This November, it will be 40 years since the world was introduced to Beastie Boys, one of the most influential hip-hop groups ever formed, via their debut album, Licensed to Ill. To celebrate the anniversary of the groundbreaking LP, The Great Albums book series is releasing Beastie Boys: Licensed to Ill – 40 Years, an in-depth retrospective featuring fresh interviews, candid photos, and more.
Buy Beastie Boys: Licensed to Ill - 40 Years Here
Coming from author Ben Merlis (who also penned to recent Consequence Cover Story Mike D: Time for Living around the Beastie Boy member’s debut solo album, Thank You), the 176-page hardcover book is packaged in a slick slipcase. Featuring a forward by Prince Paul, the tome includes over 200 images, a track-by-track examination of Licensed to Ill, and new interviews with producers, collabroators, and cultural critics.
The official logline reads: “When Licensed to Ill hit the Billboard charts in 1986, it didn’t just make history — it rewrote it. The Beastie Boys’ mix of punk energy, streetwise humor, and Rick Rubin’s hard-hitting production propelled the album to become the first rap LP to top the Billboard 200 and one of the fastest-selling debuts in history. Beastie Boys: Licensed to Ill – 40 Years invites you into the creative chaos that produced classics like ‘No Sleep Till Brooklyn,’ ‘Girls,’ and ‘Brass Monkey.'”
“When I was asked by the publisher to write this book, I had to say yes because there is no other story that wholly encompasses my two biggest passions: hardcore punk and hip-hop. Beastie Boys were a total anomaly and I wanted to explain step-by-step how a first generation NYHC band transitioned into being a full-fledged rap group, and then into arena-headlining pop stars with a number one album within a few short years,” Merlis said in a statement. “The whole relationship between the band, their producer/label founder Rick Rubin, and their manager/label co-owner Russell Simmons ran full speed into the side of a cliff, with the Beasties crawling out of the wreckage triumphant. It really is a tale of defying expectations and reinvention. Licensed to Ill still knocks, forty years later.”
Beastie Boys: Licensed to Ill – 40 Years arrives on October 13th, and you can pre-order it here.
