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\n\tWhat time is it? It\u2019s time to get ill!<\/em> Beastie Boys<\/a> are celebrating the 40th anniversary of their megaselling debut album, Licensed to Ill<\/a><\/em>, with a limited edition vinyl reissue. Originally released on Nov. 15, 1986, the diamond-certified, Rick Rubin\u2013produced album became the first rap record to top Billboard\u2019s <\/em>album chart thanks to clever videos for \u201c(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)\u201d and \u201cNo Sleep till Brooklyn\u201d and a string of singles that included \u201cBrass Monkey,\u201d \u201cHold It Now, Hit It,\u201d and \u201cPaul Revere.\u201d The group\u2019s surviving members, Mike D and Ad-Rock, will appear on The Daily Show<\/em> on Monday to discuss the album\u2019s legacy, as well as the SmartLess <\/em>podcast, released the same day.<\/p>\n \n\tThe lacquers for the limited Vinylphyle edition, which is out March 18 and available for preorder<\/a>, were cut from a high-res digital transfer from the original 1986 quarter-inch master tape and pressed to 180-gram black vinyl LPs. Audio engineer Joe Nino-Hernes worked from physical tapes at Sterling Sound, introducing a digital step to preserve the tapes. \u201cFor this project I felt that making a high-resolution digital transfer, using the same machine and electronics that I use for cutting, would yield the best results and come closest to actually cutting from the first-generation master tape itself\u201d he said in a statement. \u201cIt also allowed me to minimize handling of the tapes that have become fragile with time.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe reissue, which will come in a lavish gatefold sleeve, will include new liner notes by Public Enemy\u2019s Chuck D. The fourth side of the second LP will feature an etching, and a four-panel insert includes photos of the master tapes.<\/p>\n \n\tIn 2019, the Beasties\u2019 Mike D told A Tribe Called Quest\u2019s Q-Tip on his Apple Music radio show, Echo Chamber<\/em>, that the Licensed to Ill <\/em>master tapes were missing. \u201cNobody can find it,\u201d Mike said. \u201cI\u2019m not even lying.\u201d When Q-Tip blamed the original label, Def Jam, and asked if producer Rick Rubin knew where they were, Mike D doubled down, according to Variety<\/a><\/em>. \u201cNo,\u201d he said, \u201cLiterally nobody can find it.\u201d (A rep for the Beastie Boys did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone\u2019s <\/em>query if the tapes had been located for the reissue.)<\/p>\n