R.I.P. Adam Yauch (MCA from the Beastie Boys)

[justin_credible]

May 4, 2012, 2:22 PM
Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys Dies
By JAMES C. MCKINLEY JR.

Marko Djurica/Reuters
Adam “MCA” Yauch
Adam Yauch, one of the founders of the seminal hip-hop group the Beastie Boys, has died of cancer at the age of 47, according to the Web site of the band’s publicist.

Mr. Yauch, who went by the moniker MCA, had been battling cancer since 2009, when a tumor was discovered in his salivary gland. He did not come to the Beastie Boys induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April and his treatments for the illness forced the group to delay the release of their last album “Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2.”

Emerging from the hard-core punk scene in New York in the late 1970s, the Beastie Boys were the first white group to successfully sing rap songs and have remained popular for more than a quarter century. Mr. Yauch co-founded the group with Mike Diamond (Mike D) and Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock) as a punk band in 1981 and first began experimenting with hip-hop the following year, when they released a 12-inch vinyl rap spoof “Cookie Puss.” All three were teenagers from affluent New York families when they met.

But in 1986, they crossed into the rap mainstream with “Licensed to Ill,” which was the first hip-hop album to hit No. 1 on the albums chart and featured hits like “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)” and “Brass Monkey.” It was just the first of a string of hit records, like 1989’s “Paul’s Boutique,” 1992’s “Check Your Head” and 1994’s “Ill Communication.”



Mr. Yauch (pronounced YOWK) was also involved in the movement to free Tibet and organized concerts for the cause in the late 1990s, and he and his band mates started an indie record label in the 1990s called Grand Royal. His interests also extended beyond music, particularly film. Under the name Nathanial Hörnblowér, he directed many of the Beastie Boys’ music videos and their 2006 concert film, which was shot by fans, while under his own name, he released “Gunnin’ for That #1 Spot,” a documentary about high school basketball players. (In 2004, Mr. Yauch, under the pseudonym Nathanial Hornblower, wrote a letter to The Times in response to a story about his music video, “Ch-Check It Out.”) And he started an independent film division of his company, Oscilloscope Laboratories, which has released critically acclaimed films like “Wendy and Lucy.”

When Ad-Rock and Mike D accepted the Beastie Boys’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame two weeks ago, they read a letter from Mr. Yauch thanking both his bandmates and the group’s fans. “I’d like to dedicate this to my brothers Adam and Mike,” he wrote. “They walked the globe with me. It’s also for anyone who has ever been touched by our band. This induction is as much ours as it is yours.”

Mr. Yauch is survived by his wife, Dechen Wangdu, and their daughter, Tenzin Losel Yauch.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/20...tie-boys-dies/

Sad day.

[javi]

[Alucard]

Fucking devastated.

[Joe Redifer]

At first glance I thought one of the founders of the YMCA died.

I don't know much about the Beastie Boys because I've never been into rap and from what I remember they sounded pretty angry. Didn't they make a movie where they made some telephone calls?

Why does the song "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)" have words in parenthesis? Why not call it You Gotta Fight for Your Right to Party or simply Fight for Your Right? I never understood parenthesis in song titles. I shall start a campaign against this.

[Alucard]

One of the greatest songs ever made. Hip hop is where it is because of them. Not referring to the shit quality of hip hop of today, but its popularity.

[Joe Redifer]

That's not rap. Or hip hop.

[justin_credible]

Originally Posted by Joe Redifer

At first glance I thought one of the founders of the YMCA died.

I don't know much about the Beastie Boys because I've never been into rap and from what I remember they sounded pretty angry. Didn't they make a movie where they made some telephone calls?

That's the Jerky Boys, but I'm pretty sure you knew that.

[Northeastmonk]

I remember the song Girls, which was one of favs growing up as a teen. So sad, he was young too.

and

[Badrats Studio]

Sabotage and Intergalactic are already posted here so I don't have to do it.

Cancer is a bitch. R.I.P man...

[Sinful Sam]

Beastie Boys are awesome. RIP Adam Yauch.

[Alucard]

Originally Posted by Joe Redifer

That's not rap. Or hip hop.

Shut your rancid mouth and move along to the free tampon line

[Joe Redifer]

You don't understand. I'm saying it's not shitty enough to be rap or hip hop.

[KingOfSentinels]

Loved the Beastie Boys, horrible news. RIP.

[Alucard]

Originally Posted by Joe Redifer

You don't understand. I'm saying it's not shitty enough to be rap or hip hop.

You may open it back up.