Respect 101: Beastie Boys Hip Hop Pioneers

There once was a time when rappers did not have to show the world that they could be a thug. Back in the mid to late eighties most rappers only wanted to show the world a brand new craft from the streets that was new and cutting edge. My thoughts today are with Adam "MCA" Yauch one of the founding members of the Beastie Boys who was just recently diagnosed with cancer. From the reports that I have read, doctors caught the cancer at an early stage and by all estimates MCA will have the cancer removed and we fully expect him to have a full recovery.

In the scope and history of rap a lot of so called rap buffs seem to forget the Beastie Boys and what they accomplished in teaching the world that rap was not just a Black thing. And one can only imagine the struggles they had to prove to the industry and to fans that they were a legitimate rap group here to stay in the early years of hip hop. Just image 3 Jewish kids in a city like New York, the birthplace of hip hop, and all the battles they had to go through to prove that they were not a joke and that they were not making fun of hip hop. Through it all one has got to say that the Beastie Boys deserve just as much respect as any of the other groups from back in the day who blazed a path for rap and hip hop. The Beastie boys should be mentioned in the same respect and manner as other pioneering groups or artist such as Run DMC, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, KRS-1 and countless others. You may or may not have liked the famed group the Beastie Boys, but you must respect the hustle and grind that this group put in over the years and the tracks they left so that rappers today can be the entertainers that they are.