The Beastie Boys started out in the early '80s as brash young hardcore punk rockers and have evolved into elder statesmen of hip-hop—but their music is as fresh, playful, and inventive as ever. Michael (Mike D) Diamond, Adam (Ad-Rock) Horowitz, and Adam (MCA) Yauch were pioneers of the genre mash-up, incorporating everything from rock riffs to disco samples to Buddhist chanting into their music. Though their 1986 breakthrough hit ‘Fight for Your Right to Party’ was a novel melding of rap and metal, it was their seminal 1988 album Paul’s Boutique that first established them as musical geniuses.

The Beastie Boys have sold 40 million albums worldwide. They have won three Grammys, in three different genre categories: rap, alternative, and instrumental pop. The trio scored the 1998 EMA for Best Rap Act, the same year their video innovations were honored with a Video Vanguard Award at the VMAs. Their latest single, ‘Make Some Noise’, was released in April 2011.