Licensed to Ill

Licensed to Ill is the debut album by the Beastie Boys, released in 1986.

It is the first rap LP to top the Billboard 200 chart. It also peaked at #2 on the Top Hip Hop/R&B Albums chart. It is Columbia Records’ fastest selling debut record to date and sold over five million copies.

Background

Produced by Rick Rubin & Beastie Boys

Kerry King of Slayer made an appearance on the album playing lead guitar on “No Sleep ‘Till Brooklyn”, and appeared in the music video, which is a parody of glam metal. The name of the song itself is a spoof on Motörhead’s No Sleep ‘til Hammersmith album. King’s appearance on the track came about because Rick Rubin was producing both bands simultaneously (Slayer’s Reign in Blood was originally released on Def Jam).

The full album cover, front to back, features a Boeing 727 — with “Beastie Boys” emblazoned on the tail — crashing head-on into the side of a mountain. The tail of the plane has the Def Jam logo and the legend ‘3MTA3’ which spells ‘EATME’ when viewed in a mirror.

The original title for this album was Don’t Be a Faggot but Columbia Records flatly refused to release the album with this title and pressured Russell Simmons (their manager and label Def Jam head) into having the Beastie Boys to come up with another name. Adam Horovitz has since apologized for the band’s earlier title.

Music videos were made for the songs “Fight for Your Right”, “No Sleep Til Brooklyn”, “Hold It Now, Hit It”, “Rhymin’ and Stealin’” and “She’s Crafty”.