Beastie Boys, the

US rap group. Formed in New York in 1981, they were the first white rap group to achieve mainstream success and musical credibility. Although originally formed as a punk group, the band's debut album, License to Ill (1986), became the biggest-selling rap album of the 1980s, and its hit single ‘(You Gotta) Fight for your Right (to Party)’ became a major cross-over success.

The group's members are Mike D (born Michael Diamond, 1966– , drums and vocals), MCA (born Adam Yauch, 1965– , bass and vocals), and Ad-Rock (born Adam Horowitz, 1967– , guitar and vocals). Their second album, Paul's Boutique (1989) did not achieve the same commercial success as the first, but later albums, especially Ill Communication (1994) and Hello Nasty (1998), received critical recognition. The group established the independent record label Grand Royal in 1994.