May 22, 2021
BenGreenfieldFitness.com/MikeD
Michael Louis Diamond, better known as Mike D, is an American rapper and founding member of the hip hop group Beastie Boys. As part of the Beastie Boys, Diamond rapped, sung, and played drums. In 1979, Mike D co-founded the band The Young Aborigines. In 1981, Adam Yauch, aka MCA, a friend and follower of the band, became their bass player, and on the suggestion of their then-guitar player, John Berry, the band changed their name to the Beastie Boys. By 1983, Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock) joined, and the Beastie Boys sound began to shift away from punk to hip hop. A friend of theirs, and former podcast guest of mine, New York University student Rick Rubin (aka “DJ Double R”) - who first introduced me to Mike D - was an early turntablist for the Beastie Boys before becoming a world-renowned record producer and label mogul.