Licensed to Ill is the debut studio album by rap rock group Beastie Boys. It was released on November 15, 1986, by Def Jam and Columbia Records, and became the first rap LP to top the Billboard album chart. It is one of Columbia Records’ fastest-selling debut records to date and was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2015 for shipping over ten million copies in the United States. Licensed to Ill was certified Platinum by the (RIAA) on February 2, 1987, and was ultimately certified Diamond on March 4, 2015. The single Brass Monkey was certified Gold for shipping over 500,000 sales. . In 2012, in the week following Adam Yauch‘s death, which subsequently resulted in increased album sales for the Beastie Boys, Licensed to Ill reached No. 1 on the Billboard Catalog Albums chart. The album also re-entered the Billboard 200 chart at number 18.
Tracklist:
- Rhymin & Stealin
- The New Style
- She’s Crafty
- Posse in Effect
- Slow Ride
- Girls
- Fight for Your Right
- No Sleep till Brooklyn
- Paul Revere
- Hold It Now, Hit It
- Brass Monkey
- Slow and Low
- Time to Get Ill
The full album cover, front to back, shows an American Airlines Boeing 727 with the Beastie Boys logo on its tail, crashing head-on into a mountainside, appearing as an extinct joint. The tail of the plane also features the Def Jam logo and registration number ‘3MTA3‘ which spells ‘EATME‘ when viewed in a mirror. The idea for the album cover came from the album’s producer, Rick Rubin, after reading Led Zeppelin‘s biography, Hammer of the Gods. The artwork was created by Stephen Byram and World B. Omes. The album cover was featured in Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell’s book, 100 Best Album Covers.
Beastie Boys: producers
Joe Blaney: mixing
Steven Ett: audio engineer
Kerry King: lead guitar on “No Sleep till Brooklyn” and “Fight for Your Right”
Rick Rubin: producer
Steve Byram: art direction
Sunny Bak: photography
World B. Omes (David Gambale): cover art
Nelson Keene Carse: trombone
Danny Lipman: trumpet
Tony Orbach: tenor saxophone
