Which album became the first hip hop record to reach number one on the Billboard 200?

Beastie Boys’ Licensed to Ill became the first hip hop album to reach number one on the Billboard 200.

Released by Def Jam Recordings on November 15, 1986, Licensed to Ill was the Beastie Boys’ debut studio album. It topped the Billboard 200 in 1987 and became the first rap album to reach the chart’s number-one position.

The album combines aggressive rapping, rock-influenced production, turntable techniques, and sampling. Its major songs include “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!),” “Brass Monkey,” and “No Sleep till Brooklyn,” which features Kerry King of Slayer on guitar.

Rick Rubin and the Beastie Boys produced the record. It is sometimes confused with Paul’s Boutique, the group’s 1989 follow-up, which was produced with the Dust Brothers and is known for its unusually dense sample collage.