Review
Perhaps Licensed to Ill was inevitable -- a white group blending rock and rap, giving them the first number one album in hip-hop history. But that reading of the album's history gives a short shrift to the Beastie Boys; producer Rick Rubin and his label, Def Jam; and this remarkable record, since mixing metal and hip-hop isn't necessarily an easy thing to do. Just sampling and scratching Sabbath and Zeppelin to hip-hop beats does not make for an automatically good record, though there is a visceral thrill to hearing those muscular riffs put into overdrive with scratching. But, much of that is due to the producing skills of Rick Rubin, a metalhead who formed Def Jam Records with Russell Simmons and had previously flirted with this sound on … » Read more
Tracks
| Title | Composer | Time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhymin & Stealin | Beastie Boys, Diamond, Horovitz… | 4:08 | |||
| 2 | The New Style | Beastie Boys, Diamond, Horovitz… | 4:35 | |||
| 3 | She's Crafty | Beastie Boys, Diamond, Horovitz… | 3:35 | |||
| 4 | Posse in Effect | Beastie Boys, Diamond, Horovitz… | 2:26 | |||
| 5 | Slow Ride | Beastie Boys, Diamond, Horovitz… | 2:56 | |||
| 6 | Girls | Beastie Boys, Rubin | 2:13 | |||
 |
7 | Fight for Your Right | Beastie Boys, Diamond, Horovitz… | 3:27 | ||
|
8 | No Sleep Till Brooklyn | Beastie Boys, Diamond, Horovitz… | 4:06 | ||
|
9 | Paul Revere | Diamond, Horovitz, King Ad Rock … | 3:40 | ||
| 10 | Hold It Now, Hit It | Beastie Boys, Diamond, Horovitz… | 3:26 | |||
|
11 | Brass Monkey | Beastie Boys, Diamond, Horovitz… | 2:37 | ||
| 12 | Slow and Low | Diamond, Horovitz, McDaniels, Rubin… | 3:38 | |||
| 13 | Time to Get Ill | Beastie Boys, Diamond, Horovitz… | 3:37 | |||
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Releases
| Year | Type | label | Catalog # |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | CD | Def Jam | 40238 |
| 1995 | CS | Def Jam | 527351 |
| 1995 | CD | Def Jam | 527351 |
| 2000 | LP | Def Jam | 5273511 |
| 2004 | CD | Um3 | 9813320 |
| 2005 | LP | Def Jam | 9826893 |
| 2007 | LP | EMD Int'l | 651660 |
Other Editions
| Edition |
|---|
| Bonus Tracks |
| Licensed to Ill |
| Licensed to Ill |
