Once upon a time in the 1980s and the 1990s, Beastie Boys was a rap collective that gained everybody's respect. The group initially consisted of Michael "Mike D" Diamond, Jeremy Shatan, John Berry, and Kate Schellenbach before going on several line-up changes throughout the course of their career. They'd been constantly hailed as an influential rap-rock band that managed to break the barrier of skin colors, at a time when vanilla hip-hop acts weren't taken too seriously.
Fast-forward to 2022, Beastie Boys is just a piece of history now. In 2012, the boys were inducted by legendary rappers Chuck D and LL Cool J to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, becoming the third rap group to achieve such a milestone. Since its disbandment, some members have passed away, while others continue their creative outlets someplace else. To sum it up, here's what happened to Beastie Boys and a throwback of how successful they were.
8 How Successful Were The Beastie Boys?
Originally started as an experimental hardcore punk band, Beastie Boys transitioned to hip-hop following the success of their comedic rap tune "Cooky Pu**" in 1983, and the rest is history. During its peak, the Boys were among the artists who were responsible for the birth of Def Jam Records.
Their debut album, Licensed to Ill, was a classic rock-rap of the 1980s, amassing a Diamond certification after moving over ten million copies worldwide. They're also known to have influenced some of the best emcees to ever touch the mic like Eminem, LL Cool J, and more.
7 The Beastie Boys Were Inducted To The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame In 2012
As a testament to their legacy, rap legends Chuck D and LL Cool J inducted Ad-Rock and co into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. As mentioned, they became the third rap group to achieve the award after Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five (2007) and Run-DMC (2009).
6 Beastie Boys Legacy, In The 2020s
Fast-forward to the 2020s, Jackass co-creator Spike Jonze brought their story to life for newer audiences in his Apple TV+'s Beastie Boys Story. Released on April 24th, the 120-minute live documentary film chronicles the ups and downs of the influential rap-rock group, complete with a few unseen footages of some of their most iconic on-stage performances.
5 John Berry Passed Away In 2016
As Beastie Boys shifted into hip-hop, John Berry joined the new formation as a guitarist in 1981 until 1982. While his time with the band wasn't that long, Berry was often credited for giving the name "Beastie Boys." In a 2007 interview with Charlie Rose, MCA confirmed the story. After departing the group, Berry lived a quiet life away from spotlight until he passed away in May 2016.
4 Mike D Produced For Several Artists
Before Beastie Boys, Michael "Mike D" Diamond was a part of a few bands in the hardcore punk scene of New York. Besides vocal, he also provided the drum for the band until its disbandment in 2012. Outside of that, he had helped produce for several top talents in music and his producing credits appear in Portugal the Man and English duo Slaves' albums.
"I taped a reggae show in the ’80s, The Gil Bailey Show, and there was a commercial for Paul’s Boutique, the one that’s on the record. And we used to make mixtapes all the time, and on one of the mixtapes I put that commercial on there," he recalled his earlier days in the group for Interview Magazine.
3 Kate Schellenbach Left As The Boys Fully Transitioned To Hip-Hop
While her time with the Boys wasn't long, Kate Schellenbach was responsible for the earlier days of the group. Other than that, she'd also joined indie rock band Luscious Jackson and Lunachicks.
"We kicked Kate out of the band because she didn’t fit into our new tough-rapper-guy identity," Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz writes in his Beastie Boys Book tell-all memoir in 2018. "Maybe Kate would’ve eventually quit the band because we were starting to act like a bunch of f–kin’ creeps, but it was just s–ty the way it happened. And I am so sorry about it."
2 MCA Died In 2012 From A Cancer
Another former member who's gone too soon, Adam "MCA" Yauch passed away in 2012 from parotid cancer right after Beastie Boys announced their split. He fought the illness for at least three years starting from his diagnosis in 2009. Throughout his lifetime, the late bass player was also an outspoken figure in entertainment who often devoted his time to supporting good causes and fighting prejudice, especially against Muslims and Arabs.
"Adam Yauch brought a lot of positivity into the world and I think it's obvious to anyone how big of an influence the Beastie Boys were on me and so many others," Em told MTV News ahead of Yauch's passing. He further hailed him as one of the trailblazers and pioneers that influenced him.
1 Ad-Rock Stepped Away From The Spotlight
After the split, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz stepped away from the spotlight a little, unless when it comes to Beastie Boys-related projects like the 2020 Apple TV documentary Beastie Boys Story, which was dedicated to the late MCA. Other than that, he'd also ventured into acting. He has cameo appearances in a few films back in the 2010s, including in Ben Stiller's While We're Young and in Alex Ross Perry's Golden Exits.
"Well, when you’re sixteen, you think you’re the coolest person in the world, and, at the same time, you’re thinking you’re the squarest person in the world. You just want to be cool, right? When you think back on when you were a teen-ager, there’s all this elusive stuff that you like," he recalled the earlier days of the group in an interview with The New Yorker.
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