Beastie Boys’ New York Tour

Over the course of their career, the Beastie Boys reveled in their identities as born-and-raised New Yorkers. In this tour through the East Village, SoHo, Chinatown, and the Lower East Side, we’ll see how the Beasties drew from the city’s culture and history to transform themselves again and again - from a bunch of teenagers in a scrappy hardcore punk band, to party rappers bringing hip hop to the mainstream, to a socially conscious and creatively omnivorous unit - and how the city was likewise transformed by their presence.

Locations include:
- Studios where the band recorded some of their most-loved albums, including Licensed to Ill, Hello Nasty, and Pollywog Stew
- Where the Paul’s Boutique and Beastie Boys Book cover photos were shot
- Where Ad-Rock and Rick Rubin wrote the lyrics to “Paul Revere”
- Rat Cage Records, a record store and label that released the band’s first record
- MCA and Mike D’s Chinatown loft, which inspired a song on Paul’s Boutique
- The location of the “Three MCs and One DJ” video
- Key venues from early in their career, including 171A, A7, Pyramid Club, Great Gildersleeves, and CBGB
- The former offices of Def Jam Records
- The PR office that inspired the title of Hello Nasty
- Beastie-inspired street art
- Sites relevant to several of their peers and collaborators, including Run DMC, Bad Brains, Sonic Youth, Public Enemy, Cro-Mags, A Tribe Called Quest, Black Flag, Le Tigre, Madonna, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, LL Cool J, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Nas, and Kurtis Blow

Details

- Begins in the East Village and ends in the Lower East Side
- The tour lasts approximately three hours and covers three miles
- Comfortable shoes and bottled water are strongly recommended
- Gratuities are welcome but not mandatory

Check out this Tidal playlist to dive deeper into the music behind the destinations

Rates

$65/person

- two person minimum -
in the event that only one person books a tour, they will be offered the chance to cancel or have a private tour for an additional fee

Offered on Sundays. Private weekday tours and large group rates available by request

Photo by Masao Nakagami via Wikimedia Commons