Hip-Hop IS most definitely a form of Rock-N-Roll. So is virtually EVERY OTHER form of pop-music that come along since the 1950′s.

That Metalhead doesn’t know this ranks him among the dinosaur head bangers of the 80′s who refuse to let the past die quietly in the dungeon. He reminds me of the buddy I recently ran into. When we were teenagers we shared an interest in the likes of Def Leppard, Dokken, Eddie Money and U2. He stopped expanding his musical interests around 1990, when mine was just taking off. So when we recently spoke he made it a point to let me know that not a day goes by that he doesn’t listen to Def Leppard and think about the old days, and wanted to know if I still listened to them. I responded with a feeble deflective “yeah, ya know . . . every so often”. And then, offered that I more enjoyed the likes of The Bogmen, 2 Skinee J’s, Helmet, Soul Coughing, Tribe Called Quest, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Queens of the Stone Age, Korn, Deftones, Rage Against The Machine, Metallica, Primus, Sublime among many many others. Believe it or not . . . he had heard some Metallica and virtually nothing else. I could not imagine my life without the pleasure of the rich, varied audio soundtrack that exploring new music provided me.

I suppose by MetalHeads standards, the use of hip-hop by the Deftones, Korn and most notably, RATM, disqualifies those acts from the “Rock-n-Roll” HOF.

Anyway the band that inspired my fascination with seeking out new and varied musical styles? Yeah, the Beastie Boys. As countless others have stated here . . . the Beasties wrote, produced and performed virtually all of the music they ever recorded and released. Yes, they were early innovators and purveyors of music sampling. But then, that is a far cry from the outright theft of music that Led Zeppelin passively passed off as its own. (Full disclosure . . . I’m a card carrying ZepHed). Good sampling is no different than emulating your favorite vocalist or guitarist,etc . . . something that the Metal genre is quite familiar with (look no further than WhiteLionSnake or if you need a less PopMetal example, Helloween’s obvious echoing of influences: Iron Maiden and Ronnie James Dio).

Personally, I love metal, hard core, garage, ‘grunge’, classic rock, prog-rock, hip-hop and electronica. They are all forms and/or permutations of ROCK-N-ROLL.

Even Sebastian Bach eventually resolved his anger and resentment that music loving public finally found self-respect again in the post-80′s music scene and professed his love and appreciation for the evolution of music in the 90′s and beyond.

Perhaps whats most difficult for guys like Metalhead, is that the Beastie Boys defy any single genre. They aren’t neatly packaged and singularly focused. They lack predictability. Some people fear the uncertain.

“Now my name is M.C.A. I’ve got a license to kill
I think you know what time it is it’s time to get ill
Now what do we have here an outlaw and his beer
I run this land, you understand I make myself clear.”

We stepped into the wind he had a gun, I had a grin
You think this story’s over but it’s ready to begin………..

Easily one of the most original, inventive, creative, intelligent and FUN bands of all-time. Their music matured and evolved with each project. Hot Sauce Committee Part II was no different. Who knows if Part I will ever see the light of day. But I always wondered what the Beastie Boys in their 50′s might create.

MCA’s buzzsaw voice and paced punkish delivery was integral to the Beastie’s sound.

Surely, Ad Rock and Mike D remain immense talents who I love and admire, but the Beastie Boys are no more.

And sadly MCA has “Passed the Mic” for the final time.

btw, rock and roll is not track 1. it’s track 2 on zozo. yr 8-track might be warped. people that like hip hop can still be into other forms of music, my man.

i’m going to be having a few brass monkeys in the name of MCA tonight. ill communication changed my life. it opened me up to so many different genres of music! there’s no way i would be the person i am today without the beastie boys. RIP

So recently, I am playing License to Ill for my 14 year old, who is kinda into rap, but like something called “dubstep” don’t ask me what it is and also likes Linkin Park. So I’m playing License to Ill and around the third song my 14 year old goes “Dad, this is REALLY gangster stuff” I was like “No it’s not”…then I started really listening, and compared to today’s stuff, License to Ill really is quite gangster.

Nowadays, they don’t use the N word, talk about guns as much, and other stuff that every rap song in the 80′s and 90′s did. Sure, you have some stuff today, but it’s not as prevalent as it was. License to Ill was my favorite album, but yeah, I guess it was kinda gangster. Awesome.

P.S. At best, Iron Maiden belongs in the Hall of Very Good.

Craig, you know of these blues greats? Really? Much respect.

Why do you have to define who an artist is by trying to group them into a certain type of sound that makes you feel better? Calling the Beastie Boys rappers is like calling Levon Helm only a drummer. They were much more than that and I think that is reflected in their being in the Hall of Fame.

Hall of Fame’s are kind of weird as there are no real definitions of who belongs and who doesn’t. But more than anything what they do is recognize talent. No one, no matter what your music interests are, can say that the Beastie Boys as a group and as individuals were not immensely, immensely talented. They were terrific artists and they were icons. What else do you want for Hall of Fame induction?

And I am not even really that big of a fan of the Beastie Boys. But I recognize their talent.