Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill
NME.COM feature on Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill album including album review, artwork, tracks, listen now, tour dates, discography and more.
Release date: 28 August 1995
Tracklisting click track to read more
- Rhymin & Stealin
- The New Style
- She's Crafty
- Posse In Effect
- Slow Ride
- Girls
- Fight For Your Right
- No Sleep Till Brooklyn
- Paul Revere
- Hold It Now, Hit It
- Brass Monkey
- Slow And Low
- Time To Get Ill
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Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill: Wikipedia Album Entry
Licensed to Ill is the debut album by the Beastie Boys, released in 1986.
It is the first rap LP to top the Billboard 200 chart. It also peaked at #2 on the Top Hip Hop/R&B Albums chart. It is Columbia Records' fastest selling debut record to date and sold over five million copies.
Background
Produced by Rick Rubin & Beastie Boys
Kerry King of Slayer made an appearance on the album playing lead guitar on "No Sleep 'Till Brooklyn", and appeared in the music video, which is a parody of glam metal. The name of the song itself is a spoof on Motörhead's No Sleep 'til Hammersmith album. King's appearance on the track came about because Rick Rubin was producing both bands simultaneously (Slayer's Reign in Blood was originally released on Def Jam).
The full album cover, front to back, features a Boeing 727 — with "Beastie Boys" emblazoned on the tail — crashing head-on into the side of a mountain. The tail of the plane has the Def Jam logo and the legend '3MTA3' which spells 'EATME' when viewed in a mirror.
The original title for this album was Don't Be a Faggot but Columbia Records flatly refused to release the album with this title and pressured Russell Simmons (their manager and label Def Jam head) into having the Beastie Boys to come up with another name. Adam Horovitz has since apologized for the band's earlier title.
Music videos were made for the songs "Fight for Your Right", "No Sleep Til Brooklyn", "Hold It Now, Hit It", "Rhymin' and Stealin'" and "She's Crafty".
Reception
In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums.
In 2003, the album was ranked number 217 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
Vibe (12/99, p.158) - Included in Vibe's 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century.
Q magazine (9/94, p.123) - 4 Stars - "Licensed to Ill remains the world's only punk rock rap album, arguably superior to Never Mind the Bollocks...knowing that apathy and slovenliness were just around the corner."
Melody Maker (7/22/95, p.35) - Bloody Essential - "There's lots of self-reverential bragging, more tenuous rhymes than are usually permitted by law and, most importantly of all, an unshakably glorious celebration of being alive....A surprisingly enduring classic."
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Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill Lyrics
Beastie Boys - Girls Lyrics
Girls, all I really want is girls
And in the morning, it's girls
'Cause in the evening, it's girls
Beastie Boys - Hold It Now - Hit It Lyrics
Hold it now, hit it!
Yo Leroy!
Aw yeah, yo yo, yeah
Why don't you do that def jam right about now?
Beastie Boys - The New Style Lyrics
And on the cool check in
Center stage on the mic
And we're puttin' it on wax
It's the new style
Beastie Boys - Slow Ride Lyrics
They got a committee to get me off the block
'Cause I say my rhymes loud and I say 'em nonstop
Because being bad news is what we're all about
We went to White Castle and we got thrown out
Beastie Boys - Slow And Low Lyrics
Let it flow, let yourself go
Slow and low, that is the tempo
Let it flow, let yourself go
Slow and low, that is the tempo
Beastie Boys - She's Crafty Lyrics
Well this girl came up to me, she said she's new in town
But the crew been said they seen her around
I thought they were right, but I didn't wanna know
The girlie was Def and she wanted to go
Beastie Boys - Posse In Effect Lyrics
Yes, yes, y'all, and you don't stop
Keep it on and shockin' the place
Well, I'm MCA, I got nothing to prove
Beastie Boys - No Sleep Till Brooklyn Lyrics
No sleep till
Brooklyn
Foot on the pedal, never ever false metal
Beastie Boys - Paul Revere Lyrics
Now here's a little story I got to tell
About three bad brothers you know so well
It started way back in history
With Ad Rock, MCA, and me, Mike D
Beastie Boys - Fight For Your Right Lyrics
You wake up late for school, man, you don't wanna go
You ask you mom, "Please?", but she still says, "No"
You missed two classes and no homework
But your teacher preaches class like you're some kind of jerk
Beastie Boys - Time To Get Ill Lyrics
What's the time?
It's time to get ill
And what's the time?
It's time to get ill
Beastie Boys - Brass Monkey Lyrics
Brass Monkey, that funky Monkey
Brass Monkey junkie, that funky Monkey
Got this dance that's more than real
Beastie Boys - Rhymin' & Stealin' Lyrics
Because Mutiny on the Bounty's what we're all about
I'm gonna board your ship and turn it on out
No soft sucker with a parrot on his shoulder
'Cause I'm bad gettin' bolder, cold cold gettin' colder
