Beastie boys: they were once a band of rhyming hopefuls who were dismissed as a novelty act. But two decades later, and with a new album, they're at the heart and soul of hip-hop—and one of the most vital, visionary groups in music

Nearly 20 years ago, three hip-hop-obsessed Jewish teenagers from New York City--Adam "Adrock" Horovitz, Michael "Mike D" Diamond, and Adam "MCA" Yauch--wandered into the offices of the fledgling hip-hop label Def Jam Records to meet with its co-founders, NYU student Rick Rubin and aspiring mogul Russell Simmons, about putting out an album. The result was Beastie Boys' seminal Licensed to III (1986), with its breakout hit, "Fight for Your Right." The marriage, however, was not made in heaven: Following a dispute over royalties, the group had an acrimonious split with Simmons and Def Jam, and embarked on a musical odyssey that would see them evolve from a band of irreverent frat-boy curios to avant musical cut-ups to socially conscious, serious-minded artists.

Now, with the release of their sixth album, To the Five Boroughs (Capitol), Beastie Boys have come full circle. With its panoramic cover line drawing of Manhattan's cityscape, with the Twin Towers still intact, the record is a mix of new-school politics--taking on the Bush administration, the war in Iraq, and the upcoming election--and old-school beats, recalling the trio's work on Paul's Boutique (1989) and Check Your Head (1992). Adrock describes To the Five Boroughs as an album about "having fun in troubled times," but in many ways it is an homage to everything the Beasties love: hip-hop, hanging out, and New York City.

Here, for the first time in more than a decade, Adrock, Mike D, and MCA sit down with Simmons in his Midtown office, and, appropriately, rap.

RUSSELL SIMMONS: So, I've talked about it a lot of times, but the relationship I've lost over the years that hurt the most was the one I had with you guys. It was not only Rick [Rubin]'s and my fault--we all fucked up. But I have missed you, and I like that y'all are still together. I would have had a lot more fun over the last 16 years if what happened between us had never happened.

MCA: I remember the first time we came to your office to meet with you about being our manager, and you sat us down very seriously and said, "I'm going to say one thing: I'm not a baby-sitter!"

MIKE D: That was your management speech. You were like [in Simmons's voice], "1 expect y'all to work hard!" The funny thing was that the speech had nothing to do with what kind of person you were at that time. You'd think you were a hard-working, wake-up-in-the-morning type of manager. [everybody laughs]

MCA: I just remember that Full Force was in your office. I thought that was cool.

MD: Kurtis Blow was there, too, break-dancing.

RS: Y'all never really felt Kurtis Blow too much, did you?

MD: We opened up for him one night at the Encore. The crowd was gonna kill us. The whole place smelled like angel dust.

MCA: We had on the Puma suits, and everyone was snapping.

RS: Well, I just would have liked to see you every once in a while.

MD: You wouldn't have had the patience.

RS: So, the cover of your new album, To the Five Boroughs, is dope as hell! The only negative comment about the record that I've heard is that it's not commercial, because there aren't a lot of hooks.

ADROCK: Who needs hooks, man? You don't need to hook people.

RS: Well, how many songs you got on there?

MD: HOW many tracks are on the album, or how many songs?

RS: Songs.

MD: Out of 15 tracks?

A: I'd say we've got at least eight songs.

MCA: Are you counting "Shazam!" as a song?

A: I'm not sure.

RS: So, how about the fact that we're all getting old? How many kids you got, Adrock?

A: I do not have any kids.

MD: I have kids. I got one that's 20 months old and another one on the way [both with his wife, director Tamra Davis].

RS: Really? You ain't even got a woman, though, do you, MCA?

MCA: Why you gotta be like that, Russell?

RS: I'm just saying, do you have one?

MCA: Don't even start.

RS: I don't see y'all. I just want to know.

MD: C'mon, Russell, the man's a father.

RS: Oh, he's got a kid! [laughs] So, how old is your kid, MCA?

MCA: I have a daughter [with wife Dechan Dangdu]. She's gonna be 6.

RS: Six. She's old enough to date.

MCA: See, why you gotta be like that?

RS: What? I ain't gonna date your daughter.

MCA: So who made you wear those clothes, Russell? [Simmons is wearing a bright-pink shirt, pink pants, and a pink baseball cap.]

RS: You don't like my clothes? Does my shirt not match?

MCA: It's scary how well they match.

RS: Well, I got a pink seersucker suit, a pink silk suit, and a pink corduroy suit.

MCA: You got a pink Hummer?

RS: Pink is a big (more Beastie Boys page 90) (continued from page 89) color this season! Just like lavender will be next year. For Phat Farm [Simmons's clothing company], we have projections about what the big colors will be, and sometimes we add our own.

A: You have heat seekers who hang out at 7-Eleven and tell you what the kids are up to?

MCA: Here's an inside tip: The people on the street are talking about beige.