Michael Diamond, best known as Mike D. started out as MC but decided to hit the skins as well after initial Beastie Boys drummer Kate Schellenbach decided to leave in 1983.



A founding member of New York hip hop trio the Beastie Boys, Mike D raps, sings and plays drums alongside fellow members Adrock, MCA and Mix Master Mike.



Mike D was born in the New York City borough of Manhattan. He attended Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York for six months. In 1979, he co-founded the band The Young Aborigines. In 1981, Adam Yauch, a friend and follower of the band became their bass player and changed the band name to the Beastie Boys. By 1983, the Beastie Boys had become a trio and their sound began to shift away from punk to hip-hop. In 1992, Mike D founded the Beastie Boys record label Grand Royal Records.



Ever since their early days as a hardcore band, the Beastie Boys have continued creating instrumental music in addition to the rap music for which they're most well-known. Their music ranges over many disparate genres, from punk rock and hardcore to funk and bossa nova. Such songs have been interspersed among the rap tracks on some of their major albums and have also been released in such collections as Aglio e Olio and The In Sound From Way Out!. The most common band setup features Mike D playing drums, Ad-Rock on guitar, and MCA on bass. According to the band, listening to funk music from the 70's that served as samples for Paul's Boutique (particularly The Meters) inspired them to start playing instruments again for Check Your Head. The current Beastie Boys album, called The Mix-Up, will be instrumental only.



Mike D is married to Tamra Davis. They have two sons, Davis and Skylar.