Beastie Boys Take “Licensed To Ill” At 40 To Jon Stewart & SmartLess
Originally published by AllHipHop Read the original
Beastie Boys are taking the 40th anniversary of Licensed to Ill to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the SmartLess podcast, with Ad-Rock and Mike D set for both appearances on November 16.
The conversations accompany a new edition of the album that first took rap to No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
The duo’s appearances are part of the anniversary campaign. Def Jam Recordings and UMe are preparing a two-LP Vinylphyle reissue for March 18, 2027, months after the original album’s November 15 birthday.
The new pressing also deals with a less visible part of keeping a 40-year-old record in circulation: aging master tapes. Sterling Sound engineer Joe Nino-Hernes worked from a high-resolution digital transfer of the original 1986 quarter-inch master rather than repeatedly running the tapes.
“It also allowed me to minimize handling of the tapes that have become fragile with time,” Nino-Hernes explained.
He said his chosen process preserved fidelity better than cutting from a second-generation analog copy. The transfer used the same machine and electronics he employs when cutting records.
Chuck D contributes fresh liner notes to the package, continuing a connection that reaches back well beyond this anniversary. The Public Enemy co-founder also honored the group when Beastie Boys entered the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.
Ad-Rock and Mike D attended that Cleveland ceremony without MCA, who was ill. The tribute performance featured The Roots, Travie McCoy and Kid Rock covering music from the group’s catalog.
Before those honors, the trio had opened for Madonna in 1985 and built its early recording career at Def Jam. Rick Rubin and the group produced Licensed to Ill, whose singles included “Brass Monkey,” “Paul Revere” and “No Sleep Till Brooklyn.”
The album received its RIAA Diamond certification in 2015. Later Beastie Boys albums Ill Communication and Hello Nasty also reached No. 1, extending their chart history beyond the debut.
The anniversary edition preserves its 13-song sequence across three sides, leaving the fourth for a band-logo etching rather than additional audio.
The package includes a four-panel insert reproducing scans of the original tape boxes.
