boys first achieved success with their comedy hip-hop song ‘Kooky Puss’ in 1983. However, feeling that they were not taking hip-hop to its full potential by fusing it with humour, the Beastie Boys ultimately decided to take their craft more seriously in 1984. After building a buzz in New York City with rap-rock at around the same time of Run-DMC, by 1985 the crew had gained enough traction in New York (which was the home of hip-hop) to warrant them getting a touring deal with Madonna.
Having achieved copious amounts of exposure as a result of the tour. With the help of Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons at Def Jam Recordings, in 1986 the group released their debut album, Licensed To Ill. With a sound similar to that of Run-DMC’s but with an image that was perhaps less intimidating for mainstream America, the 1986 album achieved huge amounts of commercial success and becoming the first rap record to ever debut at number one on the Billboard 200.
The band would continue to release music and would release a total of five albums before the turn of the millennium when things began to change. The Beastie Boys have sold over 20 million records in the US and have had seven platinum-selling albums since License To Ill. In 2012, they became the third rap group to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and they have won several Grammys. With so much music it would seem impossible to pick out their best songs of all time. However, for this article we have managed to compile a list of ‘The 25 best Beastie Boys songs ever made.’ You can see our picks below.
The 25 best Beastie Boys songs ever made:
- ‘Sabotage’
- ‘Shake Your Rump’
- ‘Root Down’
- ‘InterGalactic’
- ‘Paul Revere’
- ‘Hey Ladies’
- ‘So What’cha Want’
- ‘Shadrach’
- ‘Sure Shot’
- ‘Pass The Mic’
- ‘Car Thief’
- ‘Body Movin’ ft Fatboy Slim
- ‘Jimmy James’
- ‘She’s Crafty’
- ‘Get It Together’ ft Q-Tip
- ‘The Move’
- ‘Professor Booty’
- ‘The New Style’
- ‘Skills To pay The Bills’
- ‘An Open Letter To NYC’
- ‘(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)’
- ‘No Sleep Till Brooklyn’
- ‘Three MC’s And One DJ’
- ‘Hold It Now, Hit It’
- ‘Rhymin & Stealin’