Beastie Boys Co-Founder Mike D Releases Debut Solo Single Switch Up
Friday, 08 May 2026
Written by Jon Stickler
Photo: Jack Coleman
Beastie Boys' Mike D has shared his first solo single, Switch Up.
Pairing jungle breakbeats with hip hop and electronic influences, the track marks the first major release by a Beastie Boys member since 2011's 'Hot Sauce Committee Part Two' and the death of Beastie Boys co-founder Adam Yauch, aka MCA, the following year.
It grew from experimental sessions with Mike D's sons, Davis and Skyler Diamond, who perform as the indie-dance duo Very Nice Person and are credited as producers alongside Carter Lang on the track, before other collaborators helped complete it.
Mike D, whose real name is Michael Diamond, played an intimate show in Los Angeles last week, the first of a short run of dates he confirmed following a surprise appearance with Very Nice Person last month, during which he ran through several classic Beastie Boys tracks. He'll also play Beyond The Pale festival in Wicklow, Ireland next month.
Mike D hasn't performed with The Beastie Boys since Yauch's death, when the legendary rap trio (completed by Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz) effectively retired, though they've released a number of vinyl reissues, a greatest hits album, and a Spike Jonze-directed documentary since then.
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