Rock Hard

by

Beastie Boys

Edit

"Rock Hard" is a song by the Beastie Boys, released by Def Jam Records on 12" in 1985. The song (and the accompanying songs on the 12") features the band's debut rap effort, and it contains samples from the AC/DC song "Back in Black" which was used without obtaining legal permission - thereby causing the record to be promptly withdrawn. Later, when the Boys planned to include the out-of-print song on their 1999 anthology, The Sounds of Science, AC/DC refused to allow the sample to be used. Mike D spoke to AC/DC's Malcolm Young personally on the phone when their lawyers refused to clear the sample, and later said that "AC/DC could not get with the sample concept. They were just like, 'Nothing against you guys, but we just don't endorse sampling.'" Adrock then added "So we told them that we don't endorse people playing guitars."

The cover design is also famous for now being the official Def Jam records logo for vinyl releases; to this day, vinyl singles released by Def Jam have this design.

Long removed from print, it was considered a rare collector's item until Def Jam reissued the single in Europe in 2007.