Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Videos: Beastie Boys Covers, Including Jay-Z, Blondie And Phish
By
Jen Chung
Published May 5, 2012
Modified May 5, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published May 5, 2012
Modified May 5, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Last night, Coldplay revisited their cover of the Beastie Boys' "Fight For Your Right (To Party)" at the Hollywood Bowl—they did it at the 2009 All Points West festival, too, and apparently didn't learn their lesson—to pay tribute to Adam Yauch, the Beastie Boys founder, filmmaker, and humanitarian who died yesterday at age 47. Here are a few other (some better) covers of Beastie Boys songs:
In 2009, when the Beastie Boys had to cancel as the headliners of APW (because Yauch was beginning to deal with his cancer diagnosis), Jay-Z stepped in. He kicked off the show with "No Sleep Till Brooklyn". He didn't even change the line, "They call me Adam Yauch, but I'm MCA."
Here's Blondie doing a cover of "Fight For Your Right":
At the 2006 VH1 Hip Hop Honors, P Diddy, Fabolous and Q-Tip did "Hold It, Hit It" and "Paul Revere":
Here's the recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, which featured Kid Rock, Travie McCoy and Black Thought performing "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" and "Sabotage:"
Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake did medley of rap songs on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon—and did a bit of "Paul Revere":
Justin Timberlake & Jimmy Fallon - 30 Year Of...by Eklecty-City
Phish has been doing a cover of "Sabotage" for awhile now:
Here's the Beastie Boys covering Run DMC's "Here We Go" and "Sucker MCs" for the first VH1 Hip Hop Honors in 2004 (RIP, Jam Master Jay):
And then there was the time that the Beastie Boys were about to played "Sabotage" on Saturday Night Live, but then Elvis Costello makes them play "Radio Radio":
Elvis Costello and The Beastie Boys - Radio Radioby anchelito
Tagged
adam yauch
beastie boys
black thought
blondie
elvis costello
Fabolous
jay-z
kid rock
mca
P. Diddy
phish
q-tip
rip mca
run-dmc
travie mccoy
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
"Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," says the co-owner of Art of Play.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 13, 2026 at 3:17 p.m. ET
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
Thanks to Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian, Timothée Chalamet and more, the rideshare program is having a moment.
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Arts & Entertainment
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
Thanks to Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian, Timothée Chalamet and more, the rideshare program is having a moment.
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
By
James Ramsay
What happens when NYC kids take lessons in rock music? Really good bands.
By
Jayson Greene
Inside a photographer's journey to visit every neighborhood in New York City
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .