I was in 7th grade when I first heard the Beastie Boys’ major label debut Licensed to Ill. By the time the Beastie Boys hit the music scene I had already been listening to rap music for a couple of years. I was first exposed to rap through breakdancing (Breakin’ and Beat Street), and owned Fat Boys and Run DMC cassettes at least a year before Licensed to Ill was released. That being said, there were things that set the Beasties apart from those other acts — the main one being they were white, which helped get them radio play.… (read more)