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Beastie Boys Nominated to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

By DNAinfo Staff on September 28, 2010 4:08pm

The Beastie Boys, Mike D, MCA and Ad Rock, were nominated for induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the organization said Tuesday,
The Beastie Boys, Mike D, MCA and Ad Rock, were nominated for induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the organization said Tuesday,
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AP Photo/Stephen Chernin

By Olivia Scheck

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

MANHATTAN — No sleep 'til ... Cleveland?

New York-born rap group the Beastie Boys were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, the Hall announced Tuesday.

The group formed as a punk band in 1981, but achieved fame and fortune as a hip-hop group five years later, when "Licensed to Ill" became the first rap record to top the charts.

Spanning over three decades, the group — consisting of New Yorkers Mike "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "MCA" Yauch and Adam "Ad Rock" Horovitz — has logged $40 million in record sales, three Grammy Awards and countless sold-out world tours.

New Yorkers LL Cool J and Neil Diamond were also nominated, along with Bon Jovi, Alice Cooper, Donovan and Donna Summer.

Paul's Boutique, the Lower East Side thrift store which served as the title and cover art for the Beastie Boys' 1989 album, was later turned into a restaurant by the same name.
Paul's Boutique, the Lower East Side thrift store which served as the title and cover art for the Beastie Boys' 1989 album, was later turned into a restaurant by the same name.
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Flickr/Max Nathan

"We believe our nominating committee has put forth a list of artists that truly represent the wide variety of music that defines rock and roll," Joel Peresman, President and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said in a statement.

Ballots will be sent to more than 500 voters, inductees will be announced in December and the induction ceremony will take place March 14, 2011, at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan.

To be eligible for the Hall, 2011 nominees had to release their first recording no later than 1985.

Now well into their 40s, the Beastie Boys are still making music. The release of their long-awaited eight studio album, called "Hot Sauce Committee Part 1," was postponed when Yauch had to begin treatment for parotid gland cancer last year. The album is currently slated for a 2011 release.