Welcome to the Deep Dive. Today we're really
getting into it, tackling the story of a group
that just completely defied categorization. The
Beastie Boys. We're looking at Adam Horvitz,
Adam Yalke, and Michael Diamond Adrock, MCA,
and Mike Dee. Yeah, it's a huge story. We're
going deep into their lives, their careers, both
together and apart, and just how much they ended
up influencing, well, everything. Right, because
it's easy to just think, biggest selling rap
group since 91, which, okay, they are, according
to Billboard. But that's almost missing the point,
isn't it? Their story is really about constant
change, like radical evolution. We've pulled
together a ton of biographical info, interviews,
history. show how these three guys from New York
City went from this pretty aggressive hardcore
band. Yeah, hardcore pump. To pioneers across
multiple genres, activists, filmmakers. I mean,
the list goes on. It really does. We're not just
hitting the album highlights. We want to unpack
how these three very different creative minds
work together, how they pushed each other, and
how they use their platform. Exactly. It's about
the synergy, the individual paths, the whole
picture. So let's start right at the beginning.
back in the New York punk scene, late 70s, early
80s. Okay, so to really get the Beastie Boys,
you got to understand where they came from. And
it wasn't hip -hop. It started in 1979 with a
band called the Young Aborigines. Founded by
Michael Diamond, Mike Dee, right? He was on drums.
Yep. Mike Dee on drums. And the early lineup...
It also had John Berry on guitar, Kate Schellenbach
on percussion. This was pure New York hardcore
punk. Think fast, loud, aggressive. And Adam
Yoke, MCA, he joined a bit later. In 81, yeah.
He came in on bass, replacing someone else. Yoke
was already part of that scene, a friend of the
band. And apparently it was John Berry who actually
suggested the name Beastie Boys. And that acronym.
Boys entering anarchistic states towards inner
excellence. That came later. Oh yeah, much later.
They pretty much admitted it was an afterthought.
Like, they needed something to fit the letters
after the name was already chosen. It sounds
cool, but initially it was just a name. They
were punk kids first. Cure punk, you said. What
did that sound like? Who were they playing with?
Well, think bands like Reagan Youth. That kind
of energy. Their first actual gig was on Yatch's
17th birthday. And they got slots opening for
some really big names in that world, like Bad
Brains. The Dead Kennedys. Wow. So legitimate
punk credentials. Absolutely. And you can hear
it on their first official release. The Pollywogs
do EP from 1982. It's a classic piece of New
York hardcore. Very raw. Very fast. But things
started to shift. John Barry left in 82. Right.
And that's when the final piece of the classic
trio falls into place. Adam Horowitz, Ad Rock.
He was super young, only 16. He had been singing
for a band called the Young and the Useless,
who often opened for the Beasties. And his arrival
seems to be the real catalyst for change, yeah.
Moving away from pure hardcore. It definitely
coincides with it. The energy was shifting anyway.
You know, hardcore was intense, but maybe limiting.
And they started getting really interested in
what was happening with hip hop, with DJs sampling.
Which brings us to Cookie Puss. Exactly. 1983.
It's basically a prank phone call they made to
Carvel Ice Cream. Seriously? Yeah, seriously.
They took the recording, put some rudimentary
beats and early sampling behind it, wrapped over
it kind of jokingly, and somehow this weird little
comedy track becomes an underground hit in New
York clubs. That's wild. So that joke track actually
opened the door. Totally. It showed them and
others that they could blend that punk attitude
with these new hip hop sounds. And crucially,
it caught the ear of a certain NYU student named
Rick Rubin. Ah, Rick Rubin, Def Jam co -founder.
Before Def Jam was even really a thing, yeah.
He started DJing for them live, and then of course
became their producer. He was instrumental in
pushing them fully into the hip -hop direction.
But embracing that new direction, that new identity,
it had consequences. Kate Schellenbach was fired
around 84. Yeah, that's a tough part of this
story. And Ad Rock himself has expressed regret
about it later on. How did he explain it? He
basically said it was tied up in the image they
were consciously building. As they moved towards
hip hop, especially the sort of mainstream kind
of macho rap persona of the time, they adopted
this new tough rapper guy identity, as he put
it. And in their minds back then, unfortunately,
there wasn't room for a female drummer in that
specific image. It was regrettable and tied to
the posturing of that era. Yeah. It really highlights
that the shift wasn't just sonic, it was about
crafting a whole new persona, maybe shedding
some of their punk ideals in the process. I think
that's fair to say. So Schellenbach is out, Mike
D moves from drums to primarily being an MC,
and you have the trio. Mike D, MCA, Ad Rock.
Yeah. Solidified. And ready for Def Jam and,
well, everything that came next. Hashtag tag
two, commercial heights and creative independence.
Which was licensed to Ill. I mean, 1986, that
album wasn't just big, it felt like it changed
everything. It was a monster. Produced by Rubin
on Def Jam. Yeah. It took that rock energy, those
big guitar riffs, and smashed them together with
rap in a way that just exploded into the mainstream.
No one had really packaged it like that before.
And the charts showed it. First rap album ever
to hit number one on the Billboard 200. And it
stayed there for five weeks. Five weeks. That
was astronomical. It proved hip hop wasn't niche.
It was a massive commercial force. Sold what,
nine million copies eventually? Diamond status.
Crazy numbers. But the tour. The tour was something
else not exactly smooth sailing. Oh god. No.
Yeah, the license to ill tour was pure chaos
Lawsuits arrests they were leaning hard into
that bratty party animal anarchist image Maybe
a little too hard like ad rock getting arrested
in Liverpool exactly 1987 Merseyside police arrested
him because a riot literally broke out like 10
minutes after they started playing. They were
pushing buttons and sometimes the buttons pushed
back. And then there's the whole Volkswagen emblem
thing. That's just iconic Beastie Boys lore.
Isn't it? Mike D starts wearing this huge VW
emblem stolen off a car on a big chain. Just
this random kind of dumb defiant fashion statement.
And then suddenly there's this massive spike
in VW emblems being stolen off cars everywhere.
Fans were desperate to copy the look. It shows
the kind of immediate slightly absurd. cultural
impact they had. But after that massive success,
things got complicated right with Def Jam. Yeah,
the relationship soured, reports were they weren't
getting paid properly, royalties were missing.
Classic music industry story, unfortunately.
So they made a huge decision. They walked away
from Def Jam. Which must have been terrifying,
after having the biggest album in the country.
Absolutely. But it showed their commitment to
independence, even early on. They signed with
Capitol Records and needed a completely fresh
start creatively. Enter the Dust Brothers. Enter
the Dust Brothers. There are. And enter Paul's
Boutique, 1989. If License to Ill was a rock
rap sledgehammer, Paul's Boutique was like...
A psychedelic, multi -layered collage. It sounds
nothing like the first album. Not even close.
License to Ilf had those big, obvious rock samples.
Paul's boutique was built on hundreds, literally
hundreds, of tiny, obscure samples woven together.
Funk, soul, jazz, rock, movie dialogue. It was
incredibly dense and complex. The Dust Brothers
were doing something revolutionary with sampling
technology. More experimental hip -hop, really.
Totally. But here's the twist. Commercially,
it flopped. Hard. Really? After License to Ill?
Yeah. Compared to 9 million copies, Paul's boutique
sold relatively poorly at first. It was too weird,
too intricate for 1989 radio. People didn't know
what to make of it. It was seen as this big commercial
failure. But history's been kind to it. Very
kind. Immensely kind. Now it's hailed as a masterpiece.
Rolling Stone puts it way up on their greatest
albums list. Apple Music has it in their top
50 ever. It's the ultimate example of a grower
album. And critically, it gave them massive artistic
credibility, even if it didn't sell millions
right away. It proved they weren't just a one
-trick pony. And that credibility, that freedom,
it led them back to their roots in a way, didn't
it, with Check Your Head? Exactly. 1992, after
the insane complexity and probably the looming
legal headaches of sampling on Paul's boutique,
they kind of went, you know what? Let's just
play our instruments again. So back to basics.
Sort of. Yatch back on bass, Ad Rock on guitar,
Mike D on drums. And crucially, they brought
in Money Mark Nishida on keyboards, who became
almost like a fourth beastie. And the sound,
it wasn't punk, it wasn't pure hip hop. No, it
was this amazing fusion, funk. jazz, hardcore
energy, hip hop beats, all played live in the
studio. It had this loose, kind of jammy feel,
but still hit hard. Tracks like Gratitude or
So What You Want. And that sound, that blend,
people point to it as being really influential.
Yeah. Like a precursor to new metal. Oh, absolutely.
Think about it. Funky bass lines, heavy guitars,
wrapped or shouted vocals, hip hop rhythms. You
can draw a direct line from Check Your Head to
bands like Rage Against the Machine, 311, maybe
even early corn or Limp Bizkit. They were blending
these sounds before it became a whole sub -genre.
So they're setting trends again just by doing
their own thing. And this desire for control,
it went beyond the music too. They started their
own label. Brand Royal Records. They wanted total
creative freedom, not just for themselves, but
to foster other artists they like. They signed
acts like Luscious Jackson, Sean Lennon. a pretty
eclectic roster. And the magazine, Grand Royal
Magazine. Which was brilliant, 1993 to 97. It
perfectly captured their whole vibe, smart, funny,
obsessed with weird pop culture, music, style.
It was kind of like their blog before blogs existed.
And it actually has a weirdly specific claim
to fame in the dictionary. Does. The Oxford English
Dictionary actually credits Grand Royal Magazine
with popularizing the term mullet head to describe
the haircut. No way. Just shows their strange
knack for influencing culture on all these different
levels, from groundbreaking music to, well, hairstyle
terminology. OK, but speaking of influence and
pushing boundaries, we have to talk about the
sampling lawsuit. Newton v. Diamond. That was
a big deal. Huge deal. This was over their track,
Pass the Mic, from Check Your Head. It involved
the sample from a flute composition by a jazz
musician named James Newton called Choir. And
the issue was... They hadn't cleared it properly.
Well, it's complicated They had cleared the license
for the sound recording this specific performance
captured on Newton's record But they hadn't separately
cleared the license for the underlying musical
composition the notes themselves The distinction
between the recording copyright and the composition
copyright exactly and the sample itself was tiny
Just three notes played over six seconds looped
in the background Newton sued arguing that even
that small part was his protected composition
And how did it turn out? The courts eventually
sided with the Beastie Boys. And the reasoning
was crucial for sampling law going forward. The
court basically ruled that the three note segment,
that specific little melodic fragment, lacked
the necessary originality to be protected by
composition copyright on its own. So it was considered
de minimis too trivial to count legally? Pretty
much. Even though they'd cleared the recording,
the court said the composition snippet itself
wasn't distinctive enough to warrant infringement.
It was a landmark ruling because it offered some
protection for artists using very short, perhaps
less musically distinct samples. It showed the
beasties were, again, right at the forefront
of these evolving creative and legal landscapes.
So once they'd established this level of artistic
freedom and, frankly, influence, the individual
members really started branching out more visibly,
right? Showing their distinct personalities.
Absolutely. And maybe nowhere more so than with
Adam Yowch, MCA. He became this real force, not
just musically, but as a filmmaker and activist.
He seemed to have this bigger vision. The filmmaking
pseudonym, Nathaniel Hearnblower. Yeah. He directed
a lot of their music videos under that name,
often the weirder, more conceptual ones, like
Intergalactic or Savatage with Spike Jon's co
-directing. And then he directed the full concert
film. Awesome. I fucking shot that. in 2006.
That was the one filmed by the audience. Exactly.
Gave out like 50 cameras to fans in the crowd
and edited their footage together. Super innovative,
very DIY spirit, even on that scale. But he didn't
just make films, he started a whole company.
Right. Oscilloscope Laboratories. Founded in
2002. It wasn't just a production company, became
a really respected independent film distributor
based in Manhattan. Distributing some pretty
serious films too. Oh yeah. Films like We Need
to Talk About Kevin, Wendy and Lucy. It showed
he was serious about film as an art form and
wanted to support challenging independent voices.
It felt like a natural extension of his worldview.
And that worldview was increasingly shaped by
his activism and spirituality. Definitely. Yok
became a practicing Buddhist. And that deeply
informed his public life. He became one of those
prominent Western advocates for Tibetan independence.
Co -founding the Milarepa Fund. Yep. And organizing
the Tibetan Freedom Concerts, starting in 96.
These were massive events. The first one in San
Francisco drew over 100 ,000 people. It was arguably
the biggest benefit concert series since Live
Aid. He really put his money and his platform
where his mouth was. And he wasn't afraid to
speak out directly either, even on big stages.
Not at all. Remember the 1998 MTV Video Music
Awards? They won the Vanguard Award. And Yawks
used his acceptance speech time. Instead of thanking
people. To explicitly condemn the prejudice and
stereotyping facing Muslim people in the wake
of the U .S. embassy bombings that year. On live
TV, on MTV. That took serious guts and conviction.
He saw the platform as a responsibility. Okay,
let's shift to Ad Rock. Adam Horowitz. His path
seems different, maybe more focused on music
itself and performance. Yeah, I think so. While
York was building institutions, Ad Rock seemed
more focused on. like side projects and acting,
staying connected to that sort of indie or underground
scene. He had a decent acting career going for
a while. He did. Popped up in films like Lost
Angels back in 89, Roadside Profits in 92. More
recently, he was in Golden Exits in 2017. Got
good reviews for that. And documentaries, too,
like Have a Good Trip. And musically, he kept
doing other things besides The Beasties. Oh,
yeah. He had that side project, BS 2000, released
an album called Simply Mortified in 2000, did
remixes as 41. Small Stars plays bass in a band
called The Tender Moments. It seems like he always
needed these other outlets for different kinds
of musical ideas, often noisier or more punk
-influenced stuff. And his personal life also
reflects that connection to the sort of punk
and indie world. Absolutely. He was married to
Ioni Sky for a while, but since 2006, he's been
married to Kathleen Hanna. The absolute legend
from Bikini Kill and Latiguer, pioneer of Riot
Girl. Exactly. And he was very supportive, appearing
in the punk singer, that great documentary about
her. It feels like a very genuine connection
to that whole independent didn't counter cultural
ethos. There's also a personal detail. He started
wearing a medical or bracelet after having a
seizure in 2003. Right. OK. So then there's Mike
D, Michael Diamond, producer, designer, maybe
the most unexpected path. Maybe. I mean, he definitely
kept his hand in music production. He produced
albums for Portugal, The Man, and more recently
for the English punk duo Soft Play that used
to be called Slaves. So applying that Beastie
Boys ear to other artists. Yeah. But he also
had this really quirky side project. He recorded
this completely bizarre country music album called
Country Mike's Greatest Hits back in 2000, just
as a joke for friends and family. Country Mike,
I remember hearing about that. It's legendary
in its obscurity. But the really surprising turn
was his move into design, actual interior design.
Toilet paper, right. The Brooklyn -themed toilet
wallpaper. He designed it himself. And it wasn't
just a little hobby. It was used in the big renovation
of the Marquis Nightclub in New York. back in
2013. That's amazing. From hip -hop icon to luxury
wallpaper designer. It perfectly encapsulates
the refusal to be boxed in, doesn't it? Yeah.
Just pursuing whatever interested them, regardless
of expectations. And he's still curating taste
now with his podcast. Yeah. The Echo Chamber
on Apple Music. It feels like a continuation
of that grand royal spirit, exploring music,
culture, ideas. So you see these three distinct
threads. Yok, the visionary activist and filmmaker,
Ad Rock, the musician and performer rooted in
indie culture, and Mike Dee, the producer, curator,
and designer. The band held them together, but
their individual interests were incredibly diverse.
Hashtag tag my V, the final albums and enduring
legacy. So as they moved into the late 90s and
2000s, they were still evolving, still putting
out major work. Hello Nasty in 98 was huge. Massive.
That's the one where Mix Master Mike officially
joined on the turntables, adding this whole other
layer of sonic wizardry. It went to number one
pretty much everywhere. And it led to that incredible
Grammy night in 99. Yeah, that was historic.
They won best rap performance for Intergalactic,
which, OK, makes sense. But they also won best
alternative music album for the entire Hello
Nasty record. Winning in both rap and alternative
categories, had that ever happened before? Not
like that. It was the industry basically throwing
up its hands and admitting, OK, we don't know
what genre you are anymore, but you're masters
of it. It cemented their status as completely
unique genre destroying artists. And they didn't
shy away from politics either. To the five boroughs
in 2004 felt very much like a response to the
post 9 -11 atmosphere in New York. Absolutely.
They self -produced that one, and it had this
heavier, more somber feel at times, and they
directly addressed the political climate with
the track In A World Gone Mad. Which they released
for free. Yeah, as a free download, specifically
to protest the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Again,
using their music and their platform very deliberately
to make a statement. Then came another curveball,
the mix -up in 2007. Total curveball. An all
-instrumental album. Just grooves, textures,
leaning heavily into their funk and jazz influences.
No rapping at all. Which must have surprised
some fans. Probably. But it showed they were
still restless, still exploring. And it wasn't
just a vanity project. It won the Grammy for
best pop instrumental album. They could succeed
even without their signature vocals. But sadly,
that period of creative exploration was coming
to an end. Yeah. In July 2009, the news broke.
Adam Yauch announced he'd been diagnosed with
cancer, a cancerous parietal gland and lymph
node. He sounded optimistic initially, didn't
he, calling it very treatable? He did. But it
immediately put everything on hold. Their next
album release was delayed, tours were canceled,
it cast this shadow over everything. And that
next album, Hot Sauce Committee, that whole release
got really confusing. Oh, completely. There was
supposed to be a part one, then it got delayed
indefinitely because of Yaak's health. So what
eventually came out? They ended up releasing
Hot Sauce Committee part two in 2011. But the
joke was it contained all the tracks that were
supposed to be on part one. They just skipped
part one entirely. Which feels like a very Beastie
Boys thing to do, even under difficult circumstances.
Totally. One last bit of playful absurdity in
the face of everything. Just before things took
a turn, they received that huge honor induction
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.
A massive recognition of their entire career.
But it was bittersweet. Yoc was too sick to attend
the ceremony. Ad Rock and Mike D went and they
read this incredibly moving letter that Yoc had
written. And then not long after? Yeah. Adam
NCA Yoc passed away on May 4th, 2012. He was
only 47. Just devastating. And that was effectively
the end of the Beastie Boys as a band. It had
to be. Mike D. confirmed it later, I think, in
2014. He said they just couldn't continue making
music under that name without Yoc. It wouldn't
be right. Their bond as a trio was too essential.
But the legacy, obviously, is enormous. The tribute
started pouring in. Yeah, tangible things like
renaming a playground in Brooklyn Heights, Adam
Yoc Park in 2013, acknowledging his connection
to the community. And connecting back to Paul's
boutique, that street corner. Ledlow and Rivington.
a spot on the album cover. In 2023, it was officially
co -named Beastie Boys Square. It brings that
iconic image right into the physical landscape
of New York. Their influence is just undeniable.
You hear it cited by artists across completely
different genres. Eminem, Rage Against the Machine,
Blur. The list is endless. They break down so
many walls. They sold 20 million records in the
US alone. but their impact goes way beyond sales
figures. And the surviving members have done
a great job curating that legacy too with the
book and the documentary. The Beastie Boys book
from 2018 is incredible. This huge scrapbook
style memoir and the Beastie Boys story documentary
from 2020 directed by Spike Jonze which was based
on their live stage shows. They've ensured the
story is told in their own unique way. Looking
back at this whole journey we've discussed from
punk kids to global superstars, filmmakers, activists.
It really is about that constant evolution, isn't
it? And that fierce independence. Absolutely.
That thread of self -determination runs through
everything, leaving Def Jam, starting Grand Royal,
Yash building a oscilloscope, Ad Rock sticking
to his indie roots, Mike Dee designing wallpaper.
It was always about controlling their own creative
destiny. And that commitment to control, to their
artistic integrity, it extended right to the
very end, didn't it? In a really powerful way.
It did. And it brings us to maybe the most thought
-provoking aspect of their legacy, stemming from
Adam Yatch's final wishes. Which raises a fascinating
question for you, the listener, to think about.
Right. Because Adam Yatch's will included a very
specific clause. It explicitly stated that Beastie
Boys music should never be used in commercial
advertisements, ever. And they fought to uphold
that, the lawsuit against Monster Energy Drink
in 2014. They won $1 .7 million. because Monster
used their music in a promo without permission
after Yaak had passed. It wasn't just about the
money, it was about honoring Yaak's very clear
intention to keep their art separate from corporate
advertising. So here's the final thought for
you. Considering this group started with such
a brash, almost commercial parody image with
license to ill, and gave us, you gotta fight
for your right to party. An anthem co -opted
by countless commercials and frat parties, how
significant is this final stand? How much control
should an artist or their estate have over the
commercial use of their work after they're gone?
And how does this deliberate anti -commercial
stance, embedded in Yaksha's will and defended
by his bandmates, reshape the ultimate legacy
of the Beastie Boys? That final act, fighting
to protect their work from being used to sell
energy drinks. Maybe that was the ultimate expression
of boys entering anarchistic states towards inner
excellence. Something to really chew on.