Funny that this accolade would go to some white boys, but I'm certain that no one has more innovative and interesting rap than the Beastie Boys!

Those of you who only remember their "Fight For your Right to Party" days are TOTALLY missing the point--the Beastie Boys evolved, kept producing new material, and were never boring. They stood the test of time and passed with flying colors! To date, they are not copying all the trends; their last album, "Hello Nasty," brought back much of the spirit of the 80's while still sounding fresh...

Fuckin' A.

stick to metaphysics lol

I respect the Beastie Boys&"Paul's Botique" is a tight Album&they aren't Generic White Cats trying too be done&they are Talented but as far as the Being the Greatest?in My Best Fred G.Sanford" ARE YOU CRAZY?? Ever Heard of RUN DMC? Called Rap's Beatles.Public Enemy?NWA?Lost Poets? Hell on the White Boy Rap Tip give me 3rd-Base anyday.MC Search is so Damn Underrated it ain't even funny.Beasties would make my All-Time Favorite Rap Acts though but they don't measure up with the Ultimate best.they don't have a Catelog Jam like Grandmaster Flash&The Furious Five's "The Message" if you don't know you better ask somebody?

mistermaxxx said:

i think longevity adds a great deal to the Beasties' popularity and acclaim. no one you mentioned has stayed together as long as or maintained the commerical and critical success of the Beastie Boys.

The Beastie boys?

No Public Enemy and Run DMC R the greatest rap groups of all time .

AaronUnlimited said:

in the Suburbs Maybe but in the Rest of The World&with Real Hip-Hop Heads it's Public Enemy,Run Dmc,NWA DigitalLisa will tell you that as well.

the Beasties aren't even rap or hip hop anymore --or at least they took a turn in the early to mid nineties to altern-rap or whatever. Theres a diff betwen rap and hip hop anyways etc and to say that Beasties is the greatest hip hop OR rap is just so silly because its more than jams that make those great hip hop or rap artists but I dont have the inclination or strength to talk about it..but its safe to assume that there is a certain section out there who would call the Beasties the greratest rap or hip hop without knowing the influence etc of other seminal rap-hip hop artists. Not saying Teller , but in general. And dont get me wrong I LOVE the Beasties..they are in the top ten of the genre and they KNOW the genre and essence of what hip hop etc is about..but those who praise them as the best usually do not know the essence of the genre in general.

mistermaxxx said:

I'll fucking tell yo that too lol. Longevity doesnt mean anything in this here arena. KRS is still out there etc..sales etc doesnt mean anything in this title fight etc.

rdhull said:

AMEN RDHULL. we agree on something who knew?? watching your Rolling Stones concert right now.Peace

mistermaxxx said:

It's all about The Booyah Tribe.

Tony M

teller said:[quote]Funny that this accolade would go to some white boys, but I'm certain that no one has more innovative and interesting rap than the Beastie Boys!

I agree that the Beasties have been innovative and I would consider them one of the best of all time but not the best. Others here have mentioned Public Enemy and Run-DMC and again I would say they too are some of the best of all time as well but not the best either. This is hard because its all a matter of opinion as to who is the best. Run-DMC gets respect because they opened up alot of doors for hip hop and rap but they stopped being innovative after Raising Hell,giving them three albums of innovation and creativity. Same with PE after Fear Of A Black Planet they stopped being innovative. Longevity is something that these two mentioned groups have had but mainly for nostalgic reasons.
Alot of groups make claims to being creative and innovative but only a handful really are and many of which don't sell alot of records besides the above mentioned Beasties and currently I would say Outkast is the most interesting and creative along with The Roots. But again its all a matter of personal opinion.

Ok...Run DMC, Public Enemy, yes...true...

Perhaps the Beastie's are in a category all their own, hence the quotation marks around "rap."

BUT THEY STILL ROCK!!!

I ADORE the Beastie Boys. I consider them more of an alternative band but it you group them in with rap, they're my favorite artists of that genre. I thought that I didn't like them until I saw them at Lollapalooza '94. My image of them was still the Licensed to Ill fratboys. But the energy they create onstage and the fact that they play their own instruments (and very well), was a major plus. After that, I went out and bought everything they ever put out and am still impressed. Check Your Head has to be one of the greatest albums ever. I love their mix of punk, funk, hip hop and alternative. They do it better than anybody.