What the Beastie Boys Teach Us About Business Culture
Beastie Boys, circa 1987 (Paul Natkin, Getty Images)
“The floor was slick, soaked by the endless series of Budweiser cans the Beasties opened, guzzled, hurled, spat and sprayed across the stage into the crowd. The 10,000 fans in attendance lapped it up. The Beastie Boys stood up — proudly, defiantly, aggressively — for sex, drugs, drink, junk food, cartoon violence and general mayhem.”
That was what a Beastie Boys concert was like in 1987. Coupled with lyrics like Rhymin’ and Stealin’s “Skirt chasing, freebasing, killing every village. We drink and rob and rhyme and pillage,” it’s no wonder they ushered in a dubiously credible genre of music known as “frat rap.”
But not too long after the Beasties emerged from small punk clubs into the limelight of sold-out arenas, they began to question their image. They looked out on that beer-soaked crowd of twentysomething white guys and realized their fans were taking all of this to heart.
“In a lot of ways, that early period, which was so overblown in the media, was just joking around, almost mimicking a lifestyle. Maybe it went too far because we became what we were mimicking,” Adam Yauch, a.k.a. MCA, said in 1998.
Yauch describes fans looking to bond with him over listening to his music and smoking angel dust: “And I’d say, ‘Hey man, we were just kidding. I don’t smoke dust.’” Moments like this made the band face the effect they were having on young fans with lyrics they’d written just messing around.
The Beastie Boys began to evolve.
What started as a joke, the Beastie Boys realized, was having an unintended effect on their audiences and, as their fame exploded, culture at large. But instead of making derisive interview comments about how nobody understood them, they took responsibility for how their message was received. And they changed it. (Roxana Hadadi, Pajiba, May 2020)
They went on to make music with lyrics like…
“I want to say a little something that’s long overdue. The disrespect to women has got to be through
To all the mothers and the sisters and the wives and friends
I want to offer my love and respect to the end.”~ MCA (Adam Yauch), Sure Shot
Yauch would visit Nepal in the 90s and study Buddhism. Eventually, he co-founded the Free Tibet movement and organized a concert to support it in 1998.
As a leader, you are culpable for what people take away from your message.
Discover how to consciously create a productive culture in your workplace. Contact Momentum.
Because what people understand, even if it’s not what you intend, will affect the culture of your business and, ultimately, its productivity. Obviously, you can’t prevent every misunderstanding. But you can think carefully about how people might interpret what you say — in a meeting, in an email, on the internet — and choose your words and tone wisely. And when you realize someone has gotten the wrong idea about your intent, you can provide clarification.
Of course, it helps if your people are comfortable telling you when they are confused or upset by something you’ve said, giving you the opportunity to clear up misunderstandings. But that too is a manifestation of business culture. As a leader, it is your job to create the kind of environment where it feels safe to speak up.
Bottom line: don’t tell people they gotta “fight for their right to party” and be surprised if they show up inebriated.
The Beastie Boys began what would be a long and illustrious career “Trashing hotels like it's going out of style. Getting paid along the way 'cause it's worth your while.” They remained both successful and relevant for thirty years because they realized that wasn’t a solid plan for longevity; it wasn’t what they ultimately wanted to put out in the world.
Business leaders, like multi-platinum rock stars, affect not just people but culture with their messages.
Be responsible with yours; use your powers for good. That’s how you stay relevant long enough to have a real and positive effect.
Fundamental of the Week #14: DELIVER RESULTS
Results get recognized and rewarded. Set high goals, don’t overpromise, track and measure your progress, then be accountable for delivering results.
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