They were sort of the first domino to fall for me musically speaking. I mean i bumped the shit out of michael jackson in the 3rd grade and metallica in the 4th, but when I discover the beastie boys in the 4th grade it was game over- all i listened to for the next 4 years. I ended up missing my first day of 8th grade to see them playing at nassau coliseum for the hello nasty tour with KRS opening. That got me listening to public enemy and tribe very quickly there after. I kept on going further and further down that rabbit hole.

It still blows my mind how quick some people blow them off. That makes me lose respect for peoples musical taste fast. I don't mean people who say that they aren't great lyricists( they are not great lyrically at all) but the people who don't even know that they play instruments OR the people that say that they aren't really hip hop. REALLY?

Regardless of how you feel about they music or their lyrics, their legacy (much like de la and tribe) is rooted in being yourself and sampling. Those two things are, in my opinion, 2 of the most important aspects of hip hop. Those 3 white old jews are masters of their craft and I would argue one of the most influential bands of the last 25 years or so.