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With iconic rappers like The Notorious B.I.G. and MF Doom having streets named after them becoming a regular practice these days, it seems like The Beastie Boys will finally be getting the same honors sooner than later.
The Gothamist is reporting that after a 9-year push by cultural advocate LeRoy McCarthy to get a street named after the OG Hip-Hop trio, it seems like the man is finally making some headway in his efforts to rename the corner of Ludlow Street and Rivington Street on the Lower East Side as “Beastie Boys Square.” Taking thousands of signatures backing the proposal to Manhattan’s Community Board 3, McCarthy just knew he was going to realize his dream come true. He didn’t.
“Yeah, they rejected it,” McCarthy told Gothamist. “They pretty much thought that it was not necessary… They placed undemocratic obstacles although the application met the rules requirements. I do not know what their reasons were.”
On top of that, the community board rules stated that he couldn’t apply again for another five years.
Talk about hating on Hip-Hop.
Still, nine years later and now the City Council has finally advanced the Beastie Boys’ street naming, along with 78 others and judging from the energy from local politicians, it seems like it’s going to finally happen. Councilmember Christopher Marte told the Gothamist that one of the first emails he got when he was running for City Council back in 2017 was about getting him to support “Beastie Boys Square.”
“The Beastie Boys lived and breathed the Lower East Side as the Lower East Side lived and breathed the Beastie Boys,” Marte said. “MCA, Ad-Rock and Mike D put this neighborhood on the hip-hop map not just by calling it their home, but putting it front and center on one of their top albums. There’s no denying these guys were punks, maybe not their neighbors’ favorite neighbors, but that’s what the Lower East Side was and always will be: a home to people who do things a little differently.
“Their unique sound and place in hip-hop history deserve to be recognized by the neighborhood that was so instrumental in their development,” he added. “The community can’t wait to welcome this street re-naming and it’s my honor to just be a small part of their storied legacy.”
The vote is expected to be called up within the next few weeks and seems like it’s going to pass. Once it does we wonder what kind of extracurricular activities fans will be partaking in at “Beastie Boys Square” to pay homage to the likes of MCA, Mike D and Ad-Rock.
Will you be paying a visit to Beastie Boys Square when it’s officially renamed? Let us know in the comments section below.