Maps of Music

Licensed to Ill (1986)

Where the lyrics of Licensed to Ill take you, and where it was really made.

Rick Rubin first wanted this album titled Don't Be a Faggot, but Columbia refused and the group had to choose another name.

Key places

Chung King Studios, New York City (1986)

Recording site Chung King Studios — The album was recorded at Chung King Studios in New York City. The source lists this studio as the recording location for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Debut studio album by American hip-hop group Beastie Boys
• Released November 15, 1986 by Def Jam and Columbia Records
• First rap LP to top the Billboard 200 chart
• Second rap album certified Platinum by the RIAA
• One of Columbia Records' fastest-selling debut records to date
• Certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2015 for shipping over ten million copies in the United States
• Group's only album released on Def Jam, after creative differences with producer Rick Rubin
• Group moved to Capitol Records for the next album, Paul's Boutique (1989)

Background

• Rubin originally wanted the title Don't Be a Faggot
• Columbia Records refused to release the album under that title, arguing it was homophobic
• Russell Simmons, the group's manager and head of Def Jam at the time, was pressured into forcing a new name
• Adam Horovitz has since apologized for the album's earlier title
• Slayer's Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman provided uncredited guitar work on "Fight for Your Right" and "No Sleep Till Brooklyn"

Cover

• Front-to-back cover shows an American Airlines Boeing 727 crashed head-on into the side of a mountain
• The plane's tail carries a Beastie Boys logo and the Def Jam logo
• Registration number '3MTA3' spells 'EATME' when viewed in a mirror
• The idea came from producer Rick Rubin after reading the Led Zeppelin biography Hammer of the Gods
• Art director Steve Byram; artwork by David Gambale (World B. Omes)

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• The Beastie Boys were an American hip-hop group formed in New York City in 1981.
• They began as a hardcore punk band, having previously been members of the Young Aborigines.
• Adam Yauch replaced the departing bassist Jeremy Shatan, and the band took the name Beastie Boys.
• The 1983 single "Cooky Puss" won local success and marked their full move into hip-hop.

Members

• The main line-up was Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass) and Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums).
• Yauch also directed many of the group's music videos under the alias Nathanial Hörnblowér.

Career

• Their debut album Licensed to Ill (1986) was the first rap album to top the Billboard 200.
• Paul's Boutique (1989) was made with the Dust Brothers and was a commercial failure but gained critical acclaim.
• Check Your Head (1992) and Ill Communication (1994) found mainstream success.
• Hello Nasty (1998) and To the 5 Boroughs (2004) followed, and the instrumental album The Mix-Up came in 2007.
• Their final album was Hot Sauce Committee Part Two (2011).
• The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, becoming the third rap group so honored.
• Yauch died of parotid cancer in 2012, and the group disbanded.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critics gave the album critical acclaim for its musical style, group chemistry and stylized rapping
• Q gave the album four out of five stars
• Melody Maker gave the album a positive review
• Cash Box called "She's Crafty" a slamming tongue-in-cheek rocker

Reappraisal

• The Source selected the album as one of its 100 Best Rap Albums in 1998
• Rolling Stone ranked it 217th on its 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
• Pitchfork ranked it 41st on its Top 100 Albums of the 1980s list in 2002
• Eminem said the album was one of his favorites of all time and that it changed hip-hop
• Received the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 2021

Records

• Billboard 200 number one, the first rap LP to reach the top
• RIAA Platinum certification on February 2, 1987
• RIAA Diamond certification on March 4, 2015
• "Brass Monkey" certified Gold for shipments of 500,000 or more
• In 2012, number 1 on Billboard's Catalog Albums chart after Adam Yauch's death
• Re-entered the Billboard 200 at number 18

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Rick Rubin first wanted to title the album Don't Be a Faggot; Columbia refused and the title was changed
• The cover idea came from Rubin after reading the Led Zeppelin biography Hammer of the Gods
• Slayer's Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman contributed uncredited guitar work
• Kerry King played lead guitar on "Fight for Your Right" and "No Sleep till Brooklyn"
• The album is dedicated to Doris Keefe Horovitz
• The cover design was strongly referenced by Eminem for the cover of his 2018 album Kamikaze

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

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