RIP Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch aka MCA who died today aged 47 from cancer. It’s devastating news. His passing marks the end of the trio of Mike D, Adrock and MCA as a band, a unit, a rap group. We will never see the three of them finish each others rhymes in the flesh ever again.
The Beastie Boys define my teenage years. Ill Communication, Hello Nasty, Paul’s Boutique and Check Your Head are very much responsible for shaping my musical tastes. The cleverly placed snatches of samples from funk, reggae, country and rap albums made me want to explore those other genres of music. MCA was always the elder, the enlightened, the one who kept the other two mad hatters grounded in reality; both on record and in interviews.
Mark Richardson, writing for Pitchfork perhaps has best summed up the appeal of the Beastie Boys:
MCA was the best rapper in the Beastie Boys as well as the best instrumentalist, and he also directed some of their many brilliant videos. But he was never the “leader” in any way because this wasn’t a group that needed a leader. The Beastie Boys are ultimately a celebration of friendship. You find people you care about and who care about you, and you make a community with them. The Beasties, both as a group and as individuals, embodied this ideal.
Thank you Adam Yauch aka MCA aka Nathaniel Hornblower aka Nathan Wind aka Sir Stuart Wallace for your part in my life and the lives of many others whether that was through your music, your music videos, your rhymes, your silly characters, your spirituality or your activism. Your rasp will be missed. I’m off to throw eggs at passers by in your honour.
Full statement. Obits from The Guardian and The New York Times.
My very first website back in 1999 was a Beastie Boys fansite.
Watch the whole Beastieography.
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, club promoter, event curator and producer of gigs, listening parties & events in Dublin.
Because you can’t, you won’t, and you don’t stop
Awful, awful news. Really can’t still believe it. Hopefully he’s drifting on a higher plain right now. RIP dude.
Been listening to Paul’s Boutique and Check Your Head most of the weekend. Still can’t get my head around never seeing them live again. Was kind of hoping that (in a Daft Punk back on tour sort of way) we would see them back up and at it this summer 🙁