Mike D has built a long and influential career as a member of legendary hip-hop group Beastie Boys. Now, the rapper and producer makes his solo debut on Billboard’s charts with his experimental new album, Thank You.
Released Aug. 26 via Capitol Records, the set debuts at No. 7 on the Top Dance Albums chart (dated Sept. 12) with 8,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States in its opening week, according to Luminate. Of that sum, 7,000 were in traditional album sales, also prompting a No. 18 debut on Top Album Sales. Vinyl purchases accounted for 5,000, resulting in a No. 13 entrance on the Vinyl Albums chart.
Mike D cowrote and coproduced Thank You with his sons — Davis and Skyler Diamond — along with Tyran Donaldson and Carter Lang. (Davis and Skyler perform together as members of the band Very Nice Person, which released its debut LP Trampoline in March.) Musically, Thank You spans the rock and eclectic hip-hop sounds long associated with Mike D while also incorporating a range of electronic influences.
Thank You is Mike D’s first solo studio album, and the first such project from any Beastie Boys member since Adam “MCA” Yauch died in 2012, at age 47, following a battle with cancer. The group then went on an indefinite hiatus, with Mike D and fellow surviving member Ad-Rock stating that they would not release new music under the Beastie Boys name again. In 2018, the pair released the comprehensive, Easter egg-packed memoir Beastie Boys Book, which was adapted into the 2020 documentary Beastie Boys Story.
Beastie Boys have charted 15 projects on the Billboard 200, including four No. 1s: Licensed to Ill (1987), Ill Communication (1994), Hello Nasty (1998) and To the 5 Boroughs (2004).
Since Luminate began tracking sales data in 1991, Beastie Boys have sold 23.2 million albums, making them the biggest selling rap group in that span.
Licensed to Ill, the group’s influential debut, became the first rap album to top the Billboard 200. It has since been certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America. The group also charted seven songs on the Billboard Hot 100, led by “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!),” which hit No. 7 in 1987.
Ahead of Thank You’s release, Mike D unveiled his debut solo single, “Switch Up,” in May, followed by “What We Got” and “True Colors.” He is currently on the Mike D 5D Tour in support of the album, which runs through November.
