Beastie Boys was never formed.
Beastie Boys . Originally formed as a four-piece hardcore punk band , the Young Aborigines , in 1978 by Diamond ( vocals ) , John Berry ( guitar ) , Yauch ( bass ) and Kate Schellenbach ( drums ) , the band appeared on the compilation cassette New York Thrash , before recording their first EP , Polly Wog Stew , in 1982 . The group sold 26 million albums in the United States and 50 million albums worldwide , making them , according to Billboard , the biggest-selling rap group since the magazine began recording sales data in 1991 .