Yes, May 4th is known as Star Wars Day, but 8 years ago, Adam Yauch lost his battle with cancer of the parotid gland at the age of 47.
MCA, along with Ad Rock and Mike D, forged new ground for a new generation, melding punk rock from the early 80s with the emerging hip hop sounds that were emenating from New York City. Eight studio albums in 15 years totaling 40 million albums sold, the trio would continuously re-invent themselves several times over their career.
Adam Yauch (MCA) was a driving force. Not only was he instrumental as a songwriter, rapper, musician, but he also became a filmmaker and would organizer a series of Tibetan Freedom Concerts.
If you haven't seen the new Spike Jonze documentary Beastie Boys Story on Apple TV+, you should check it out. Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz do a great job of expressing how important Adam Yauch was to them and their music.
Here are a few of my fav Beastie moments:
Rest In Power, MCA!
-wALT