Local Boys made it big with ‘ill’ skills

ADAM (MCA) Yauch and his fellow Beastie Boys took rap to the mainstream at a time when it was anything but.

Known for his gravelly voice, bravado and iconic music videos, his influence on hip hop was immense — and helped alter Generation X youth culture.

The trio’s 1986 debut, “Licensed To Ill,” was satire equally embraced by punks, B-boys, and frat brothers too stupid to know better. It was the first hip hop record to top the Billboard 200.

“Paul’s Boutique,” the group's 1989 album based entirely on sampling, ushered in a new psychedelic era, while “Check Your Head” (1992), “Ill Communication” (1994) and “Hello Nasty” (1998) were cornerstones of funky futurism.

During the ’90s, it felt like the Beastie Boys stuffed genre conventions into a Dumpster and hid it down the street. Punk mixed with break-beats. Funk collided into weirdo experimentation.

Under the moniker Nathanial Hornblower, Yauch also directed The Beasties in some of the most daring music videos of the era.

The message of these influential albums was clear: Be yourself. It’s okay to be angry, but never box yourself into anything. Humor is a weapon. That’s why the Beasties became cross-cultural ambassadors.

Yauch’s group had the respect of both the gangster-oriented rap world and the underground birthed from punk culture. He made it cool to embrace graffiti and old school beats while loving the Knicks, Eastern philosophy and skateboarding.