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 enjoyed major success their whole career. 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 substantial following with alternative rock fans.
The Beastie Boys came together in 1979 as a punk band called The Young Aborigines. In 1981 MCA joined the group and from the suggestion of their guitarist John Berry, they changed their name to Beastie Boys. Their line up then consisted of Adam Yauch (aka MCA) on bass, drummer Kate Schellenbach (later of Luscious Jackson), guitarist John Berry (of Big Fat Love), and Mike Diamond (aka Mike D) on the mic. Beastie Boys' debut EP, the Pollywog Stew vinyl 7" was released in 1982.
The band's first foray into hip hop, the Cooky Puss 12", followed in 1983, with The Young and the Useless guitarist Adam Horovitz (aka Adrock) replacing John Berry. "Cooky Puss" would be the first B Boys record to receive play at NYC clubs like Danceteria as the band played its first shows outside the city.
The Mike D/MCA/Adrock Beastie Boys lineup debuted in 1984 with the "Rock Hard"/"Beastie Groove" 12." Produced by Rick Rubin, who went on to produce albums for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash and Audioslave. The "She's On It"/ "Slow And Low" 12" followed in 1985 and Beastie Boys went on Madonna's "Virgin Tour." as her opening act.
Licensed to Ill dropped in fall 1986 and became the first Beastie Boys album--and the first Rap album ever--to go #1. Fueled by Fight for Your Right and No Sleep Till Brooklyn it remained at #1 for seven weeks and simultaneously reached #2 on the urban chart, becoming the fastest selling debut to date for Columbia and the first hip hop record to break 5 million.
In 1989 Beastie Boys released their second album Paul’s Boutique produced by Beastie Boys and the Dust Brothers. Paul's Boutique laid down the blueprint for a generation of emergent genres and went over the collective head of a nation. The likes of "Shake Your Rump," "Lookin' Down The Barrel Of A Gun," "Car Thief," Shadrach," and the hip hop "suite" "B-Boy Bouillabaisse" contained lyrical and musical references too plentiful and diverse for the average mind to compute in one sitting.
Check Your Head, released in 1992, heralded the return of live instrumentation into the B Boys mix. The album was produced by the band and Mario Caldato Jr. (who first worked with B Boys as engineer on Paul's Boutique), Check Your Head would yield a watershed of new B Boys staples, including So Whatcha' Want, Pass The Mic, "Gratitude" and "Jimmy James." With the assistance of Keyboard Money Mark, Eric Bobo and assorted percussionists, Beastie Boys returned to the touring circuit and Check Your Head hit double platinum.
In the summer of 1994, Ill Communication, also produced by the band and Mario Caldato Jr., entered the charts #1. The album featured such hits Sure Shot and Sabotage. Ill Communication was supported by Beastie Boys' first arena headline tour since the '80s. Following the tour's conclusion, Beastie Boys recorded and released Aglio e Olio consisting of eight songs clocking in at 11 minutes, the EP recalls the vintage hardcore punk of the band's infancy.
On July 14 1998, their fifth album titled Hello Nasty was released. Spurred by the monster success of the "Intergalactic" single and video, the record clocked first week sales of nearly 700,000 in the U.S. and went straight in at #1 in England, Germany, Australia, Holland, New Zealand and Sweden. Early in the tour, Beastie Boys made live tracks available for free download to fans unable to attend the shows-and were blindsided by their label pulling the tracks down.
Having closed 1998 by accepting the Video Vanguard lifetime achievement honor at the MTV Video Music Awards, Beastie Boys rang in 1999 with Artist, Band and/or Record of the Year accolades from the likes of Rolling Stone, SPIN, The New Yorker and Playboy, among others. A month later, at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards, the now quadruple-platinum Hello Nasty took Best Alternative Music Performance, while "Intergalactic," nailed Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group--the first time an artist has ever won in both Rap and Alternative categories.1999 would also see "Intergalactic" take Best Hip Hop Video honors at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards.
Beastie Boys' sixth studio album, To The 5 Boroughs, released in summer 2004, was the band's third consecutive #1 debut-and Rolling Stone magazine's only 5-star review of the year. To The 5 Boroughs was supported by world tour - traveling pageant - supported by Talib Kweli and Bob Moore's Amazing Mongrels (yes, a live dog show, hence the pageant appellation).
2006 saw the release of the film, Awesome, I Fuckin' Shot That!, a concert film made up of footage filmed by audience members, which debuted at Sundance in early 2006 and was released theatrically the same year.
In 2007 Beastie Boys released The Mix-Up, first ever full length offering of all-new, all-original instrumental recordings.
On February 3rd, 2009, they digitally remastered and released Paul's Boutique on their website.
The band's next record, "Hot Sauce Committee Part 2" was released in the first quarter of 2011. It features the same tracklisting as the previously announced "Hot Sauce Committee Part 1", which was delayed indefinitely after Yauch was diagnosed with a tumor on his parotid gland (which was successfully removed).
Bassist and vocalist Adam Yauch died on May 4, 2012 of cancer.
In June 2014, Mike D stated that the Beastie Boys would not continue their careers as a group, as a promise to Adam Yauch. "We have not been able to tour since MCA, Adam Yauch, died," Diamond said. "We can't make new music."
Fight For Your Right To Party
Beastie Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You wake up late for school, man, you don't wanna go
You ask you mom, "Please?", but she still says, "No"
You missed two classes and no homework
But your teacher preaches class like you're some kind of jerk
You gotta fight for your right to party
You pop caught you smoking, and he said, "No way!"
That hypocrite smokes two packs a day
Man, living at home is such a drag
Now your mom threw away your best porno mag
(Busted)
You gotta fight for your right to party
You pop caught you smoking, and he said, "No way!"
That hypocrite smokes two packs a day
Man, living at home is such a drag
Now your mom threw away your best porno mag
(Busted)
You gotta fight for your right to party
You gotta fight
Don't step out of this house if that's the clothes you're gonna wear
I'll kick you out of my home if you don't cut that hair
Your mom busted in and said, "What's that noise?"
Aw, mom you're just jealous, it's the Beastie Boys
You gotta fight for your right to party
You gotta fight for your right to party
Party
Party
The Beastie Boys' "Fight for Your Right to Party" is an anthem for rebellion and teenage angst. The lyrics describe the struggle of a young person trying to have fun and express themselves, but facing opposition from authority figures. The first verse sets the tone with lines that many young people can relate to - struggling to get up and ready for school, dealing with strict teachers and parents, and feeling like society is against them. The chorus, "You gotta fight for your right to party," encourages listeners to push back against these constraints and reclaim their autonomy.
The second verse highlights the hypocrisy of the adult figures in the young person's life. The line, "That hypocrite smokes two packs a day," shows that the parents are far from perfect themselves, yet still expect their child to live up to strict standards. The following line, "Now your mom threw away your best porno mag," suggests that the child is being punished for normal adolescent behavior, further highlighting the clash between generations. The final verse sees the confrontation between the child and the parents escalate, with the parent threatening to kick them out of the house if they don't conform to their standards. The line, "Aw, mom you're just jealous, it's the Beastie Boys," is a final act of defiance, expressing that the child will not back down from their desire to have fun and listen to music they enjoy.
Line by Line Meaning
Kick it!
Let's start this off!
You wake up late for school, man, you don't wanna go
You overslept and don't feel like going to school
You ask you mom, "Please?", but she still says, "No"
You ask your mom if you can stay home, but she still says no
You missed two classes and no homework
You neglected your schoolwork
But your teacher preaches class like you're some kind of jerk
Your teacher lectures you as if you are a bad student
You gotta fight for your right to party
It's important to stand up for your right to have fun
You pop caught you smoking, and he said, "No way!"
Your dad caught you smoking and forbids it
That hypocrite smokes two packs a day
Your dad smokes often despite telling you not to
Man, living at home is such a drag
Being at home feels boring and constrained
Now your mom threw away your best porno mag
Your mom found and disposed of your adult magazine
(Busted)
You were caught doing something you shouldn't have
You gotta fight for your right to party
Having a good time is worth defending
You gotta fight
You need to stand up for yourself
Don't step out of this house if that's the clothes you're gonna wear
Don't leave if you're wearing something that the singer doesn't approve of
I'll kick you out of my home if you don't cut that hair
The singer will kick someone out of their home if they don't change their hairstyle
Your mom busted in and said, "What's that noise?"
Your mom heard noise and came in to investigate
Aw, mom you're just jealous, it's the Beastie Boys
The artist dismisses their mom's concern by saying she is envious of the music they are playing
You gotta fight for your right to party
It's important to defend your right to have fun
Party
Enjoy yourself and have a good time
Party
Enjoy yourself and have a good time
Writer(s): Adam Nathaniel Yauch, Rick Rubin, Adam Keefe Horovitz
Contributed by Colin L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Nestor Galaviz
on Body Movin' (Fatboy Slim remix)
dope