Line #49 Music/LicensedToIll


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/60a925ca4a53aa4239d258798e558822.JPG]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350: ''Your mum busted in and said, "What's that noise?!"''\
3	''Aw, Mum, you're just jealous: it's the BEASTIE BOYS!'']]
4
5	''Licensed to Ill'' is the debut album recorded by American HipHop group Music/BeastieBoys. It was released through Creator/ColumbiaRecords (via the Def Jam label) on November 15, 1986.
6
7	At the time, it surprised many listeners by being the first rap album to break into the mainstream and even get into the ''Billboard'' charts. Another album from that same year which showed the commercial viability of hip-hop acts was ''Music/RaisingHell'' (1986) by Music/RunDMC, which also became an overnight sensation.
8
9	However, ''Licensed to Ill'' was especially notable because it came from a group of [[TokenWhite white middle-class]] boys of Jewish descent, who nevertheless managed to overcome prejudices and get acclaim and respect from within the hip-hop community itself. Much had to do with the fact that Beastie Boys showed off great rapping skills, clever {{sampling}} and an overall creative and fun party atmosphere, exemplified by the hits "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)" and "No Sleep Till Brooklyn".
10
11	The Beasties themselves, however, would endure a CreatorBacklash regarding this album. They felt that they were overly pigeonholed as mindless "party music" as a result of the album, and would come to consider the album's lyrics as a bit too pubertal. Also, "Fight for Your Right (To Party)", which became a SignatureSong of theirs, was actually meant as a [[StealthParody tongue-in-cheek jab at the same "frat bro" culture they were accused of promoting]], but [[MisaimedFandom most fans didn't get the joke]]. As a result, ''Licensed to Ill'' became an OldShame to them, and their follow-up would be the more mature NewSoundAlbum ''Music/PaulsBoutique'' (1989). Nevertheless, ''Licensed to Ill'' is still a classic and regarded as a cornerstone in the history of hip-hop and popular music in general.
12
13	!!Tracklist
14	!!!Side One
15	# "Rhymin' & Stealin'" (4:08)
16	# "The New Style" (4:36)
17	# "She's Crafty" (3:35)
18	# "Posse In Effect" (2:27)
19	# "Slow Ride" (2:56)
20	# "Girls" (3:14)
21	# "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)" (3:28)
22
23	!!!Side Two
24	# "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" (4:07)
25	# "Paul Revere" (3:41)
26	# "Hold It Now, Hit It" (3:26)
27	# "Brass Monkey" (2:37)
28	# "Slow And Low" (3:38)
29	# "Time To Get Ill" (3:37)
30
31	!!Licensed to Trope:
32	* AlbumTitleDrop: Almost, in "Paul Revere" and "Time To Get Ill"
33	--> ''My name is MCA, I've got a license to kill''
34	* AlliterativeList: "Time To Get Ill""
35	--> ''I'm cool, calm, collected - from class I was ejected''
36	* AlliterativeTitle: "'''H'''old '''I'''t Now, '''H'''it '''I'''t".
37	* AmbiguousTimePeriod: The faux- origin story described in "Paul Revere" "started way back in history," when the boys were outlaws in the WildWest. Notably, Ad-Rock was riding a horse, running from the sheriff and [[AnachronismStew wearing a baseball hat.]]
38	* BarbaricBully: All three of the boys present as this. Their then-producer Rick "Double R" Rubin was a fan of ProfessionalWrestling and their image was influenced by the over-the-top antics of {{Heel}}s; depending on the song, their behavior ranges from literal barbarism in the vein of pirates and outlaws to stereotypical schoolyard bullying.
39	-->''So I went into the locker room during classes''
40	-->''Went into your locker and I smashed your glasses''
41	* BarBrawl: "Paul Revere."
42	* BigApplesauce: "No Sleep Till Brooklyn", where the band declares that they will tour the entire world, but won't sleep until they are back in their home neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York.
43	* BoastfulRap: "Rhymin' And Stealin'"
44	--> ''And I'll be rockin' my rhymes all the way to Hell's gate''
45	* {{Bowdlerize}}: Later in their career the Beasties didn't like some of the misogynist lyrics of some of the songs on this album anymore, so they changed them for live performances. For example, when performing "No Sleep Till Brooklyn", "M.C.A.'s in the back because he's skeezin' with a whore" was changed to "M.C.A.'s in the back with the mahjong board", and "Autographed pictures and classy hoes" was changed to "Autographed pictures to nobody knows".
46	* TheCasanova: "The New Style"
47	--> ''Got rhymes that are rough and rhymes that are slick''
48	--> ''I'm not surprised you're on my dick''
49	** This trope is heavily in play for most of the album, but it's [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] by "Girls," which details Ad-Rock's sexual frustration (and failure to attract the girl he really wants, who rejects him after being rejected herself by MCA and later pursues Mike D).
50	* CelebrityCameo: In the music video of "Fight For Your Right" several well known faces have a cameo, among them Music/LLCoolJ, members of the punk band Murphy's Law and producer Music/RickRubin. Also present is Tabitha Soren (with dyed hair), who would later become reporter for MTV News.
51	* ContinuityNod:
52	** "Rhymin' And Stealin'" has the line "Yo-ho-ho and a pint of Brass Monkey", which receives a continuity nod in the song "Brass Monkey" and "Slow Ride" ("I got a new dance they call the Brass monkey")
53	** "Rhymin' And Stealin'" has a line which already foreshadows the song "AWOL" on the band's next album ''Music/PaulsBoutique'' (1989).
54	--> ''Because the Beastie Boys have gone AWOL''
55	** Another example of foreshadowing: The phrase "Time to Get Ill" appears in both "Paul Revere" and "Brass Monkey".
56	** "The New Style" and "Fight For Your Right" were sampled during "Johnny Ryall" from the Beasties' own album ''Music/PaulsBoutique''.
57	*** "The New Style" was also infamously sampled on "Intergalactic" from ''Hello Nasty''.
58	* CoverVersion: "Slow and Low" was originally penned by Music/RunDMC and recorded during the sessions for ''Music/KingOfRock''. While it didn't get onto that album, Beastie Boys liked the track enough to seek and obtain permission to record their own version, adjusting some of the more self-referential lyrics. The original version would eventually surface on the deluxe edition of ''King of Rock''.
59	* CowboyEpisode: "Paul Revere."
60	* CreatorInJoke: The last verse of "Hold It Now Hit It" ends with a ShoutOut to "DJ Thigs" - Thigs was a friend of Music/RunDMC who wasn't actually a DJ, though Run insisted he would make a good one; The Beastie Boys decided to give him a nod in the song because it amused them. According to Michael Diamond, it turned out Thigs "couldn't spin, really, at all", which just made the line funnier.
61	* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: From "Hold It Now, Hit It":
62	-->''And I come from Brooklyn 'cause that's where I'm from''
63	* DesignStudentsOrgasm: The album cover was designed by David Gambale, under the pseudonym "World B. Omes," and features a Boeing 727 with the band name on the tail crashing head-on into a mountain side.
64	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In addition to the over-the-top fratboy gimmick, it's the only Beastie Boys album (besides ''[[InstrumentalHipHop The Mix-Up]]'') to completely lack profanity.
65	* FightFurYourRightToParty: "Fight For Your Right To Party" is the TropeNamer.
66	* FiringInTheAirALot: Referenced in "Rhymin' & Stealin'" and "Paul Revere."
67	* ImageSong: "Rhymin' and Stealin'", a sarcastic commentary of their embrace of hiphop. Most of the album in general also provides an image of the band as party animals, which they came to regret later in life when too many people took this image too seriously.
68	--> ''Beastie Boys always on vacation''
69	* ImportantHaircut: "Fight For Your Right To Party"
70	--> ''I'll kick you out of my home if you don't cut that hair''
71	* KleptomaniacHero: "She's Crafty", where MCA brings a girl home whom his friends suspects is a thief. Next morning she has stolen everything in their house.
72	* LampshadedDoubleEntendre: "Paul Revere"
73	--> ''I said "I'll ride with you if you can get me to the border''
74	--> ''The sheriff's after me for what I did to his daughter''
75	--> ''I did it like this / I did it like that / [[NoodleImplements I did it with a Wiffleball bat]].''
76	* LocationSong: "No Sleep Till Brooklyn", an ode to Brooklyn, their home borough. In the song they sing that how exhausting their tours may be they will not rest until they are back in Brooklyn.
77	* MinskyPickup: "Time to Get Ill" samples the intro to "Nothing From Nothing" by Billy Preston, which uses the Minsky pickup.
78	* MirrorMatch: The tail number on the plane on the album cover is "3MTA3", which spells "Eat Me", when seen in a mirror.
79	* MisogynySong: "Girls"
80	--> ''Girls - to do the dishes''
81	--> ''Girls - to clean up my room''
82	--> ''Girls to do the laundry''
83	* MundaneMadeAwesome: The lyrics somehow manage to get effective BoastfulRap out of spats with teachers, trips to White Castle and getting high while watching ''Series/MisterEd''.
84	* MyFriendsAndZoidberg:
85	-->Coolin' on the corner on a hot summer's day
86	-->Just me and my posse and MCA
87	* NeverTrustATitle: "Paul Revere" refers to Ad-Rock's horse, which is named "Paul Revere", [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse but disappears soon after he's introduced]].
88	* OdeToIntoxication: Literally every song references getting drunk and stoned.
89	** "Rhymin' And Stealin'"
90	--> ''I'm wheelin', I'm dealin' - I'm drinking, not thinking''
91	--> ''Never cower, never shower - and I'm always stinking''
92	--> ''Yo-ho-ho and a pint of Brass Monkey''
93	** "The New Style"
94	--> ''Rolled up a woolly (what did he do?) and I watched "Columbo"''
95	** "Posse In Effect"
96	--> ''I got a hat, not a visor - I drink Budweiser''
97	** "Slow Ride" is full of references to drinking alcohol and smokin' marihuana.
98	** "No Sleep 'Till Brooklyn''
99	--> ''I sip the def ale with all the fly women''
100	** "Brass Monkey", which is named after a cocktail.
101	* OneManSong: "Paul Revere".
102	* OneWomanSong: "She's Crafty", "Girls".
103	* OneWordTitle: "Girls".
104	* OriginsEpisode: "Paul Revere" tells a fictional story how the band members met.
105	* {{Outlaw}}: All three of the boys in "Paul Revere."
106	* ParentalHypocrisy:
107	--> ''Well, your pop's caught you smoking and he says "No way"''
108	--> ''That hypocrite smokes two packs a day''
109	* TheParody: The music video of "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" parodies GlamMetal.
110	* ThePianoPlayer: The one in "Paul Revere" [[{{Determinator}} continues providing the music throughout Mike D's holdup of the bar]] and doesn't stop until Ad-Rock punches him in the face.
111	* PieInTheFace: The music video of "Fight For Your Right" ends with a pie fight.
112	* {{Pirate}}: "Rhymin' and Stealin'" is a rap song about being pirates, and it's awesome. The Music/LedZeppelin and Music/BlackSabbath samples help a lot.
113	** PirateParrot: [[SubvertedTrope "No soft sucker with a parrot on his shoulder."]]
114	* ProductPlacement:
115	** "Posse In Effect"
116	--> ''I got a hat, not a visor - I drink Budweiser''
117	** "Slow Ride"
118	--> ''So I reached in the Miller cooler - grabbed a cool Bud''
119	--> ''(...) I'm fly like an eagle and I drink Old Crow''
120	--> '''..)Eating Colonels' Chicken - drinkin' Heineken brew''
121	** "The New Style", "Girls, "Hold It Now", "Slow Ride" and "Slow And Low" all mention hamburger restaurant chain "White Castle".
122	** "Hold It Now, Hit It"
123	--> ''If I run out of ale, it's a Thunderbird wine''
124	--> ''(...) Chef Boyardee, cooling on the pot''
125	** "Brass Monkey"
126	--> ''We don't mind Chivas''
127	** "Time To Get Ill"
128	--> ''But I'm chiller with the Miller - cold coolin' at the bar''
129	--> ''I can drink a quart of Monkey and still stand still''
130	* PunBasedTitle: The album title is a pun on "license to '''k'''ill". "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" is a parody of "No Sleep 'till Hammersmith" by Music/{{Motorhead}}.
131	* RapePillageAndBurn: "Rhymin' and Stealin'."
132	* ReallyGetsAround: "She's Crafty"
133	--> ''She's crafty - she gets around''
134	--> ''She's crafty - she's always down''
135	* RecordProducer: Music/RickRubin.
136	* RockstarSong: "No Sleep Till Brooklyn", about touring the country and being good at it. "Fight For Your Right To Party" is a mockery of this.
137	* RollInTheHay: "Girls"
138	--> ''I hope she'll say: "Hey, me and you should hit the hay!"''
139	* RunningGag: The boys' love of White Castle.
140	* {{Sampling}}:
141	** "Rhymin' and Stealin'" has a sample lifted from "When The Levee Breaks" from Music/LedZeppelin's ''Music/LedZeppelinIV'' (1971), "Sweet Leaf" from Music/BlackSabbath's "Music/MasterOfReality" (1971) and "I Fought The Law" by Music/TheClash from their EP "The Cost Of Living" (1979).
142	** "The New Style" samples "2-3 Break" by the B-Boys, "Drop the Bomb" by Trouble Funk and "Peter Piper" from Music/RunDMC's album ''Music/RaisingHell'' (1986).
143	** "She's Crafty" samples "The Ocean" from Music/LedZeppelin's ''Music/HousesOfTheHoly'' (1973).
144	** "Posse In Effect" samples "Pee Wee's Dance" (1986) by Joeski Love and "Catch A Groove" (1976) by Juice.
145	** "Slow Ride" samples "Low Rider" by War.
146	** "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" samples "T.N.T." from Music/{{ACDC}}'s ''[[Music/TNT1975 TNT]]'' (1975), though tuned in a different way.
147	** "Hold It Now, Hit It" contains samples from "The Return Of Leroy" by the Jimmy Castor Bunch, "Drop the Bomb" and "Let's Get Small" by Trouble Funk, "Funky Stuff by Music/KoolAndTheGang, "Take Me To The Mardi Gras" by Bob James, "Christmas Rappin'" by Music/KurtisBlow and "La Di Da Di" by Doug E. Fresh and MC Ricky D.
148	** "Brass Monkey" samples "Bring It Here" (1981) by Wild Sugar.
149	** "Slow And Low" owes it's sound to the samples "8th Wonder" by Music/TheSugarhillGang and "Flick of the Switch" (1983) by Music/{{ACDC}}.
150	** "Time To Get It Ill" samples "Take The Money And Run" by Music/SteveMiller, "I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little Bit More" by Music/BarryWhite, "Gucci Time" by Music/SchoollyD from ''[[Music/SchoollyDAlbum Schoolly D]]'', the theme from ''Series/MrEd'' and ''Series/GreenAcres'', "Down On The Corner" from Music/CreedenceClearwaterRevival's ''Music/WillyAndThePoorBoys'', "Custard Pie" from Music/LedZeppelin's ''Music/PhysicalGraffiti'' and Music/StevieWonder's "Boogie On Reggae Woman".
151	* SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll: A recurring theme all throughout the album. Many lyrics make reference to partying, playing music, drinking, smoking marihuana and making out with girls. Best summed up in these lines from "Fight For Your Right"
152	--> ''You pop caught you smoking and he said "no way"''
153	--> ''That hypocrite smokes two packs a day''
154	--> ''Man, living at home is such a drag''
155	--> ''Now your mom threw away your best porno mag''
156	--> ''You got to fight for your right to party!''
157	* ShoutOut:
158	** "Rhymin' And Stealin'" refers to ''Literature/MutinyOnTheBounty'', the pirate's songs "Dead Man's Chest" and "Friggin' in the Riggin'", ''Literature/TheThreeMusketeers'', ''Literature/AliBabaAndTheFortyThieves'', the Disney land attraction "Pirates of the Carribean", with the song "Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirate's Life For Me", UsefulNotes/{{Blackbeard}}, ''Literature/MobyDick'', Betty Crocker, Colonel Sanders and Davey Jones' locker.
159	--> ''Because mutiny on the bounty's what we're all about''
160	--> ''(...) We got 16 men on a dead man's chest''
161	--> ''(...) One for all and all for one''
162	--> ''(...) Friggin' in the riggin' and cuttin' your throat''
163	--> ''(...) Ah, Captain Bligh is gonna die when we break his face''
164	--> ''(...) Ali Baba and the forty thieves''
165	--> ''(...)Yo-ho-ho and a pint of Brass Monkey''
166	--> ''(...) Blackbeard's weak - Moby Dick's on the tick''
167	--> ''Cause I pull out my jammy and squeeze off six''
168	--> ''My pistol is loaded- I shot Betty Crocker''
169	--> ''Deliver Colonel Sanders down to Davey Jones' locker''
170	** "The New Style" namedrops Creator/PabloPicasso, [[Music/LedZeppelin Jimmy Page]], ''ComicBook/TheSmurfs'' and ''Series/{{Columbo}}''.
171	--> ''I got more juice than Picasso got paint''
172	--> ''(...)If I played guitar I'd be Jimmy Page''
173	--> ''(...)I got to the party, you know what I did? The Smurf''
174	--> ''(...)Rolled up a wooly (what did he do?) and I watched "Columbo"''
175	** The line "mmm...drop" in "The New Style" has been sampled in "Drop" (1995) by Music/ThePharcyde, "Benz or a Beamer" by Music/{{Outkast}} and the Beasties themselves on "Johnny Ryall" (from ''Music/PaulsBoutique'' (1989)) and "Intergalactic" (from "Hello Nasty" (1998)). The opening line of the song has been sampled on "Workinonit" and "The New" by Music/JDilla. Music/{{OFWGKTA}} also used to the instrumental for their song "Swag Me Out" from their mixtape "Radical" (2010).
176	** "Posse In Effect" references ''ComicBook/TheSmurfs'', ''ComicStrip/{{Popeye}}'', Creator/JerryLewis (the song "Hold It Now, Hit It" also references Lewis), ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle'', the Brownsville Station hit "Smokin' In The Boys' Room" (1973) and actor Abe Vigoda
177	--> ''I do the Smurf, the Popeye and the Jerry Lewis''
178	--> ''I like Bullwinkle, but I don't like moose''
179	--> ''(...) Smokin' in the boys room is what I do best''
180	--> ''(...)You know I got rhymes like Abe Vigoda''
181	** "Slow Ride" references the Music/SteveMiller songs "Fly Like An Eagle" and "Take the Money And Run".
182	--> ''I'm fly like an eagle and I drink Old Crow''
183	--> ''(...) Sittin' around the house - gettin' high and watchin' tube''
184	** The Dutch hiphop band Osdorp Posse covered "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" on their album "Vlijmscherp" (1993) in Dutch as "Geen Slaap Tot Osdorp" (translation: "No Sleep Till Osdorp" [[note]] Osdorp is a city community in Amsterdam [[/note]])
185	*** Music/StiffLittleFingers covered "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" as "No Sleep 'til Belfast" on their 1988 album of the same name.
186	** "Fight For Your Right To Party" was sampled on Music/PublicEnemy's "Party For Your Right To Fight" from their album ''Music/ItTakesANationOfMillionsToHoldUsBack'' (1989).
187	** "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" references "Rock Around The Clock" by Music/BillHaleyAndHisComets and "Eight Days A Week" by Music/TheBeatles from ''Music/BeatlesForSale'' at one point.
188	--> ''Tour around the world - you rock around the clock''
189	--> ''(...) Cause I'll be rocking this party eight days a week''
190	** "Paul Revere" refers to the FolkHero of the same name from the American War of Independence, who drove his horse to warn people that the "British army was coming.". The line "Been had a little horsey named Paul Revere" references "Fugue for Tinhorn" from ''Theatre/GuysAndDolls''. "Paul Revere" was covered by Music/CypressHill as "Busted in the Hood" on their album "Till Death Do Us Part"
191	** "Hold It Now, Hit It" references ''Series/TheHoneymooners'', ''Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow'' and ''Series/MrEd''
192	--> ''Cooling at the crib watching my TV''
193	--> ''Ed Norton, Ted Knight and Mr. Ed''
194	*** The song was sampled by Music/EricBAndRakim in "As the Rhyme Goes On" from ''Music/PaidInFull''. The line "beer drinking, breath stinking, sniffing glue" was sampled by Music/EazyE in his song "Boyz-n-the-Hood".
195	** "Slow And Low" namedrops ''Series/TheGongShow'' and Creator/CheechAndChong.
196	--> ''On the gong show, we won't get gonged''
197	--> ''We're the Beastie Boys - not Cheech and Chong''
198	** "Time To Get Ill"
199	--> ''And I got more rhymes than Creator/PhyllisDiller''
200	* TheShowMustGoWrong: "Paul Revere" has a backwards drumbeat, which was actually a mistake.
201	* SingerNameDrop: Virtually all songs namedrop the band members.
202	** "Fight For Your Right"
203	--> ''Your mom busted in and said: "What's that noise?!"''
204	--> ''Aw, mom, you're just jealous, it's the Beastie Boys!''
205	** "No Sleep 'Till Brooklyn" is an entire {{homage}} to the band.
206	** "Paul Revere" tells how the band met each other for the first time, though it's completely fictional.
207	* SpecialGuest: Music/KerryKing (Music/{{Slayer}}) plays along on "No Sleep Till Brooklyn". He also appears in the music video of the same song.
208	* SpellingSong: "The New Style"
209	--> ''B-E-A-S-T-I-E, what's up, Mike D?''
210	* StealTheSurroundings: The girl in "She's Crafty" steals MCA's ''bed'' seemingly out from under him and goes from there.
211	* StealthParody: Their early material was a parody of fratboy douchebags, especially the "attitude song" parody "Fight For Your Right". Unfortunately, lots of people missed out that part, thought they were serious and became a Misaimed Fandom, and now Licensed to Ill is an Old Shame for them.
212	* SuckySchool:
213	** "Slow Ride"
214	--> ''I'm the king of the classroom, coolin' in the back''
215	--> ''My teacher had beef, so I gave her a smack''
216	--> ''She chased me out of class, she was strapped with a ruler''
217	--> ''Went to the bathroom, [[SmokingIsCool rolled myself a wooler]]''
218	** "Fight For Your Right"
219	--> ''You wake up late for school, man, you don't wanna go''
220	--> ''You ask your mom "please", but she still says "no"''
221	--> ''You missed two classes and no homework''
222	--> ''But your teacher preaches class like you're some kind of jerk''
223	* TimeMarchesOn: "Hold it Now, Hit It"
224	--> ''I got the ladies of [[TheEighties the eighties]] from here to White Castle''
225	* TwinThreesomeFantasy: "The New Style"
226	--> ''I've got money and juice - twin sisters in my bed''
227	--> ''Their father had envy, so I shot him in the head''
228	* UncleanlinessIsNextToUngodliness: "Rhymin' & Stealin'."
229	--> ''Never cower / never shower / and I'm always stinkin.'''
230	* UrExample: The final verse of "The New Style" features what might be the first [[TrapMusic trap]] beat ever put on a hip-hop album.
231	* WildTeenParty: The music video for "Fight For Your Right" features the Beasties throwing a wild party while the parents of two squares are off for a few hours. They trash the place completely.

Context Music / LicensedToIll