Thirty years after the release of Ill Communication, we celebrate the New York trio’s gonzo blend of hip-hop, funk, punk and pop-cultural flotsam
October 2023
Ranked
The 20 greatest concert films – ranked!
As Taylor Swift’s Eras tour reaches cinemas, with Beyoncé’s Renaissance following soon, we pick the films that best converted the live experience to the screen
August 2023
Lady Dealer review – drugs, couplets and a blaze of Beastie Boys
Alexa Davies’ performance as Charly, a rhyming drug dealer who is falling apart, is the gleaming heart of this production
May 2023
Absurdity meets gravitas: how Nicholas Britell scored Succession
As the TV masterpiece bows out, the composer reveals what influenced the writing of that indelible theme tune
February 2022
Kabul to California: how the ‘hip-hop family’ mobilised for young Afghans
Rick Rubin: Def Jam founder and producer announces debut book
June 2021
Def Jam: how a new British imprint of the iconic rap label poached Stormzy
Only 6% of music industry execs are Black. That system fails artists, say the founders of 0207 Def Jam, whose uniquely diverse boardroom aims to change the culture – for good
February 2021
Ricky Powell, hip-hop photographer who captured New York culture, dies aged 59
Photographer who documented Def Jam artists as well as Madonna, Andy Warhol and more was known for his longstanding work with the Beastie Boys
April 2020
Guy Lodge's streaming and DVDs
Streaming: curate your own Spike Jonze mini-season
Beastie Boys Story review – Spike Jonze and the boys are back in town
February 2020
The week in podcasts: Mortem; Over the Road; The Space Programme
Exploring unusual subjects, from autopsies to long-haul trucking
September 2019
Bowie's gnome and Dr Dre's hospital: musicians' embarrassing early songs
Pop duo Tegan and Sara have re-recorded their high school songs – and they’re not the only songwriters to have started young
June 2019
Cassius's Philippe Zdar dies in fall from Paris building
‘The public has a right to art’: the radical joy of Keith Haring
April 2019
Beastie Boys Story: inside the offbeat, heartfelt stage show from Spike Jonze
The visionary director transports a feast of tidbits and anecdotes to the stage with innovation and genuine heart
October 2018
Extract: The Beastie Boys hit London, 1986 - ‘Yauch taught Mick Jones how to play Clash City Rockers’
Beastie Boys: ‘Being in a band… it’s an absurd comedy’
July 2018
Beats, bucks and bling: the first stars of hip-hop – in pictures
A new exhibition of street shots from the 1980s captures everyone who was anyone in the early days of hip-hop, from Biz Markie to Run DMC and Rock Steady Crew
March 2018
Lorde's US tour has flopped – but it might be the making of her
Laura Snapes
The New Zealand star is playing to arenas that are only a third full. But dropping out of pop’s upper echelons may give her the long future she deserves
January 2018
Selfies! Smoking! Snogging! Why pop stars love a house party
From Beastie Boys to Beyoncé, we explore music videos’ enduring obsession with red cups and riotous shower scenes