On their debut album released in 1986, the Beastie Boys implored their fans to fight, for their right, to do what?
And the answer: party! As the lyrics explain:
You wake up late for school, man you don't want to 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.
As one of the most influential rock and hip-hop groups of the '80s, '90s and even into the early 2000s, the simple name of Beastie Boys evokes nostalgia in fans across the globe. Yet, their rise to stardom was far less polished than most – in fact, the Beastie Boys actually earned their first dollars on a lawsuit. As the story goes, a British Airways commercial used a sample from their debut single without authorization, and the Boys took the $40,000 won in the lawsuit to buy an apartment/studio space in Manhattan together. Beautiful.
When the group partnered with Def Jam Records co-founder and producer Rick Rubin, things took a turn for the better. In 1985, they were hired to open for the Queen of Pop, Madonna (though, to be fair, they weren't the first or second choice for the job), and continued to work on their debut album, Licensed to Ill. During its creation, the Boys sought to create a satirical, over-the-top rock and hip-hop album as some of the only white creators in the genre. However, their plan backfired when the band realized their music engaged the exact audiences they were originally attempting to satirize, yet it was too late. Before they knew it, the Beastie Boys were worldwide stars in both rap and rock. Hey, the Boys said it themselves: You gotta fight! For your right! To party!
Learn more about this iconic band here.
