The Beastie Boys were an American hip hop group from New York City, formed in 1981. They were originally a hardcore punk band, but they had largely abandoned the genre in favor of hip hop and rap rock by the time work began on their debut studio album Licensed to Ill. The group mixed elements of hip hop, punk, funk, electro, jazz, and Latin music into their music. They have also been described as alternative hip hop, alternative rock, and punk rap. The Beastie Boys were known for their clever wordplay, inventive genre splicing, and elaborate videos. They became vocal supporters of social causes and global issues. In summary, the Beastie Boys genre is primarily hip hop, but they incorporated elements of other genres into their music, making them difficult to categorize into a single genre.