How did the Beastie Boys cause a strange crime wave?
In many ways, New York outfit the Beastie Boys helped to bring culture forward, from creating 1989’s Paul’s Boutique out of almost entirely samples to fusing rap and rock in order to establish the genre of hip-hop to mainstream audiences. Together, the group hit numerous heights in their time, etching themselves into the fabric of music and popular culture forever. One of the greatest of these is that they are the biggest-best-selling rap group since Billboard began recording sales in 1991. Tragically though, the trio disbanded in 2012 after the death of long-time member Adam Yauch, better known as MCA.
Given the band’s prominence, many highlights feature in their story. One of the most intriguing is the moment Mike D seemingly inspired a crime wave. In the spring and summer of 1987, car owners across America and the UK experienced a strange marvel. Many Volkswagen owners reported in the thousands that their cars were missing badges. When returning to their vehicles in the morning or after work, motorists found a space in the front grille where the VW symbol should have been.
After a short period of searching, people quickly found their answers. It was young people who were stealing the VW badges. Why? Around this time, Mike D was sporting a soon-to-be-iconic look. It was made famous by the video for the global hit, ‘(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)’, in which he wears a blue jacket, FILA T-shirt and, more importantly, thick gold chains around his neck connected to a VW badge. Ironically, this aesthetic was intended to parody other rappers, but the look blew up anyway.
Fans who cottoned on to the trend first could buy the VW badge from most local dealers for roughly £4. But as the demand increased exponentially, the supply could not keep up, resulting in the crime wave.
In the UK, the situation reached boiling point when Beastie Boys and Run-DMC toured together in May, with Mike D still sporting the look. Across that month and June, the thefts became an “epidemic”. In June 1987, the BBC reported that at one point in the previous month, sales of the VW emblem skyrocketed by 130%, with 6,500 mainly sold to young people who wanted them as fashion accessories like Mike D.
After the tour, Volkswagen declared that roughly 250 customers were requesting replacement badges daily. It didn’t end there, either. As the VW landscape was scarce, fans turned their attention to the badges of slightly more upmarket manufacturers, BMW and Mercedes, to get in on the action. Usually, the emblems of the former’s vehicles were snapped off for ease.
Famously, VW pounced on the Beastie Boys-inspired crime wave. They launched an ad campaign with the headline, “Designer labels always get ripped off”. They announced their replacement badges would be free. “Never let it be said that we are averse to youth cults,” the ad concluded. “After all, who brought you the Beetles?”
