The Beastie Boys is a hip-hop band from New York City who initially started off as a punk band in the early 1980's. After their release of their first hip-hop single, they started to incorporate rap music into their live sets. Rick Rubin approached the band to be a part of his new record label, Def Jam Recordings and soon after signing, they released their first single called "Rock Hard". Their success led them to be a supporting act for Madonna on her "Virgin Tour" and Run DMC on their "Raising Hell Tour" in mid-1980's. Their first album, "Licensed To Ill," became the best selling rap album of the decade. They continued to record rap music for decades to come until tragedy struck the band. In 2009, their tour and album was delayed due to Adam Yauch finding a cancerous tumor. Eventually the record was released in 2011. However, Adam passed away at the age of 47 just a few months after the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.