Rhymin’ and Stealin’
How the Beastie Boys got us to fight for our minds
“Snatching gold chains
nicking pieces of eight
I got your money and your honey and the fly name plate” — Mike D
On November 15, 1986, the Beastie Boys would release a song that would not only be their biggest hit yet but would also go on to inspire a generation to vandalize and destroy personal property.
The song “Fight For Your Right” was never meant to reach the popularity it did. It was supposed to be a one-off song made to mock “party” themed songs that were popular at the time. But as it grew in fame — reaching the number 7 spot on the Billboard top 100 on March 7, 1987 and making it onto the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 most iconic songs — the more the Beastie Boys realized it was having the opposite effect it was supposed to.
The frat-boy audience that the Beastie Boys had mocked made “Fight for Your Right” their new theme song. Unhappy with this, the Beastie Boys would remove the song from their Licensed to Ill tour and it would not be played again live until 1992.
“The only thing that upsets me is that we might have reinforced certain values of some people in our audience when our own values were actually totally different”
— Michael Diamond
The other thing that the song had been able to do was inspire a brief crime wave among their fans. Thousands of reports had been sent to Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes and other car brands reporting that their car emblems had been stolen. The cause? The “Fight For Your Right” music video.
To sell the look of a “frat boy,” Mike D would sport a Volkswagen emblem on a chain, similar to the gold chains that rappers would wear at the time with the intention to further look like the audience they were mocking. This was a huge hit among their fans, but not in the way the Beastie Boys intended. Suddenly, Volkswagen cars were getting their emblems stolen left and right. Over 150 reports per day, according to Volkswagen. This incident was known as being “beastie’d.”
“The Beastie Boys understand what it means to be cool. It’s almost as if being cool is their full-time job”
— Chuck Klosterman
So. Why is this relevant? This whole topic loops around to one key concept: influence. Because Mike D. had influenced his audience by wearing this chain, Beastie Boys fans were inspired to copy his look and in turn caused a crime wave.
This is the same influence that famous people have on both the youth, and even the older generations today. Influence is key here, and this is an example of unintended consequences from three guys trying to make fun of frat boys. We see this influence in action to this day, and it has gotten more extreme with time.
From YouTuber MatPat’s scavenger hunt to the January 6th raid on the Capitol. These events had been roused by these influencers indirectly, and they were carried out by their followers because of the power these influencers have.
While this is more of a grim example, other examples can be smaller, more personal. How many times, when you were younger, did you dress up for Halloween as your favorite actor or celebrity? How many times have you been convinced to buy something because someone you knew and/or liked was advertising it? How many times have you said certain words or worn certain clothing because it was popular? This influence is all around us, and if it can be used in the right way, it can help us as a population.
Turning back to the Beastie Boys, their story ends on a high note. They decided to take a look at themselves and collectively decided they had done enough damage. From women’s rights to the LGBTQ community, the Beastie Boys have left a trail of havoc. But they are making amends almost as good as their music. In 1999, the Beastie Boys — through Ad-Rock — wrote an apology letter for their homophobic alternate title Don’t be a F—t that eventually became Licensed to Ill, and other songs — like “Girls” — with homophobic and/or sexist lyrics, some of which came out along side of “Fight for your Right.”
“Somehow the guys who’d risen to fame playing shows in front of an enormous hydraulic penis turned themselves into a model of how to grow up gracefully.”
— Jack Hamilton
While the Beastie Boys never formally apologized to Volkswagen for the damage they caused, (Frankly, Volkswagen took it as an opportunity to advertise to Beastie Boys fans, so I don’t think they were too upset about it) they grew up and moved away from their sexist and homophobic views. Their later songs in 1994 had a noticeable change in their lyrics, even including a short apology in the lyrics of their song “Sure Shot” for their past disrespect to women. They were willing to admit that they were in the wrong and attempt to make amends. In return, they became role models.
“I want to say a little something
that’s long overdue
The disrespect to women has got to be through
To all the mothers, and the sisters, and the wives and friends
I want to offer my love and respect to the end”— Beastie Boys, “Sure Shot” (1994)
