Licensed To Ill

“Licensed to Ill” is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on November 15, 1986, by Def Jam and Columbia Records1. The album was recorded between 1985-1986 at Chung King Studio in New York City1. It was produced by Rick Rubin and the Beastie Boys themselves1.

The album was a commercial success, becoming the first rap LP to top the Billboard album chart, and was the second rap album to become a platinum album1. It was one of Columbia Records’ fastest-selling debut records to date and was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2015 for shipping over ten million copies in the United States1.

The album was structured over sessions in Rick Rubin’s NYU dorm room2. It merged punk’s raw sensibility with hip-hop’s street credentials, tipping its hat via samples to rock legends like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and AC/DC2. The album is considered a cultural phenomenon in itself, bringing hip-hop to the masses3.

The Beastie Boys took on partly fictional characters on record4. As Mike D said, the lyrics were a “combination of personal experience and fantasy.” And on stage they became what Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock) called “these idiot caricatures of ourselves”4.

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 metal1. The name of the song itself is a spoof on Motörhead’s “No Sleep 'til Hammersmith” album1.

Despite its popularity and success, this would be the group’s only album to be released from Def Jam due to creative differences from Rick Rubin as they would leave the label to sign with Capitol Records to release their next album, "Paul’s Boutique"1.