Happy 40th Anniversary to Beastie Boys - License to Ill

Happy 40th Anniversary to the Beastie Boys debut album, License to Ill. 

A landmark album in hip-hop and a major influence on the musical ears of RtBE personally.

A friend around the corner bought the tape first and we wore it out while playing street hockey. Then I went to the record store and bought it as my first tape purchase (along with Hall and Oates Rock 'n Soul Part 1, a hell of a 1-2 punch). The album definitely was formative in regards to my musical taste, Public Enemy, Slayer and other purchases can be directly connected to License To Ill, which broadened my sonic palette.  

A few years back I revisited the whole Beastie's catalog when friends started a discussion of the bands best. Check Your Head, was always RtBE's favorite (and even more influential on us) and I would have argued best, but that revisit changed my opinion. License to Ill, tops the best conversation, pretty easily actually. 

The energy, the rhymes, the rock, the absolutely killer production, the album just sounds so alive. All-time tracks like "No Sleep til Brooklyn", "Fight For Your Right To Party", "Slow and Low" and "She's Crafty" are kinetic. Rick Rubin and the Beasties fell out after this, and his handling of the situation was bad, but it is impossible to knock his production on this record. The minute the album starts, asses shake and the lyrics flow as you remember goofy efforts like "Brass Monkey" and "Paul Revere". 

A milestone in hip-hop as three party hearty, white NYC clowns, brought hip hop to the suburbs. On this, it's 40th anniversary, play it loud. Here are a few tracks to get you started.