# Beastie Boys Mark 40 Years of Licensed to Ill with New Reissue

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/beastie-boys-mark-40-years-of-licensed-to-ill-with-new-reissue/
- Published: 2026-11-12T14:46:50+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T15:33:30+00:00
- Original publisher: Consequence
- Original article: https://consequence.net/2026/11/beastie-boys-licensed-to-ill-40th-anniversary-vinyl/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- *Licensed to Ill* gets a 40th-anniversary two-LP reissue.
- The release is due on 18 March 2027.
- Chuck D contributes new liner notes.

## Summary

The Beastie Boys are marking the 40th anniversary of their debut album, *Licensed to Ill*, with a limited-edition two-LP reissue due on 18 March 2027. The album helped bring the group’s blend of hip-hop, punk and hard rock to a wide audience, becoming the first rap album to top the Billboard 200.

The “Vinylphyle” release was remastered from a digital transfer of the original 1986 master tapes to avoid handling the fragile tapes repeatedly. It will be pressed on 180-gram black vinyl, with a gatefold sleeve, an insert featuring tape-box scans, new liner notes by Chuck D, and a logo etched on the silent fourth side. The original album was released on 15 November 1986 and was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2015.

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