It’s been a long time coming, but Beastie Boys will soon officially be honored in their native New York with a Lower East Side corner dubbed Beastie Boys Square.
In addition to simply being New York legends, fans have pushed for a Beastie Boys monument because their 1989 LP, Paul’s Boutique, immortalizes the intersection of Ludlow and Rivington streets on its album cover. A campaign has existed since 2014 to rename the corner Beastie Boys Square, but the move has been shot down in the past because community board members apparently didn’t think the group met the guidelines required of street co-naming honorees.
Still, former Bad Boy Records rep and Brooklyn resident LeRoy McCarthy celebrated the board’s affirmative vote, telling the New York Post, “hip-hop don’t stop.”
“It has been a long road to get Beastie Boys Square accomplished, but I am happy to see New York government formally embracing the indigenous arts and culture of hip hop, and the street sign is very appropriate because hip hop is from the NYC streets,” McCarthy said.
Next month, Beastie Boys will celebrate the 30th anniversary of Check Your Head by reissuing the album on vinyl. Pre-orders for the deluxe box set are ongoing.