Beastie Boys

Band

Photo: Masao Nakagami · CC BY-SA 2.0
Active 1981-2012
Origin New York City, New York
Albums 8
Tracks 136
Most frequent collaborator Mario Caldato Jr. · 63 tracks
Genres Hip HopRap RockAlternative Hip Hop
Complete Artist
97%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 132 of 136 tracks

Did the Beastie Boys write their own songs?

Yes, and always as a three. Mike D, Ad-Rock and MCA share the credit on 131 of the 136 tracks across eight albums, and no track in the catalogue is credited to one of them alone. The four exceptions are covers and guest pieces.

By the Numbers

8
Studio Albums
136
Tracks Credited
97%
Self-Written
31
Years Active
32
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 132 / 136 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 136 tracks: how many Beastie Boys wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Beastie Boys has a writing credit97%
45%
52%
3%
Sole author61tracks45%
Co-written71tracks52%
Outside writers4tracks3%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Beastie Boys's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 136 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)97%
Composer (music)97%
Producer76%
Performer100%

Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on

Percentage of all 136 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.

MemberPeriodLyricsMusicProductionPerformance
Mike D 1981-2012
96%
96%
0%
0%
Ad-Rock 1982-2012
97%
97%
0%
0%
MCA 1981-2012
96%
96%
0%
0%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Beastie Boys's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 97%
92%
100%
85%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
1986Licensed to Ill
1989Paul's Boutique
1992Check Your Head
1994Ill Communication
1998Hello Nasty
2004To the 5 Boroughs
2007The Mix-Up
2011Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
Early · 92% written
Mid · 100% written
Late · 100% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

96%
1980s
Licensed to Ill, Paul's Boutique
95%
1990s
Check Your Head, Ill Communication +1 more
100%
2000s
To the 5 Boroughs, The Mix-Up
100%
2010s
Hot Sauce Committee Part Two

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Beastie Boys sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Beastie Boys
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

EXO8%
Ricky Martin25%
Salt-N-Pepa35%
TLC59%
Destiny's Child69%
Phil Collins78%
Dr. Dre89%
97%Beastie Boys
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Brass Monkey
Licensed to Ill
Written by Mike D, Ad-Rock, MCA, Rick Rubin, Michael Louis Diamond, Adam Keefe Horovitz, Adam Nathaniel Yauch, Frederick Jay Rubin
Co-wrote
Intergalactic
Hello Nasty
Written by Mike D, Ad-Rock, MCA, Mario Caldato Jr., Michael Louis Diamond, Adam Keefe Horovitz, Adam Nathaniel Yauch
Co-wrote
Ch-Check It Out
To the 5 Boroughs
Written by Mike D, Ad-Rock, MCA, Michael Louis Diamond, Adam Keefe Horovitz, Adam Nathaniel Yauch
Wrote it

Discography 8 albums

All eight studio albums, including the 2007 instrumental record The Mix-Up. The EPs, live albums, remix sets and compilations sit outside this catalogue.

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Beastie Boys136 tracks
MC63Mario Caldato Jr., 63 tracks MM26Money Mark, 26 tracks [C20[[Mario Caldato Jr, 20 tracks DB15Dust Brothers, 15 tracks EM15E.Z. Mike, 15 tracks MD15Matt Dike, 15 tracks MS15Michael Simpson, 15 tracks RR13Rick Rubin, 13 tracks FJ13Frederick Jay Rubin, 13 tracks EB6Eric Bobo, 6 tracks on Cypress Hill's page DM2Darryl McDaniels, 2 tracks JS2Joseph Simmons, 2 tracks DH2DJ Hurricane, 2 tracks BM2Biz Markie, 2 tracks AS2Amery Smith, 2 tracks TC1Tom Cushman, 1 track T"1Tadone "Kool Tee" Hill, 1 track TN1Ted Nugent, 1 track SS1Sly Stone, 1 track F1Frontline, 1 track Q1Q-Tip, 1 track EG1Eugene Gore, 1 track MM1Mix Master Mike, 1 track WF1Wendell Fite, 1 track "M1"Mix Master" Mike Schwartz, 1 track W"1Wendell "DJ Hurricane" Fite, 1 track JC1Jill Cunniff, 1 track BW1Brooke Williams, 1 track L"1Lee "Scratch" Perry, 1 track N1Nas, 1 track S1Santigold, 1 track

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. MC Mario Caldato Jr. · MM Money Mark · [C [[Mario Caldato Jr · DB Dust Brothers · EM E.Z. Mike · MD Matt Dike

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

The Beastie Boys credit is the same three names in the same order almost every time: Mike D, Ad-Rock and MCA share 131 of 136 tracks. Four tracks have none of them, all covers or guest pieces, and the outside names that do appear are producers who worked on the record, the Dust Brothers on Paul's Boutique, Mario Caldato Jr. across the nineties, Money Mark on 24. There is not one solo writing credit in the catalogue.

Quick Facts

  • Shared everything131 of the 136 album tracks name all three
  • No solo creditsNot one track written by a single member
  • The fourth memberMoney Mark shares 24 tracks, more than any outsider
  • American salesOver 26-million records sold in the US
  • GrammysTwo in 1999, in the rap and alternative categories
  • Hall of FameInducted in 2012, the third rap group

Creative Fingerprint

Three names, one credit, 131 times, with no solo song anywhere.

The Story

All three of them are on 131 of the 136 album tracks. Nobody in this band ever took a song for himself, across thirty years and eight records.

Awards & Recognition

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted 2012
Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album for Hello Nasty (1999)
Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Intergalactic" (1999)

Frequently Asked Questions Beastie Boys

Did the Beastie Boys write their own songs?
Yes, and always as a three. Mike D, Ad-Rock and MCA share the credit on 131 of the 136 tracks across eight albums, and no track in the catalogue is credited to one of them alone. The four exceptions are covers and guest pieces.
Who wrote "Sabotage"?
All three of them, like everything else on Ill Communication.
Who wrote "Fight for Your Right"?
The three of them with Rick Rubin, who produced and co-wrote the whole of Licensed to Ill. It reached number 7 on the Hot 100.
Who else has a writing credit?
Money Mark on 24 tracks and Mario Caldato Jr. on 16, both of whom played on and produced the nineties records. The Dust Brothers, Michael Simpson and Matt Dike share all fifteen tracks on Paul's Boutique.
How many albums did they make?
Eight studio albums between 1986 and 2011, including the 2007 instrumental record The Mix-Up. The EPs, live albums and remix sets sit outside this catalogue.
Which single did best in America?
"(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" reached number 7 on the Hot 100. "Intergalactic" got to 28 and "Brass Monkey" to 48.
How well did they sell?
The group has sold over 26-million records in the US. Licensed to Ill alone sold over nine million copies and was Def Jam's fastest selling debut record.
Did they win Grammys?
Two in 1999, Best Alternative Music Album for Hello Nasty and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Intergalactic", the first band to win in both categories.
Are they in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Yes, inducted in 2012, the third rap group to be honoured.
What happened to the band?
Adam Yauch died in 2012 and the surviving members said they would not continue as the Beastie Boys.

Sources

Wikipedia: Beastie Boys Wikipedia: Beastie Boys discography Wikipedia: Mike D Wikipedia: Ad-Rock Wikipedia: Adam Yauch File:Beastie-boys.jpg - Wikimedia Commons