The Beastie Boys‘ seminal 1986 debut album, Licensed To Ill, has officially sold more than ten million copies, making it one of a very select group of hip-hop albums to achieve Diamond Status from the RIAA. When Ad-Rock, Mike D, and MCA first released the record — which includes hits like “No Sleep till Brooklyn” and “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)” — it quickly topped the Billboard charts, and is widely considered the first hip-hop album to do so. Now Licensed To Ill joins elites like OutKast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, Notorious B.I.G.’s Life After Death, Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP, and 2Pac’s All Eyez On Me. To date, the Beastie Boys’ frat-rap masterpiece is the only hip-hop album from the ’80s to sell ten million copies.
Beastie Boys’ Iconic ‘Licensed To Ill’ Achieves Diamond Status
