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As one of the biggest groups of the '80s and '90s, Beastie Boys had an unbeatable influence, sometimes even in unexpected ways.
On a recent episode of the Disgraceland podcast, host Jake Brennan broke down the impact the Beasties — Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz, Adam "MCA" Yauch and Michael "Mike D" Diamond — had on fans around the world, including the time in summer of 1987 that they inspired a surprising crime wave "epidemic" in London after the release of their debut album Licensed to Ill.
"Once the Beasties hit, they began to influence culture in ways even they never could have imagined," he said.
Brennan explained that London was hit with "a rash of mysterious robberies" of the hood badges from the front grills of hundreds of Volkswagon vehicles every day that "confounded local authorities." However, the answer could be found in the form of the music video for "Fight for Your Right" where Mike D spoofed the hood ornaments from luxury brands like Mercedes that "super serious rappers" would often wear by choosing to rock the "more sensible, affordable" VW logo instead as a joke.
"That act inspired, yes, a literal London crime wave," Brennan said. "The news reported the mysteriously missing VW badges as an 'epidemic.' The BBC reported that 250 Volkswagon customers were requesting replacement badges daily."
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