Licensed to Ill
| Licensed to Ill | ||
|---|---|---|
| Album cover | ||
| Album by The Beastie Boys | ||
| Released | 1986 | |
| Recorded | ??? | |
| Genre | Old school hip hop | |
| Length | 45 min 30 s | |
| Record label | Def Jam | |
| Producer | Rick Rubin | |
| Professional reviews | ||
| Allmusic.com | 5 stars out of 5 | link |
| Q | 4 stars out of 5 | March 2001 |
| Rolling Stone | 3.5 stars out of 5 | link |
| Robert Christgau | Grade: A+ | link |
| Beastie Boys Chronology | ||
| None | Licensed to Ill (1986) |
Paul's Boutique (1989) |
Licensed to Ill is a hip hop album by The Beastie Boys, released in 1986 (see 1986 in music). It was the first rap album to become popular among mainstream audiences, as well as the first full-length by a white hip hop group.
Licensed to Ill was the first hip hop LP to top Billboard's Pop Albums chart. It also peaked at #2 on the Top Hip Hop/R&B Albums chart.
Kerry King of Slayer made an appearance on the album playing lead guitar on "No Sleep Till Brooklyn", and appeared in the video, which is a spoof of heavy metal music. The name of the song itself is a spoof on Motörhead's No Sleep Till Hammersmith album. King's appearance on the track came about because Rick Rubin was producing both bands simultaneously.
Track listing
- "Rhymin' & Stealin'" (Beastie Boys/Rubin) - 4:08
- "The New Style" (Beastie Boys/Rubin) - 4:36
- "She's Crafty" (Beastie Boys/Rubin) - 3:35
- "Posse in Effect" (Beastie Boys/Rubin) - 2:27
- "Slow Ride" (Beastie Boys/Rubin) - 2:56
- "Girls" (Beastie Boys/Rubin) - 3:14
- "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right" (To Party) (Beastie Boys/Rubin) - 3:28
- "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" (Beastie Boys/Rubin) - 4:07
- "Paul Revere" (King Ad Rock/McDaniels/Rubin/Simmons) - 3:41
- "Hold It Now, Hit It" (Beastie Boys/Rubin) - 3:26
- "Brass Monkey" (Beastie Boys/Rubin) - 2:37
- "Slow and Low" (McDaniels/Rubin/Simmons) - 3:38
- "Time to Get Ill" (Beastie Boys/Rubin) - 3:37
Personnel
- Beastie Boys - Group, Producer
- Joe Blaney - Mixing
- Steven Ett - Engineer
- Kerry King - Guitar
- Rick Rubin - Producer
- Howie Weinberg - Mastering
- Steve Byram - Art Direction
- Sunny Bak - Photography
- World B. Omes - Cover Art
Charting singles
1986 Hold It, Now Hit It Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks No. 55 1986 It s The New Style Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Trackd No. 22 1986 Hold It, Now Hit It Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales No. 41 1986 It s The New Style/Paul Revere Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales No. 20 1987 Fight For Your Right (To Party!) The Billboard Hot 100 No. 7 1987 Brass Monkey The Billboard Hot 100 No. 48 1987 Brass Monkey Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks No. 83 1987 Paul Revere Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks No. 34 1987 It s The New Style/Paul Revere Hot Dance Music/Club Play No. 41