Ad-Rock

Adam Keefe Horovitz, better known by Ad-Rock or King Ad-Rock, was born on October 31st, 1966.

Horovitz began his career in music with the punk rock band, The Young and the Useless. The band would often perform alongside the Beastie Boys, who was also a punk rock band at the time. When guitarist for the Beastie Boys, John Berry, quit, Horovitz joined the Beastie Boys in 1982 at age 16. Shortly after his induction into the group, they changed their sound from punk rock to hip hop. Their first incarnation of this can be seen in the 1983 EP, Cooky Puss. After being signed to the newly founded Def Jam Recordings, they would release their debut album, Licensed To Ill, in 1986. The album was a huge commercial success, quickly becoming the best selling hip hop album of the 1980’s, selling 22 million copies in the US alone, and 40 million worldwide.

In 2012, Horovitz, along with fellow group members MCA (Adam Yauch) and Mike D (Michael Diamond), were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Horovitz is also known for his side projects, BS-2000 and Dead Fucking Last.