"Licensed To Ill" is the debut album from the Beastie Boys. It was re-named from "Don't Be A F****t" for obvious reasons, and has the first mainstream, all-white Hip Hop crew come with a classic cut. Here, the crew were a trio of MCs, Mike D, MCA and Ad-Rock. It came out in 1986 on Def Jam, and had a groundbreaking impact as they became the first Hip Hop act to top the Billboard Charts. Originally, they started up in the Punk Rock scene, but crossed over to this under the influence of Rick Rubin, the producer responsible for all the killer cuts off LL Cool J's "Radio". Elements of this are still apparent in their work as it has a spectrum of tunes which go from pure Hip Hop, to Rap Rock, and then one full Punk Rock track.
1. "Rhymin' & Stealin'"
Although I have to say that this is quite impactful with its heavy bass, I wouldn' say that this one is the best way to kick off the album as it is far from the best that you will get on the album. it gets them cobine this hard Hip Hop percussion with a Punk guitar riff. It is good at introducing them though.
**Three Stars**
2. "The New Style"
I was completely amazed gy this cut, it is an amzing Hip Hop cut, and one which deserves much more attention than it received.
it gets the group coming together to do the type of 'tag team' rapping which you got from Run-D.M.C. and EPMD around this time. The raps were just perfect for it, and took you back to the time with such fresh lines.
**Five Stars**
3. "She's Crafty"
Rubin's beats here are just too much, and there's no way that you can help but get into them. By implementing Led Zepplin's "The Ocean", they manage to include all that they need to put across how varied their musical influences are. You are forced to bop to this one, and feel the great, themed raps from the Beastie Boys.
**Four Stars**
4. "Posse In Effect"
This is a short one and has MCA start things off for a change, and he gets things hyped up as soon as it begins as he shouts the lyrics, which are tyical of the time, to get you moving. Following this, he passes over to Mike D, and then Ad-Rock, this then continues for the rest of the chorus-less track as they say a couple of lines and then try to over-do the one prior to it.
5. "Slow Ride"
Using "War's "Low Rider" (once the Marmite theme), this one has the group changes things u yet again, and they manage to kill off even more cuts which Rick Rubin offers to them, as they come up with more inventive rhymes which offer even more originality to the genre. Thsi one features one of the finest explaes of where they work together to make their rhymes fit in with each other say before bringing it together.
**Four Stars**
6. "Girls"
I recognise this one from somwhere, but I can't quite place it. You are bound to know this short one from them where they rap on simplistic percussion about exactly what is given in the title. Although I like its simpliscity, its not that oog of a tune.
**Two Stars**
7. "Fight For Your Right"
I simply can't listen to this song, it just annoys me too much. It is probably the most well-known track from them, but as it is more of a Punk Rock song, rather than Hip Hop, it just didn't happen for me. I hate when this is found in 'greatest Hip Hop tracks of all-time' lists, as it just isn't in this genre of music.
**One Star**
8. "No Sleep Til Brooklyn"
On this one you have them use king Kerry, from Slayer, to give them authentic Metal on work from, and come up with a great Rcap Rock tune from. It isone of their singles, and gets them doign some of the transitional stuff as it is a Rap Rock tune.
**Four Stars**
9. "Paul Revere"
Taking from Uncle Louie's "I Like It Funky", this one gets Rick Rubin coming up with a fantastic piece of production as he uses back-tracking to come up with an original composition, and it works very well with the manner in which they rhymes along to it all. It's subtle in all it has within it, but the rpas are rather in-your-face; taking away from this a little.
**Four Stars**
10. "Hold It Now, Hit It"
This is a classic from them, and I bleive that all of my enjoyment comes from the way that they interact with the great prodcution, which happens to be amde up of the type of thing you would expect to hear in very early Hip Hop tune as it uses both Funk and classics in work by Kurtis Blow and Doug. E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew.
**Five Stars**
11. "Brass Monkey"
The cocktail "Brass Monkey" is used as inspiration for this one, and it all revolves around it. I have to say that I was impressed by what they were able to draw out of it with some of their most excitng, and engaging raps. it is one of their singles, and so may be more familiar than the others, and it deserves this extra attention.
**Four Stars**
12. "Slow and Low"
In case you can't tell with th eprodcution, this one was origianlly meant for Run-D.M.C, and is in fact a cover of the cut originally planned to feature on their "King Of Rock" album. The way it is delivered and worked by them, screams D.M.C., but they manage to make it work for them without too much difficulty. The lyrics were written by Run-D.M.C, and the only modification were to put their own names within it all.
**Four Stars**
13. "Time To Get Ill"
I believe that this ending is the best track on the whole thing. I think that this is down to the way Rick Rubin plays about with the production by switching the beat to another classic sample after the group have rinsed out the quality in it. You can't get any bette than this one, and its all down to the selctions of some of the best Funk and Old School Hip Hop.
**Five Stars**
This is simply a classic album and you cannot deny how big an impact this had on the world. It has them do some great Hip Hop tracks which are in the style of the early eighties, rather than mid-decade (as it was, but I prefer this style. The way that they stuck Rock into it worked when balanced with Hip Hop, but the full-on track, doesn't work for me.
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The joke of Licensed to Ill's cover--that the Beasties could crash their jet into the side ... more
of a mountain and keep on tickin'--serves as a good metaphor for a career that even some of their 1986 admirers thought might be over after the one-time-only sho...
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Feb 17th, 2009
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