Ever since they hit the big time with their 1986 rock/rap debut "Licensed to Ill," the first rap album to reach #1 on the "Billboard" 200, the Beastie Boys have been a cultural bellwether, the likes of which was unseen before or since. Their association with MTV made the Beasties instant poster children for an unprecedented phase of integration, both musical and racial. Their music, a pastiche of sounds that spans decades and genres, influenced the course of popular music and continues to do so today.

"Beastie Boys: A Musical Biography" tells the story of the band, from its beginnings...