Earlier this week, Pharrell was announced as the artist in residence at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Today (Oct. 22), the institution continues its foray into hip-hop, this time digging a bit farther back in the genre's history. According to Billboard, the two surviving members of the Beastie Boys have signed a deal with NYU's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music that will allow students access to the group's famous Oscilloscope studio. In a statement, NYU said that the access will be used primarily by students who are working on their capstone projects, which the school says require the young women and men come up with a "customized, entrepreneurial music business venture.

Though Mike D and Ad-Rock do not appear to be actively making new music, they've kept their name in a handful of headlines this year. There was the successful legal action against Monster energy drinks, the news that their 1986 debut album, Licensed To Ill, had been certified Diamond by the RIAA, having shipped units in excess of 10 million. There was also the unearthed video footage of a Nas collaboration from January. Their most recent album is 2011's Hot Sauce Committee Part Two; their first six albums, which spanned nearly 20 years, all were certified at least platinum. Adam "MCA" Yauch passed away in 2012 after a battle with cancer. Earlier this year, Ad-Rock acted in the Noah Baumbach-directed While We're Young.

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