New York City is set to officially honour iconic hip-hop trio the Beastie Boys, renaming a Manhattan intersection after the group. As Pix11 reports, the corner of Ludlow and Rivington streets in Manhattan’s Lower East Side is set to be renamed Beastie Boys Square following a vote by the New York City Council.
The intersection was immortalised 33 years ago this month when it appeared on the cover of the hip hop trio’s second album, Paul’s Boutique. Despite being one of the group’s least commercially-successful records, it is often cited as one of the most influential albums in hip hop history due to its experimental and groundbreaking sound.
Beastie Boys – ‘Hey Ladies’
“As many of us know, once the Beastie Boys hit the scene, it really changed the hip hop game,” New York City Council member Christopher Marte said of the renaming effort. “I see it as a celebration. A celebration for the Lower East Side, a celebration for hip hop and especially a celebration for our community who has been organising for a really long time to make this happen.”
The campaign to rename the corner initially went to a vote in 2014. That attempt was swiftly shot down, with a 24-1 result against the notion.
However, former Bad Boy Records rep and Brooklyn resident, LeRoy McCarthy (who previously successfully managed to rename a Staten Island street in honour of the Wu-Tang Clan) spearheaded the campaign, telling the New York Post that the process “took a long time, but 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 explained.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams now has to sign off on the renaming measure before it can officially be dedicated to the group.
Further Reading
Watch Beastie Boys Perform Their Final Concert Ever Back In 2009
Watch The First Trailer For The Spike Jonze-Directed Beastie Boys Documentary
