Nearly 30 years after its release, Beastie Boys’ debut album Licensed To Ill has finally reached Diamond status. The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) officially announced this month that more than 10 million copies of the seminal hip-hop album had been sold.
The iconic New York trio of Ad-Rock, Mike D, and MCA originally released Licensed To Ill on November 15th, 1986. Highlighted by hits like “No Sleep till Brooklyn”, “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)”, and “Brass Monkey”, the LP was considered the first rap record to top the Billboard charts.
Diamond certification is hardly an easy achievement, and one that’s especially rare among hip-hop albums. Licensed To Ill joins an elite bunch of nine albums to achieve the illustrious accolade, including Notorious B.I.G.’s Life After Death, Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP, 2Pac’s All Eyez On Me, and Outkast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.
