The Beastie Boys fell out with Russell Simmons and Def Jam after their smash hit debut album Licensed to Ill.
In the new doc The Beastie Boys Story, the two remaining members, Ad-Rock and Mike D, explain how Simmons and Rick Rubin pressured them to follow up Licensed To Ill quickly by withholding their royalties.
“During all this madness, we stopped being paid royalties,” Ad-Rock explains in the film. “We made money for playing shows — big shows like Madison Square Garden shows but zero dollars for the multiplatinum, smash hit Licensed To Ill.”
Mike D had said something similar in a newspaper interview in 2018.
"Russell was like, if you don’t go in the studio, then I’m not paying you…His calculation was that we would all be like, ‘Oh we want our millions. OK, Russell we’re going to do it.’ But we were all immediately, “F*ck you.”
The trio ended up leaving Def Jam for Capitol for their sophomore album Paul's Boutique.
They've since patched things up with Simmons and Rubin. Simmons still took the opportunity to express his regret on how he handled things while promoting the new doc.
"Watching the Beastie Boys documentary ....Emotional roller coaster, beautiful story mirroring the coming of age for many in hip hop , plus a great story of the 3 Mens personal evolution and spiritual growth ...They were my dear friends And we (mostly them) created some inspiring,fun moments I cant tell you in words how much i really Loved the documentary.... The best parts for me are amongst my greatest memories in my entire life For years i wished i had been more sensitive smarter and compassionate in my dealings with them and SONY .. (who advised us to hold their next royalties until they gave in or at least began working on the new album / a big mistake on our part ) and i wished i was better with all of our partners ... i just wasn’t mature , sensitive or human enough to do better But now i see these 2 incredibly talented beautiful people who are music legends and again i get to morn the loss of the great Adam (MCA) ... #ripadamyauch ( “I would rather be a hypocrite then the same person forever” Adam Yach ) This is a beautiful documentary about the shared experiences of 3 iconic artists and amazing people SEE THIS and celebrate these hip hop ,rock , and multitalented pioneers journey," Simmons typed.