If you’re not familiar with the Beastie Boys, you’ve missed out on one of rap music‘s original acts. The Beastie Boys, who first hit the charts in the 1980′s, introduced rap music to scores of white, middle-class suburban kids. Last week, The Beastie Boys, also known as Adam Horowitz, Adam Yauch, Michael Schwartz and Michael Diamond, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Honor For Just The Third Rap Act

The Beastie Boys are just the third rap group to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, behind Run-DMC and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Rap masters LL Cool J and Chuckie D formally inducted the group.

In its earliest years, the group was associated closely with producing legends Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin at Def Jam Records. The group credited other acts in the emerging rap music genre for their influences, including Bad Brains, The Slits, the Treacherous Three and XRay Spex. Four of the group’s eight albums reached the top of the Billboard Album chart, including Licensed to Ill, Ill Communication, Hello Nasty and To the 5 Boroughs. The group continues to perform today, and most recently released an album entitled Hot Sauce Committee Part Two in 2011.

Their first release, New York Thrash, was a forerunner of the modern mixtape and preceded the release of their first EP, Polly Wog Stew (1982). Originally, the band worked in the hardcore metal genre, but successfully made the switch to rap early on. Since the group’s inception, they’ve sold more than 40 million albums world wide, about half of which were sold in the United States.

The Beastie Boys made it big with the help of an established music producer, but they also helped to open the door for artists who want to produce their own music. The Beastie Boys were considered a “groundbreaking” act in the 1980′s and served as many fans’ first introduction to the rap music genre. The group paired famously with Run-DMC for its Raising Hell tour in 1985 and first cracked the R & B and Dance charts in the same year with “Hold It Now, Hit It.”

The Beastie Boys demonstrate that anyone can break into rap music and deliver a successful sound. For aspiring new musicians in the rap music genre, one of the best tools to have is DubTurbo, a complete music-production software package that lets you create your own musical style!

Photo Credit: fiestasandfiascos, via Flickr