Beastie Boys Biography

Beastie Boys

The group's album, Licensed to Ill (1986) spawned the hit “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)” and went quintuple platinum, fueled by cross-over interest from both the band's roots in rap and its appeal to white suburban males who identified with the album's themes of sex and booze. The band's next album Paul's Boutique (1989) showed the group's versatility, blending tracks of jazz, soul, and funk. Check Your Head (1992) and Ill Communication (1994) followed, returning somewhat to the band's punk roots of the early '80s. Current members are Adam Horovitz, Mike Diamond, and Adam Yauch.

Adam Horovitz

Son of playwright Israel Horovitz and formerly married to actress Ione Skye, he has worked in films himself, including Lost Angels (1989) and A Kiss Before Dying (1991).

Adam Yauch

A converted Buddhist, he has held several concerts to benefit the Tibetan Freedom movement.