Reviews (page 5 of 15)
УННВ, если бы были американцами..
Fucking classic! Such a great album!
Check Your Head is their 5 star album. This is too corny, and I'm a Juggalo.
It speaks for itself.
I see Beasties, I give 5.
Hell yeah
Lekker rap
holy arsch
Never listened to this all the way through, even though I own this on vinyl. Intrigued to hear, I know my parents (Dad) loves this. Ignoring the fact these are 3 NY rich kids rapping like they own guns and are scary, this makes sense why it was popular - this is perfect 80's Frat Party Music (FPM). Extremely identifiable vocals mixed with genuinely good production makes this pretty enjoyable even if its a flashbang to remember its 2 guys named Michael and another named Adam rapping about girls and killing. The production combined with essentially 1 extremely catchy vocal attack by the Beastie boys surmounts any qualms and makes this really enjoyable for no reason. Maybe its my white guy showing. 4/5
Great start.
Interesting to hear tracks that I recognise but most of the album felt like a school band shouting. Like the innovation given it was mid 80s and some of the production is cool. Unlikely to listen to again.
Not for me
Album 12/1001. Listened 1/22/2026. Classic. Does not get much better than this.
fighting for my right to kill dogs
It's so easy to bump to the Beastie Boys. The beats are hard, lyrics whimsical and rhymes sick. There are lots of classics on Licensed to Ill which solidifies it as an album worthy of this list.
And you mean to tell me it only gets better from here? Yet another incredible debut on this list and this time, from one of my favorites. The lyrics are juvenile but the rhyme schemes and patterns kinda make up for a lot of it. The beats and samples are straight up mesmerizing on some songs. If I'm not mistaken, copyright law changed soon after Licensed to Ill dropped limiting how many samples could be used on a song, which kinda makes this album one of a kind in some ways.
One star for every White Castle mention. The rest of the album is great too. One happy Beastie I be. Only gets better for the group from here too. It's funny how tough they front in this one, it's half-ironic but the later albums really lean into how they aren't really that tough but Licensed to Ill is really funny and boastful. The New Style is still one of their best songs. No fewer than 20 eternal lines (like the bun to the burger and like the burger to the bun, like the cherry to the apple to the peach to the plum; I get it, I got it, I know it's good, the rhymes I write, you wish you would; Went to the prom, wore the fly blue rental, got six girlies in my Lincoln Continental - to highlight a few). I really love the simplicity of the sample heavy boom-bap stuff and the Beasties were immediate masters at it. I should finally read that Beasties book...
Not my kind of music, I can see why it is so popular but I’m personally not a fan. Reminded me of the music in Hamilton.
Like this a lot! Some songs reminded me a bit of Fontaines DC
Sometimes you can let white boys get a little funky and it works
Huh. Looks like the Beastie Boys are fucking rad. Hip-hop meets hard-rock. Like finding a sex tape in the back corner of the internet of your two celebrity crushes getting it on. Man these dudes are white. But goddamn it, so am I. Licensed to Ill is a bonafide-fuckin' five.
you know what, I wasn't feeling this at first (9 am on a thursday) but I stuck it through and remembered the bangers. extra point for nostalgia
top 3 - Rhyming & Stealin, Fight For Your Right, No Sleep Till Brooklyn.
Highlights: - Rhymin & Stealin - Fight For Your Right - No Sleep Till Brooklyn
The first song already sounded to me like that one rap in Amazing world of Gumball. And then the whole album was like that.
Great album! This is the second Beastie Boys album that I've listened to on this list, and I liked this one better. So many singles (or possibly just well-known tunes) on this album (Fight For Your Right! No Sleep Till Brooklyn! Paul Revere! Girls! Brass Monkey!), and the ones that I wasn't already familiar with were good too. (4)
Decent album.
Songs got better towards to end. The first few seemed to have the same track
A nostalgic listen from the days when we used to, er, "collect" car badges. We were young and stupid and this was our music. No regrets.
the album that put the Beastie Boys on the map with the single "Fight for your Right". Personally, i think "Paul's Boutique" is a better album (5 out of 5), but this one is a good debut. along with RUN DMC, this album put rap into the mainstream. Other good songs on it: "Girls", "Brass Monkey", and "Paul Revere". the album was certified diamond in 2015.
I don't know... I am entertained for a little, and then it starts to become very repetitive. Fortunately or unfortunately, I have the other Beastie Boys album to donate this to, and that one was so much more dynamic, interesting, and attention keeping. This one was a little boring. However, the three huge hits were all GREAT, however was probably because of the heavy guitars, not the actual songs. Either the Beastie Boys or their producer must be big Led Zeppelin fans!
Not a fan. I was surprised that they had 2 alblums in the top 1001. I was even more surprised they came up so soon together.
Typical Beastie Boys. Nice listen.
Not bad but not my style. Repetitive in all songs.funny
I really liked it, lots of different sounds, great instrumentals (drums + piano), amazing flow, lyrics about the evils of fame and about his early life. Favorites were Wesley’s theory, these walls, king kunta, how much a dollar cost, the blacker the berry
listened while eating ramen on my couch, painted my nails, and realized it’s always been fuck the system and always will be
They had such a clear perspective right out of the gate. Obviously they would go on to do more sophisticated albums but this is great
It’s cheesy flow has a charm, the samples are pretty fun too. Girls>Paul Revere is the highlight of the album
This is a very creative and groundbreaking album without a doubt. I’ve still always viewed the Beastie Boys as pretty dated. They also lack the coolness that makes me love hip hop. The yelping singing/rapping is energetic, but definitely annoys me sometimes. I understand the satire and sarcasm of it all, but I prefer their more rock leaning tracks.
Rap with metal backing tracks was a bit different back them so marks for innovation but still a bit same old.
Too much boys for one sitting. Nothing but respect for them and I wouldn’t mind listening to one of these songs if I’m at a party or something but yeesh all of them in a row is grating. I’ve heard great things about Paul’s boutique so hopefully I like that one better!
Didn’t listen yet.
Too juvenile (sometimes childish) humour and a few not great verses, but it has also crafty samples and good production. The first track, "Rhymin & Stealin", sounds like a manifesto. 3.75/5
All i really want is girls tho
4.5
Seminal. What an album - some class sampling
Recuerdo que los descubrí por el guitar hero world tour, ahí venía No Sleep Till Brooklyn. Me gustó un buen pero me quedé solo con esa impresión de ellos y cuando empecé a escuchar hip hop dije “que coño hacen estos weyes aquí” y la primera vez que escuché el álbum no me gustó. Conforme lo fui escuchando más y más, fui encontrándole el encanto a los Beastie hasta que se convirtieron en uno de mis grupos favoritos de cualquier género.
Maybe with retrospective it's a bit juvenile but these samples and rhymes are still all-timers. Any album that kicks off with the drums from When the Levee Breaks immediately catches my attention.
This album changed my life. As a young kid growing up in North Dakota, this cassette tape (along with Run DMC's Raising Hell) opening up a whole new world for me and my cousin John. 10,000 hip hop shows later, still grateful. And it still rocks.
A lot of nostalgia with this album. Interesting to listen to it after listening to “ill communication”, the production on this album it’s much more raw. Fun listen!
Not a memorable listen for me after a few songs. I don't have a nostalgic connection to the Beastie Boys and this was my first time listening to them. Was fun for the first few tracks but very samey after that. Would not go back for the listen again though I did think it was fun for a once off!
Play count exceeds maximum character limit.
There's a few songs I like, but they never really been my style
Low key I didn’t know several of these signs were beastie boys. This album was rad!
Rap ist keine Musik. Kein Pardon!
Tout est parfait, j'adore l'énergie qui s'en dégage et le mélange musical opéré, putain que c'est bon
Best of all time
Fun but songs are a hit or a miss for me. The most popular tracks - Fight For Your Right and No Sleep Till Brooklyn are the best
I never liked the sound of Beastie Boys, young to teen to adult, never into it. So the only saving graces of the album are the obvious No Sleep Till Brooklyn, Fight for your Right, and Brass Monkey. Even then I wont be adding any of these songs to playlists, still not my kind of sound
la prima canzone che ho sentito che mi stava piacendo? una random consigliata dopo la fine dell’album… that says it all
I love the Beastie Boys. It's a weird, magical thing that they ever got big. I mean, imagine these dudes walking around in matching tracksuits in 1985 and thinking THEY'D be legends in rap music. It's bizzare. I've noted previously that a lot of 80s hip hop, especially early- to mid-80s, sounds very dated, slow, and corny. Much of this album falls into that bucket, with a few cuts that hold up remarkably well. I'm thinking in particular of "Rhymin' & Stealin'" "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" "Hold It Now, Hit" and "Brass Monkey." The formula for most of their rap work that follows is here in terms of song structure, flows, crazy-heavy samples, etc. Much of that is enjoyable, and they would continue to build on it every album thereafter. Still, it sounds tinny and whack when compared to contemporary hip hop or golden age 90s stuff. It sort of requires grading on a curve in some way. Where it really suffers is the topics. Much has been written--far better than I could--on their evolution from the clowish, misogynistic, frat-rap party boys they were to the Tibetan Freedom, Kathleen Hanna-marrying feminists they'd become. It's just crazy how stupid this record is. There's absolutely nothing credible about three Jewish prep school kids talking about toting guns while, um, also breaking into lockers to smash a nerd's glasses. Some of these dumb lines are clever, but goddamn are they dumb. This holds up better than it should, but I wonder if that's me being too generous to them. They're great, and I understand why this was big at the time, but this is their worst album, by a mile. Has its moments, but graded on its own merits, it pales to the four albums that immediately followed.
Ei napannut, kuulosti joltain parodialevyltä.
Lol last summer i went through their discography too, so much fun to blast in the car
sadly this album didn’t suit my taste at all but I quite enjoyed two songs. I didn’t hate it that’s why I was about to give it a 2/5 but for the sake of those songs I increased it to be a 3/5
Bueno rap así ok me aburro un poco pero escuchable dan un poco d penilla. Suenan tdasigual
One of the funniest jokes ever played on the music industry - aggressive beats, classic rhymes. Favourite tracks: Paul Revere, Brass Monkey, Low And Slow, No Sleep Til Brooklyn
Oh.. oh no. I hope these guys have a license for this. (reads albums title) ohh ok good.
these guys are the funniest... i was a big beasties fan in hs and def still enjoy them but have a bit more of a chill vibe now
I aks her out she said no WAY It’s good in part because it’s funny, and it’s made funnier by being so good. That “Girls” to “Paul Revere” run? Unimpeachable. I think it loses a little potency with a couple songs to go, but what a swell time.
This was a good listen. I wasn’t sure if I’d be over it by the end, but I actually wouldn’t have minded spinning it again if I had time. Just a bunch of fun non-serious rhymes and beats to bop to.
It's fine. Listened a bit to Beastie Boys in the past and they have some songs i really like. However, this album didnt really hit me. Some fun songs but pretty repetitive? Very mood based album? Didnt really hit me this time.
Foundational Beasties--but I think I prefer the later stuff tbh
3.5 stars Half of this album is classics I’ve known most of my life. The rest is just fine to pretty good. It’s Beastie Boys.
not my style
Not for me
I want to really like it but there are some songs that really fall flat
First of three albums from the Beasite Boys in this collection and the first time I've listened to a Beasite Boys album front to back. It took me a couple of listens to fully appreciate it. While rough at times being a debut, the fun and quirkyness of the beats and their flows makes up for it. The run of "Girls," "Fight for Your Right," and "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" is incredible for the middle of the album. Solid 4/5.
goated album
Huh. I thought I liked their stuff, but this one just doesn't work for me.
very balanced some good some better and some are just not my cup of tea 3.5
Knew this one well, fun to revisit! High highs but the filler is very filler-y. Nostalgic and classic, but of a time and rightly overshadowed by where they went afterward.
Could only listen to two songs, the lyrics were disturbing and I hated the sound
Menee samaan kastiin aiemmin arvostellun bb levyn kanssa. Klassikoita nuoruudesta
Ihan jeppis menoa, vitskaan ei kuitenkaan riitä paukut
Kova on uho, mutta kun ei ne ossoo lauloo. Samalla ärsyttävällä äänellä ja nuotilla kaikki biisit.
No nyt tul sit se kolmas kun alkometri vetelee omiaan pakotuksiensa kanssa. Ajalta kun samplet ol vapaata riistaa ja niitä hyödynnetään kivasti. Varmaan myös raivannut tietä omalla alallaan jne. Eipä siin. Ei oo huonompi kun putiikki-levy vaikka ennen sitä julkastu.
Hyvin soitettu ja aikanaan todella merkityksellistä, mutta nyt vuosikymmenien jälkeen, ei enää samalla tavalla pysty arvostamaan, kun vaikutukset on vieläkin kuultavissa nykymusiikissa.
Oli tämä parempi kuin se edellinen Beastie Boys. Muutama ihan semmoinenkin biisi mitä voisi uudempaankin kertaan kuunnella.
This is an album that sounds both fresh and dared at the same time. Dated as the fairly minimal and clean beats along side the rock god guitar samples (and in some cases recorded contributions) put it firmly of an age, but the youthful, dumbass punky vocals and enthusiasm busts out of the record making it feel current and fun. This is a party album from three fresh faced white boys from New York that was a pioneer alongside Run DMC in the rock rap genre that helped break hip hop into the mainstream. I guess Rick Rubin the producer for both acts played a large part in this. I was very familiar with some tracks. You couldn’t avoid the excellent frat boy “Fight for your right to party” at one point, nor “No Sleep to Brooklyn” but the whole album is full of energy and interplay between the boys and it doesn’t outstay its welcome. I did not buy this at the time of release. In the UK stupid newspaper reports had decided to turn the Beasties into some kind of danger to our youth. Before the Beasties Boys had touched down on their UK tour there were false headlines accusing them of dissing kids with Cancer amongst other things and inventing stories to make them public enemy number one. It led to crowds in some places almost wanting to take on the bad boys of rap and in Liverpool famously led to a very short show and the arrest of one of the band for throwing a can at the crowd. That and the fact that a clever parody of the big gold chains that were becoming standard wear for rappers led to Mike D wearing a VW badge, which in turn led to VW cars being deprived of their badges country wide as kids replicated the fashion dominated the headlines. It’s a shame it wasn’t for the music really as it wasn’t half bad.
It borders on really good and really bad. I guess I can appreciate that Will I listen to again: 51%
It was good, however, it did not age well. I enjoyed several of the songs on the album, and had heard many of them before.
Entiendo el valor del album, pero sigue sin llegarme. Siento que envejeció mal. 6/10
No me suele gustar el rap, pero sí que me gusta bastante el Punk y el hip hop entonces este álbum contiene mucho hip hop y Punk por lo que me ha gustado mucho. Mezclar sonidos muy interesantes y aunque parezca que no se podría identificar al artista por cómo utilizar estos sonidos los otras partes he dicho el rap porque hay algún que otro verso lanzado en este estilo y la verdad que si me ha gustado como ha quedado en la canción luego también hay que nombrar la percusión que es increíble está muy cuidada y muy original y en general me ha gustado le pondría un ocho de 10 porque es un álbum que yo no escucharía por mí misma es un grupo que no hubiese descubierto nunca sola y que gracias a esta aplicación he descubierto y que la verdad me ha gustado bastante
any number of obvious complaints Could be raised (in hindsight its kind of amazing how diverse pauls boutique manages to feel, in the time when this was their only album it would have seemed Highly Improbable they could have pulled it off) but their central charm of being a really uncool version of run dmc with really good impactful inventive production is in powder keg potency here. best not to overthink it in either direction really, its just here to make u dumber!!! and i cant object to that. unfortunately for me i must add Girls to the list of moments where something from this project made me laugh out loud in public
This was Harrrddd
A good diferente
Ok first album review, I’m excited to see how much I grow as this project goes along. Licensed to Ill definitely hasn’t aged the greatest since its’ initial 1986 release, but I think that’s mostly due to satire just not landing. I had a hell of a goofy fun time listening to this in my living room and getting randomly jump scared by some lyrics, but also realizing I knew so much more of this album than I originally thought. For a debut album, it has so much energy and life that even with the crass and juvenile humor it is such a fun and easy listen.
I didn't know this was from 1986, it sounds a bit newer. Very influential record, both for rock and rap. If you think of the nu metal era, I am sure this is one of the main inspirations behind that. Cool album.
nicht ganz gehört, war nicht in dem mood für das album, ab einem anderen tag bestimmt besser
Beastie Boys always sounds a little bit annoying to me. I don't think there was a single song that I really enjoyed. It still was listenable, so avoiding the 1/5.
me molesto un poco, las letras tampoco me gustaron, meh
my favorite album so far
I did not expect to like that that much.
One big joke that didn’t age particularly well. Fun along the way and captures the mood - feels like a soundtrack album for 80s New York
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater vibes. Fave track: No Sleep Till Brooklyn
It’s rock rap so yeah. Idk. 3/5
This is probably one of the first albums I had. I think I had a white flea market bootleg tape when i was 7 or 8 years old. Its hard to negate the impact this album had on what was or would become hip hop music.
i listened to the first two songs and didn't like the vibe. not really my style of music
I haven’t listened to this for years, though loved it when it came out - falling hook, line and sinker for the over-the-top hype that surrounded its release. Revisiting after all this time, I think I was spot on – it’s a bit of a stunner! Of course, the Beasties were originally a punk band, so it’s no surprise they bring plenty of snotty attitude to their songs, and I genuinely dare anyone not to smile when that opening exclamation and power chord hit at the start of Fight For Your Right. And as for the rest, it’s shouty, childish, full of itself, and very entertaining. 8/10
Worse than expected. Guy can't get over how good his rhymes are and all the girls he gets as a result. Ridiculous lyrics and the songs all sound the same.
A classic but the lyrics....
favorites: track three: she’s crafty, track five: slow ride, track six: girls, track eight: no sleep till brooklyn
My favourite song was brass monkey. The beats were good. The guys voice was a bit annoying though. End of the album is better than the start.
Great album. Guardians of the galaxy mentioned. She’s crafty is underrated I think
Rounding up to a 4, some classics in there but also some not so great lyrics
In all honesty, listening to them try to sing/rap is like nails on a chalkboard. But from a musical perspective, I enjoy it enough that it earns a 4.
I just watched "The Beastie Boys Story" movie over the weekend. Perfect time that this popped into the list. I have slightly mixed views here. This is 100% pure fun and great music and flow. It also is at least 30% obnoxious/offensive and socially bankrupt. But... they were immature kids, they grew up, and I'm glad I don't have my teen self recorded and played back for posterity. They have grown from here and the music still hits 40+ years later. I really want to go with 5, but I'm still rounding down on what might be misguided principal.
- FAVS (top 3): the new style, fight for your right, slow and low mençoes honrosas: shes crafty; no sleep till brooklyn; paul revene; hold it now, hit it; time to get ill compraria vinil: SIM um bom e classico rap/hiphop!!!!! eu adorei, musicas muito boas e q nao seguem o msm padrao como mts nesse genero fazem. amei amei e em chock q nunca tinha ouvido antes pq é mt bom!!! nota final: 4/5
N/a
not my usual taste. good for what it is
Legal
My recollection of this album was that it paled to the rest of their work, no urgency, and too reliant on an in-joke of frat boy rap that went too far. The rhymes are definitely bad, rough, and utterly tasteless in their time. The BEATS though - Rick Rubin saying “yeah these little Brooklyn twerps who used to be punks should have the thunder of John Bonham and the hellwinds of ‘Sweet Leaf’ over the opening track” and NAILED it. Every beat sounds so good, so urgent, so intense that the only sound to rival it would be their Def Jam labelmate Terminator X. It’s a real mixed bag, it’s not a great record, and it doesn’t need to be on the list but if you wanna nice sonic blast you’d be hard pressed to find worse.
Very old school before electronic beats, some good classical meme sounds are in here, love 5/13 songs. would recommend to others.
grew up on this album. absolutely love it
3.5 out of five! Some great songs and i like the track production, im just not the biggest fan of their voices
I liked this album in 6th grade and I'm disappointed to say this album sounds pretty immature after you hit puberty. I have an appreciation for its place in rap/rock history, but it's just way too fratty and gross. The lyrics are not just sexist, they're downright rapey at times. I consider myself a Beastie Boys apologist, but this record is a bridge too far.
it's the beastie boys KICK IT
Forst time listening to the beastie boys, I actually liked some of the production at times however I find the rapping annoying and the lyrics quite cringeworthy. Something very artificial about it, like a parody of a rap punk band
I genuinely struggled my way through this. I loathe the vocals on this album so much, idk if it’s the cadence, the rap (/singing/shouting?!?!?), the fact it sounds exactly the same on every track, I just honestly hate it. Although this album includes some classics, many of the tracks include lyrics that have aged like milk and make the album totally vieux jeu. I didn’t even know about the controversy about this album before I listened, I just really hate the way they sing/rap and I can’t really get past it to appreciate the production.
1/2/26. Fun. 6.5/10
I love the singles 'fight for your right' and 'no sleep till Brooklyn'. Before that, it was clear how easily the Beastie Boys parodies come. Prefer their later albums.
My third favourite Beastie Boys album and yet still a high 3. Just a bit less consistent. Still some great moments
Combining rock and hip hop works well in places but can't sustain a while album. Ends up a bit like a novelty act.
Without looking you can tell this is Beasties Boys’ debut because the blend of hip hop and rock is not as refined as what comes later. They are still building their rapping abilities and their music doesn’t sprawl and stretch into the different sub-genres (i.e. hardcore punk) that make later records such a delight. Having said that, the track list is home to plenty of treats, especially in the middle of the record. The barbershop quartet-esque Girls is absolutely brilliant and seems to come from nowhere, a nice contrast with the energetic breakout hit single that follows Fight For Your Right, which acts as their rawdy mission statement. You can see how these boys whipped up so much excitement among the teens!
Licensed To Ill is not as good as our previous Beastie Boys record, I think this is less funny lyrically and less interesting musically, but bits of it really work for me, probably a low to mid 3
very boombox very hippy hop. every song is unique to the other, melody, rhythm. brass monkey on top. although would not listen again
Classic, tight, fun.
i didnt really like it but it was ok
Not for me but can see why they are popular
Enjoyed ending a year of doing this with Fight For Your Right.
They didn’t become great until they re-imagined what they could be after this album. This album has some good tracks but was mostly them trying to imitate Run DMC and just get attention.
Loved the album!!! I had listened to it so much as a kid with mum so it brought back memories of us in the kitchen playing
Me gustan más sus samples que sus canciones, pero están bien para una canción.
Surprised by his many songs I know off this album.
Some music just hits with the real nostalgia.
Feels a little repetitive, but has some brilliant moments
It was good but pretty i fell asleep for half of it. But its really different to what I would normally listen to but I liked it or at least the bits I listened to
Grew up listening to this album with my dad
so far, not sure this is for me! 1. skip 2. better than 1, let it play on but lost interest 3. like the beat of this so far!! music is so sick but just not a fan of the vocals 4. let it play, growing on me fs but still wouldn’t put on 5. luvvv the backing of this my fave so far!! 6. very much giving nursery rhyme? 7. again don’t mind but at this point it’s all blending into one & i’m not willingly listen — gorg electric guitar @ 2.00 mins not feeling like listening to the rest currently. may return! good experience, defo a genre i’m not the biggest fan of! just learned it’s the beastie boys’ debut studio album. very cool ⭐️ excited for this 1001 albums journey, what a classic to start on even tho it wasn’t quite my taste.
at first i got scared bc it’s a bunch of dudes aggressively screaming into my ear but then it kinda got groovy. the lil punk moment at girls caught me totally off guard. they had visions.
A+
I just really enjoyed listening to this, and that’s that.
beastie boys are the musical representation of how i feel about being biracial (the whiteness is the most annoying thing). the switch up in new style reminded me of three six mafia for a split second. i can’t decide if this album was a bit or not??? i can’t believe one of these guys married kathleen hanna wtf? i’m on slow and low and im begging for this album to be over already best tracks: the new style and no sleep till brooklyn
Licensed to Ill blijkt veel bekender dan ik vooraf dacht: vrijwel elk nummer roept herkenning op. De energie is rauw, speels en fysiek, waardoor het album vooral leuk is om mee te bewegen en los te laten. Tekstueel is het soms plat en duidelijk een product van zijn tijd, maar dat voelt meer als performance en parodie dan als serieuze boodschap. Niet mijn diepste muzieksmaak, maar wel een album dat zichtbaar plezier geeft en verrassend goed werkt om de dag licht en energiek te beginnen.
Did not like it one little bit
I think it's safe to assume on my part, on my second Beastie Boys 1001 listen, that I'm just not really a fan of what they do and likely never will be. This was way too confrontational and "in your face" for me vocally for large spells, and whilst the rap-rock fusion and lyricism occasionally yielded some compelling ideas and cool links/through lines to other artists in mainstream rock culture, it didn't provide enough reward to offset the fatiguing nature of the listening experience.
I used to be a fan of a lot of the Def Jam artists back in the day, whether it was LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Warren G, Onyx, or these guys. But this was the first of their records that I owned and it is great. I remember hearing this back when I was growing up and thought it was so different from what I had heard before. Is it sophomoric? Yes. Does it hold up? Debatably. Do I still love it? Absolutely. So much to like about this album, whether it's No Sleep Til Brooklyn, Paul Revere, Brass Monkey, Girls, She's Crafty, Fight For Your Right, or others, this has a bunch of bangers from front to back. A great, great record. Debating 4 or 5 stars, but going with 5, given what it kicked off in terms of the Beastie Boys career, what it did for Def Jam, the fact that it was the first rap album to top the Billboard charts, etc.
Pretty great
amazing that this was done during the eighties. Such a different vibe. Only a couple of decent songs though.
2/10
I'd forgotten this album. Good to give it a new listen
❤️
100 down still much more to go
First certified platinum rap She's crafty Fight for your right No sleep til Brooklyn
Yeah this is the stuff right here. Bangers from start to finish
I like most of the songs. Siento q el ritmo es muy repetitivo like the rest a lot going on sure, pero I feel like it’s the same? Pero me gustó it could’ve been better tho
Too heavy. To rap what US metal was to rock.
Some Quirked up White Boys with just a touch of swagger, are they goated with the sauce? Historically śpeaking, I guess, lowkey overrated but they were on the bleeding edge so you gotta give it to em. Obv they were pretty big. I like their classics that they’re known for from this album. I fucking HATED the song Girls, maybe it was a joke but mf you aint weird Al Yankovic idk what the hell that was. My roommate liked it because it’s the first beastie boys song he ever heard lol. Good music to hate your parents and steal from dollar tree to. Also good for smoking weed behind a church at 13 years old.
I can’t I’m sorry
Mistura de metálica e rap mas não sei se no bom sentido. Tem sem dúvida boas músicas mas tem muitos berros e pouco melódico para mim.
Había escuchado algunas canciones de este álbum a lo largo de los años, pero nunca lo había escuchado completo. Me parece un sonido muy adelantado a su época. Me sorprendió que fuera del 1986. También se escuchan las influencias de otros géneros de los 70 y cómo este grupo cambió la música a partir de este álbum. Aún si no es tu género o estilo, conviene escuchar y apreciar algo de historia musical.
not quite my style
has some classics for sure, but outside of those the general style isnt rly for me
Once again, I'm choosing to interpret what the beastie boys are doing as self-aware and/or satire of frat boys. Through that lens, this album is really good. A few hits, a whole lotta fun, and all you have to put up with is three dudes saying some unfortunate things about women and reminding you of their names over and over! Also, today I learned things about Jimmy Page and his contemporaries that I was too foolish and naive to know before listening to this album, hearing a line that made me stop dead in my tracks and looking up what the deal was with the beastie boys and underage girls... Turns out they were having a go at Page for it, or so I'm led to believe. The more you know I guess. One of the beastie boys has an inflection that irritates me so much and I'm not sure which beastie boy it is, which is ironic considering how often they remind me what their names are. I thought at first it might have been Mike D, but maybe it's actually MCA... Or it's two of them and I'm just confused. Last time I listened to a Beastie Boys album (Paul's Boutique) I said that their annoying vocals are a stylistic choice that I don't like but I can respect and I wasn't going to mark them down for it given how good everything else about it was. I'm going to do them the same courtesy with this one, in the interests of a fair comparison between the two. Overall I feel like this album is less interesting than Paul's Boutique, but it's got more to offer in the way of straight up bangers. "Fight For Your Right" and "No Sleep Til Brooklyn" are stone cold classics by this point. These albums both get the same 4/5 score from me, but for quite different reasons.
Classic album, though it feels like it doesn't really live up to the age that has passed since.
Not my cup of tea
Man Beastie Boys slap so much ass! First time listening to them and I got to say its a banger. Love the sample of Black Sabbath's ,,Sweet Leaf'' on ,,Rhymin & Stealin'', ,,Fight For Your Rights'' is also a huge screamer. Not a single miss on here and i would be definitely listening to this album again.
Never truly knew what the beastie boys sounded like and there were some bangers
Frat rap full of party anthems that makes great use of the TR-808 and rock beats. Reminds me of Run DMC (3.5-4).
I enjoy the youthful braggadocious nature of the lyrics. Very clear a young rebellious album against authority. A raw album that gives off the idea of low (but not necessarily bad) production. it gives the feeling of experimental youthful boys expressing what they love, that being beers and girls, in whatever way they know.
A 2.8 All the hit songs were the ones I’m familiar with. It’s probably a 3 but when would I go “it’s time to listen to Licensed to Ill”
Production was a bit overwhelming but there was some good stuff so maybe a 3
By contrast to yesterday.
Fighting for the right to party
Like a fine wine, it seems to have got better with age.
Genius cross of hard rock and rap, especially when the rock being sampled is Zep. Bit of a health warning on other tracks though. 3*
I feel like someone’s playing a trick on me…….what the fuck is this album
I recognized two songs No sleep till Brooklyn Paul Revere it’s popular. used a lot in movies, not my style but definitely memorable.
Classic album first time to listen and it was okay
162 Los Beastie Boys no tienen nada que me gusten, pero hacen cosas entretenidas que hacen que disfrute escucharlos, aunque sólo me gustan algunas canciones específicas de ellos. En este disco no había ninguna, pero igual lo pasé bien escuchando qué canciones samplearon o qué guiños a otras canciones hicieron.
I imagine if I listened to this album more than a couple times I would find it pretty repetitive and tiresome. On the first couple listens, though, there is definitely some magic in those heavy guitar riffs and shrill rapping.
es fehlt was egal wie laut typisches hip hop album alle lieder ähnlich gutes cover
half a song in not my type of music at all genuinely dont think i can get tbrough this😭
Their worst album. Still enjoyable despite sounding very dated.
this genuinely sounded like a high-school diss track for most of the songs? incredibly samey-samey rhythm pattern and just naff lyrics all round, very cringe, not a fan
a couple excellent songs mired by an overall mediocre albun
For me it starts kinda weak - just looping beats and some rap, peaking midway with 'fight for your right' and 'no sleep till brooklyn' (more melodic, catchy, etc). In summary: funny (sometimes cringy?) texts and rap/hip-hop typical rhymes on a looping beat or sound samples. Not bad but also not really my taste in music.
Anstrengend zu hören. Die stimme ist sehr gewöhnungsbedürftig. Girls ist irgendwie weird aber unterhaltsam. Fight for your right ist halt ein ziemlicher banger. No sleep till brooklyn auch ganz gut.
Oh yes - High school 1986-87 - great times and loved many of these tunes. Big fave is Rhymin' & Stealin'...also Paul Revere is a good story and tune.
no 808s
There was a bit of nostalgia here listening to Fight For Your Right and No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn, and Slow And Low was OK, but beyond that I struggled to get anything from this. Taken at face value, it's shouty, tedious frat-boy hip-hop. If you take it as a satire, it remains shouty, tedious, frat-boy hip-hop but you don't have to take it so seriously. However, back in the day, I don't remember it being labelled as satirical (a group of English comedians released a song called No Sleep 'Til Bedtime to cash in a bit), and it seemed to be championed by the people that maybe it was poking fun at! Either way, apart from a few songs, not for me. A low 2.
I loved this album when I was younger. It was up there with Run DMC and LL. I still enjoy some of there stuff but it it all way to similar. Fun mix and DJ work, silly lyrics and screaming into a megaphone into a mic. I will give them huge leeway as hip hop was new and they are trailblazers but damn it sound the same from song to song.
A great album to revisit and an absolute product of the time in a (mostly) positive way.
I was familiar with some of these tracks ("Girls", "Fight For Your Right", "No Sleep Till Brooklyn", "Brass Monkey") via general cultural osmosis, and based on those wasn't looking forward to the rest of the album. There were definitely moments here I enjoyed - "Rhymin' and Stealin'" was fun, partly because you can't go wrong with John Bonham's thunderous drums. But for the most part the album was what I expected - the soundtrack of the beer-soaked frat boys that I hated in college. Simple rhymes about beer and hos and how awesome they were, nothing too complicated that you couldn't slur along to after a few brewskis. None for me, thanks.
A fun album, but that's kinda all there is to it. Nothing wrong with fun, but it kinda overstays its welcome. The ones that everyone knows from the album - "Fight for Your Right", "Girls", "Brass Monkey", "No Sleep Till Brooklyn", are all serviceable '80s hip-hop, but the rest of the album is just kinda inferior versions of them.
If a sneer could sing, you’d get the Beastie Boys.
The illest.
This was a landmark album on release and something I played non stop from sophomore year of high school through university. Back then it would have been an easy 5 and perhaps still should be. But I’ve matured and my musical tastes and much more diverse. If a song from this album were to come on the radio I would not change it. But then again not really an album I would seek out anymore. 4/5
I like Beastie Boys. I have a very white-person taste in hip hop and prefer when it’s fast-paced and production-focused. This is kind of what Beastie Boys are making. However, although I enjoyed this album, I think it was pretty inconsistent. There’s a bunch of songs with great beats and fun vocals, and I like the guitar riffs that are occasionally inserted into the music, but there are also some songs that are underproduced and feel kind of empty. Good album overall but not the most consistent. Also, the mixing is also not the best. 7/10
One classic and a decent other one. Rest just shouty shitey shallow . You die happier having missed it
lol why did i spend my 8th grade listening to Im the Man by Anthrax?
Not really my piece of cake
(3.2) Pretty unique sound and production. I think this is probably one of my dad’s favorite albums; definitely reminds me of some car rides when I was a kid. Overall it’s just not my favorite sound, it’s definitely interesting and fun to listen to, but it’s not something I would regularly re-listen to.
I think this is a solid 4 to 4.5, just due to the influence and impact, let alone the quality of the music for the time and how much a lot of it really does hold up. It's a style that some have tried to copy, but no one has ever been able to actually replicate. I do like many of their other albums more than this one, but the influence of their debut is undeniable.
It's a silly mess. I still like Paul's Boutique more, but it's a fun listen, regardless.
3/5
Mild start but the back half is riddled with timeless classics that bump up this rating a lot
I think I'm too woke and feminist to like this album. Even though the instrumental are really cool, I find the text very mild and they always rap the same way on every song... Also the line "All the girls I like are underage" can't pass in 2025 (soon 2026)
Good for what it was. 80’s hip-hop not my cup of tea (for now)
1 stern
I love the Beasties. On my shortlist for albums to contribute to this list when I've finished is Check Your Head (my favorite of their albums), but I'll admit I rarely go back to listen to their debut in full. The album is too much screaming, too many similar break beats, too much Rick Rubin (whose production I appreciate in short bursts) but if I'm honest, about half the tracks I could skip because they're monotonous. It should be pointed out that the Beasties were young, dumb and stupid at this point. The original title for this album was "Don't Be A Fa**ot" (they have since recognized the error of their ways and apologized) but while there are quite a few funny lines throughout, the album is largely crass and juvenile, and not necessarily in a way that makes their protagonists likeable. There was also some startling creativity being hemmed in by Rubin and Russell Simmons, who were conspiring to rip them off, and it would come out after they moved to Capitol Records in the masterpiece Paul's Boutique. The bangers on this album, "Fight For Your Right," "No Sleep Til' Brooklyn," "Brass Monkey," "Girls," "Paul Revere," etc. mean I can't rate this album too low, but it ranks well below what were going to see from the group.
iconic for a reason
good shit
ngl this felt pretty corny, repetitive, and basic.
Really like this album. Energy is unmatched. You can hear so many things that were sampled later, even by acts you wouldn’t expect like Sublime. Classic for a reason.
I have always liked the Beastie Boys. Compared to the last album of theirs that I listened, I enjoyed this one more. It had memorable songs and I really want this era of hiphop to return.
Good debut
Pretty solid but not their final form.
Hell yeah this rocks.
Sure
Nice album, but not my style
I hate it. White men shouting. Not good rap and also not good rock. Hope tomorrow isn’t Beastie Boys
Trailblazing in both its creativity and mysogony.
Hell yeah. Sometimes the lyrics get a bit goofy but you can't argue with the jams.
BQNGING already know its banging
Standouts She's Crafty Girls Flight For Your Right No Sleep Til Brooklyn Park Revere Brass Monkey
Beastie Boys have always been fun for me to listen to. The rhymes are hilarious and immature, so I have to be in the right mood to listen and it’ll never be a marathon listening session. These guys are genius’s, and the sampling is perfection.
Great record, some amazing samples on this
Great. Forgot how much I enjoy this album
This album is pure fun.
How can an album be so right and so wrong at the same time. Its completely juvenile, misogynistic, made by over the top man children. It is so over the top and their whining and complaining is completely immature and ridiculous. I have to hope they are just being characters of themselves (but sadly too many people really think this way). However, the over the topness somehow works. They mixed rap with rock and some angry punk type vibes to be something unique and different. Sometimes they yell a little too much or just seem angry for no good reason but the beats just make you want to fight for your right to party
Can I get one of my all time favorite albums for my birthday? OK! Kick It! Yes, this is pretty ridiculous and juvenile. Their next albums: Paul's Boutique, Check Your Head, & Ill Communication are all better musically speaking but I'm still going 5 for the original.
This first album by The Beastie Boys reminds me of the first album by Ween (GodWeenSatan): basic, immature and dumb as hell and yet they both oops!, happen to be great! For the Beasties it’s hitting the surprising goof nail in the burgeoning genre of rap. I personally don’t like them overall. They don’t speak to me. Fight For Your Right is another all time hated song for me. Girls is ridiculously misogynistic…such a WTF! moment. Their Zeppelin sample was cool, but if I want that I’ll go listen to Zep. No Sleep Til Brooklyn, Brass Monkey and Slow and Low are pretty great. The Mr. Ed sample in Time To Get Ill had me chuckling and reminded me of watching endless reruns of that show as a kid. 3.5 stars, because this album is NOT good and yet great at the same time.
The hits on here are still so great after all this time. And I really like how much sampling they do. Some of the songs I'm less familiar with start to blend together in sameness, and the "yelling" aspect of their vocals gets a bit grating and chaotic at times, but overall, this is a really fun album, and pretty excellent for a debut. They came out swinging hard.
Fun
5!
I mean, this is Licensed to Ill. Immediate 5. This album contains the holy trinity of early Beastiality- Girls, Fight for Your Right to Party, and No Sleep Til Brooklyn. Then, you have Brass Monkey, Paul Revere, and Low and Slow for good measure. What a powerhouse! Who else will make you rock out to the Mr. Ed theme? Who else can make you do the Jerry Lewis? Who else can make the beat, ehrr, droooppp??? I’ve never met someone who I can’t immediately bond with once this album comes on. I’ve literally chanted ‘Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves’ with a room full of strangers thirty years after this album came out, and now we’re not strangers anymore. This album came out a year before I was born, and yet, it was an anthem for my teenage years and early twenties. I still listen to this often now that I’m reaching geezer status, and it still holds up. I still hear new details. The hair still stands up on my head when I make it back to BK, blasting No Sleep. Thank you, Beasties! All hail!
Old school rap. The way rap should have stayed. Not the rap crap they have today. Some good songs.(Rap)
Wasn’t expecting to dislike this one as much as I did. I enjoyed Paul’s Boutique and Ill Communication, but this one feels far more amateur than those, which I guess makes sense.
This album is big and dumb and problematic, but I love it. When I was too tired to think as a new parent, I could always remember the words to "Paul Revere"
I've never loved the Beastie Boys, but this has some fun songs.
What a record.
A breakthrough album by one of rap music’s most iconic groups. Doesn’t get much better than this. 10/10
The thing about this album as a kid was that it made you feel like you could be them and make music too. It made me write raps with mates, try to rap over some crazy old vinyl we found. It gave me confidence to be white and like rap music. It also crossed the boundaries between the tap and the rock that I liked. Fight for your right and No Sleep Til Brooklyn back to back is also a ridiculous one-two knockout punch.
This guy's are amazing at making fun music. The energy is hard to dispute. The rapping is in very high quality, the interaction between the boys especially. Production also feels ahead of time A very good record A high 3
Cool beats but nothing really that special to me outside of Fight For Your Right
The Beasties would certainly mature both musically and as people after this (as we all should) but goddamn if this album isn't a blast to listen to. They would later claim a lot of of this is satire that went over people heads, and I mostly believe that. It's loud, stupid and obnoxious and pretty much a perfect debut album.
This is the definition of a classic album. Yes, it came out in the 80s, but every song is great. The only thing that keeps it from being a 5-star is that the songs sound very similar. While I know that's the Beastie Boys sound, if they did experiment with a new sound style, it would be revolutionary.
Prime hip hop, witty and shallow. I love it
This had me Rhymin’ & Stealin’
Not one of their best. Couple of good tracks, lot of slop. Terrible lyrics and often pretty uninventive musically.
preferred to the last beastie boys album but was happy when it was over
Hard not to get caught up in nostalgia with this one, my first proper hip-hop album. Sounds very raw now with some dubious lyrics but still has some great tracks.
Copying from my other account, this is the best of the three beastie boys accounts on this list, Fight for your right easily being there best song
Super Dope
A fun debut. Extra star for "No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn", which is fire.
ITS THE NEW STYLEEE CHECK IN First Beastie Boys album, not my favorite of theirs but it has the classics Fight for your Right and Brass Monkey. Paul Revere and No Sleep til Brooklyn rock
I really liked aspects of this, much more than I expected to. Good tunes, cool samples - the only bit I didn't like was their very whiny voices. 3.5 stars.
kind of fun, kind of annoying
My mom loves this album so i've been vaguely familiar with it forever. It's obviously very influential, and some of the tracks are classics to me, but some of them just gave me a bit of a headache. I won't lie, some of the longer tracks that I wasnt already familiar with were a bit hard for me to listen to. I'm disappointed because i thought i'd love it more. It's solid, but just a lot for me.
Never liked them, led zeppelin samples and a threat to VW cars…..
I bought a second hand cd form Big Kev at highschool. Lost it. Enjoyed the listen again though. No Sleep Till Brooklyn and Fight for Your Right are certified bangers. Girls, Paul Revere Brass Monkey...
Amazingly fresh with great rhymes.
i'm being nice to this album because i heard the influences and i can appreciate what this album did for hip-hop but please know deep in my soul i hated every miserable moment i spent listening to these 'hip-hop! it started out in the park!' flows
this might be the worst rap i've ever heard in my life and i listen to kpop.
Good music
I bought this when it was released. The samples blew my mind at the time.
There are better BB's albums.
It's a little funny to listen back at Beastie Boys now. They're so iconic that you know exactly how this will sound by their name alone. The music is really clean, it's almost minimalistic in that it doesn't really have any fluff. Nothing is wasted, and it isn't stuffed with samples or anything that doesn't directly elevate the music. It also lets the rapping take clear center stage. Which also really displays their chemistry. The alternating words and unison moments are really special. The middle of this album is also peak. They're just classic rap. Trendsetters. My issues with it I think stem mostly from personal taste, and a lack of awareness/revere for rap and its history. Not that I think they're bad; they just don't have as great as an impact on me personally than they would to a general audience, let alone longtime fans of rap. Favorite Song(s): Fight for Your Right, No Sleep Till Brooklyn
I like it when they finish each other's sentences :) gives me serotonin. What good friends they must be <3
So good. The back half is filled with extra chewy goodness.
3.5 - Good album. Listened to it for ages. One or two kinda annoying songs though.
;)
I'm an elder Millennial and Beastie Boys is party vibes
I've listened to this one a few times in my life. Just to go back and see if I like it any more than I did at first. See, there are a couple of good songs, or more accurately songs with some good parts in them. But it's really hard to listen to this all the way through. It's way too repetitive. I really like the later B Boys, the older the better actually. Some of their later stuff is just great instrumental jazzy, trippy, funky. Love it! Their voices are terrible. On this album they really leaned into it, too. They were trying to be obnoxious. good job, guys. Success! I'm glad they didn't try to do the same thing over again because clearly once is enough. But they made zillions. So, good on 'em! Don't have much to add about any particulars. There are dozens of reviews here and elsewhere pointing out which songs are better or worse. I agree. I do have to give the requisite high marks for Rick Rubin bringing some rockers and rock samples to this. It's what makes them different than the others of their ilk. In my mind it's a 3, but for the influence, and for the music they made later, I'm calling this a 4.
This is okay in small doses, but a whole album becomes annoying. 3 stars or C-.
Generational bangers & generational talents. One of the best hip hop albums ever imo. Plus, one of the best run of 4 straight songs ever with Girls, Fight for your Right, No Sleep Till Brooklyn, & Paul Revere. I love the album Paul's Boutique but this has the bangers.
wouldn't pick it but enjoyed it, nice!
Most of it sounds fun but it loses one star because the lyrics are just too silly (how many times they talk about "girlies"?)
Grew up listening to these guys. Fight for your Right is one of my favorite songs.
A classic hip hop debut
Good fun
When Fight For Your Right came out in 1986 I was 15 and saw the Beastie Boys as some sort of comic band with their funny video and lyrics to go along with it. But over the years I have come to appreciate just how good they were. First time listening to the debut album as a whole and in general I really liked it. Will definitely be listening to this album again along with others in the catalog.
I get the Beastie Boys are somewhat iconic but this sounds like pretty basic stuff. Simple, childish lyricism paired with with simple, childish beats. Purposely immature and bratty. Theres fun to be had but little to no depth. Great album cover.
Funny that I knew more songs off this album than Ill Communication, but ended up liking that album more. This is a fun but juvenile debut album, with some good songs, but you can tell they were only just figuring out their sound. "Fight For Your Right" and "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" are the best on here, but also enjoyed "Rhymin & Stealin" and "The New Style"
Love them or hate them, the Beasties are an essential part of the conversation.
It's alright. I liked "Ill Communication" better. I do appreciate the shorter tunes but the yelling vocals get old pretty quick.
What a debut album. Was waffling between 4 and 5 because it does sound a bit dated and juvenile now but this was pretty peak when I was a juvenile. Favorite bop is “girls” but anthems like “fight for your right” and “no sleep till Brooklyn” are still a blast. Great jams now where’s my Jammie.
own
3.5-4/5