Beastie Boys on Human Rights

The Beastie Boys may be hard core when it comes to their music, but that's nothing compared to the stand they take for human rights issues. Everybody knows by now that the name Beasties and the name Tibet are closely linked. The Boys participated in the Tibetan Freedom Concert, which took place in four cities last June. They got interested in the cause because member Adam Yauch is a practicing Buddhist who met the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader and Tibet's exiled head of State. The Chinese have illegally occupied Tibet and oppressed its people since they invaded in 1949/50.

Believe it or not this cause, although a big one, isn't the only one they speak out on. This is where I think it gets really cool. Ever hear of Woodstock? Ever hear of the nightmare that was Woodstock '99? Yeah? Well, the Beasties decided not to play the oblivious artists and took a stand on the fact that female fans were being abused and molested in mosh pits. At the MTV movie awards last year they took the award for best Hip Hop Video and left behind a few words to remember. They urged other artists to "Talk to promoters and make sure that they are doing something about the safety of all the girls and the women that come to our shows." It's good to see a band that doesn't just blindly take your money with nothing more than a "thanks for coming out" at the end of the show.

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