Beastie Boys' Hello Nasty goes platinum

Sales of the Beastie Boys' Hello Nasty forged past the 1 million sales mark this week, earning them a platinum award, a third week at #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and an ego boost as they begin their trek across America to support the album. According to SoundScan, 244,000 more people picked up Hello Nasty in the week ending Aug. 2, sending the album's total sales to 1.2 million and garnering the superstar punk-rap trio yet another platinum award from the Recording Industry Association of America. Garbage drummer/producer Butch Vig, a friend of Beastie Mike D's who described himself as "super happy" for the Beasties' success this year, attributed the group's continuing popularity to its ability to give its fans what they want. "They haven't really covered any new turf, but they definitely have their own niche and it's loose and fun and has a weird, dark sense of humor," he explained. "They definitely have built up a fanbase with a niche out there that they fill that nobody else is in."