Following the success of “Cooky Puss”, the band began to incorporate

Following the success of “Cooky Puss”, the band began to incorporate rap into their sets. They hired a DJ for their live shows, New York University student Rick Rubin , who began producing records soon thereafter. “I met Mike first,” Rubin recalled. “I thought he was an arrogant asshole. Through spending time with the Beasties I grew to see that they had this great sense of humor. It wasn’t that they were assholes, and even if it was, they were funny with it.” Rubin formed Def Jam Recordings with Russell Simmons , and approached the band about producing them for his new label. As the band was transitioning to hip-hop, Rubin gave them an ultimatum and Schellenbach was forced out of the group in 1984. Rubin told her he “didn’t like the sound of women rapping” and that the band wouldn’t achieve success with a female member. Diamond took over on drums. In their 2018 memoir, Ad-Rock expressed regret over firing Schellenbach, which he attributed to her not fitting with the “new tough-rapper-guy identity”. Schellenbach went on to be the drummer of Luscious Jackson , which signed with the Beastie Boys’ label Grand Royal . The group continued to play with Schellenbach and The Young and the Useless during their early days.