Beastie Boys Adam Yauch Dies at 47

Adam Yauch , the cofounder of the legendary hip-hop act the Beastie Boys, passed away today after losing his struggle with cancer. He was 47.

Known better by his stage name MCA, Yauch’s gravelly voice was the icing on the cake for many Beastie’s classics, perfectly complimenting fellow rappers Mike D (Mike Diamond) and King Ad-Rock (Adam Horovitz) . For those of us in High School during the 80’s, their début “License To Ill” was a breakthrough album. It exposed millions of white suburban kids to hip hop. Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons formed Def Jam Records in the early 80’s and they launched a roster of diverse artists, including LL Cool J and Slayer as well as the Beastie Boys, which helped put the label on the map.

Run DMC was another early and influential hip-hop act, whose Aerosmith collaboration “Walk This Way” proved rock could co-exist with hip hop and give it a shot in the arm that it sorely needed in the mid-80’s. The Beastie’s took this to the next logical conclusion, and had a dynamic impact. The 2 groups even toured together at one point.

Their songs of raunchy party anthems and bratty behavior became instant classics, containing samples of classic rock and metal riffs and infused with a punk spirit from their earlier influences. “License To Ill” is often considered the 1st rap album to hit #1 on the Billboard charts, fueled by such classics as “No Sleep Til Brooklyn”, “Girls”, “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party )”, and “Brass Monkey”.  This album was the launching point for ‘rap-rock’ and a touchstone for mixing genres of music.

Following “License To Ill” the critically acclaimed yet commercial failure “Paul’s Boutique” followed, which deepened and diversified their sound. The stars realigned for their 2 later releases “Check Your Head” , which continued the sonic explorations of “Boutique” with greater success, fitting in nicely with the aesthetics of 90’s alternative rock, featuring the hits “So What’cha Want” and “Pass The Mic”. Ill Communication”  followed with the hit “Sure Shot”  along with one of their most beloved hits, the catchy single and video classic “Sabotage”.

“Hello Nasty” featuring “Intergalactic” was released in the late 90’s, followed by “To The 5 Boroughs”, “The Mix up” and “Hot Sauce Committee Part 2” (Part 1 has yet to be released).

Yauch, became heavily involved in the Tibetan Freedom Movement, and the Beastie’s organized several concert benefits for the cause. His charitable work extended to the Milarepa fund, as well as helping victims of the 9/11 attacks. He also became an accomplished film & video director and producer.

And just last month, the band were inducted into the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame. Yauch was too ill to attend.

He’s survived by his wife and daughter.

Here’s my favorite Beastie’s track. It perfectly epitomizes their fun energetic bombast that was so infectious to listen to. It still sounds badass.

A fitting tribute might be found in the spiritually themed  “Namasté” from “Check Your Head”. It was a left of center song for them, but it feels appropriate for today.

R.I.P. MCA (August 5, 1964 – May 4, 2012)