Triple Sly Crew was one of Adam Yauch's early side projects. The band members of Triple Sly Crew were Yauch, Kate Schellenbach, and Sarah Cox.

In a November 2006 interview with Beastiemania.com, Schellenbach explained Triple Sly Crew's origin. "Toxic Shock, the Carcinogens, and Triple Sly Crew were all what I refer to as 'button bands.' They were loosely formed bands who probably didn't gig, but just jammed, named the band, and made a button for it," said Schellenbach.

In the fall of 1981, Beastie Boys were performing some of their very first shows at venues like the A7 and Max's Kansas City. Around the same time, the Triple Sly Crew meet up at Schellenbach's home to rhyme over hip-hop instrumentals.

"We were never really a real band. We were more of a concept," said Schellenbach. "The Triple Sly Crew was just a way to acknowledge our interest in rap even as punk rockers. We didn't have any songs per se. We just fucked around rapping at my house over Sugar Hill Gang instrumentals and onto cassette tapes."

The Triple Sly Crew is important historically because this short-lived group is a testament to the fact that the members of the Beastie Boys were experimenting with rap long before recording the Cookie Puss EP in 1983.