The Beastie Boys are an American hip hop group from New York City consisting of Michael "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "MCA" Yauch, and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz. Since around the time of the Hello Nasty album, the DJ for the group has been Michael "Mix Master Mike" Schwartz, who was featured in the song Three MC's and One DJ.

They started out as a hardcore punk rock group in 1979 and appeared the compilation cassette, New York Thrash with Riot Fight and Beastie. They switched to hip hop with the release of their debut solo album Licensed to Ill (1986), enjoyed international critical acclaim and commercial success. They're well-known for their eclecticism, jocular and flippant attitude toward interviews and interviewers, obscure cultural references and kitschy lyrics, and performing in outlandish matching suits.

They're one of the longest-lived hip hop acts and continue to enjoy commercial and critical success in 2008, more than 20 years after the release of their debut album. On September 27, 2007 they were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Beastie Boys are an American hip-hop trio from New York City: Brooklyn and Manhattan. The members are Mike D (real name Michael Diamond), MCA (Adam Yauch), and Adrock (Adam Horovitz). The Beastie Boys were the first successful white rap group and one of the few acts from the early days of hip-hop that still enjoy major success. Their rock and punk -influenced rap has had a significant impact on artists both in and outside the hip-hop scene, and they were the first rap group to gain a substan