Adam Yauch

JAKE COYLE, The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — When the Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame just weeks ago, the New York trio was down a man. Michael "Mike D" Diamond and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz took the stage with a letter from their missing band mate: Adam "MCA" Yauch, who was too ill to attend. He was suffering from a cancerous salivary gland first diagnosed in 2009. In the letter, which Horovitz read, Yauch dedicated the honor to his fellow B-Boys, "who have walked the globe with me." "To anyone who has been touched by our band, who our music has meant something to, this induction is as much ours as it is yours," said Yauch. It was typical generosity from Yauch, the gravelly-voiced rapper who helped make the Beastie Boys one of the seminal groups in hip-hop and whose good-hearted nature led him to humanistic causes and made him beloved in hip-hop. One of his most famous rhymes was a sweet ode to women, which he called "long overdue": "To all the mothers and sisters and wives and friends/ I want to offer my love and respect to the end." When the news came Friday that earlier that morning, Yauch, 47, had died after a nearly three-year battle with cancer, the words from his letter felt particularly apt. The outpouring of sadness at the loss, and celebration of the music Yauch helped created, was immediate and vast, shared across social media by those close to him, rappers influenced by "Paul's Boutique" and hip-hop listeners raised on Beastie Boys videos. The rapper Q-Tip, a member of another major New York hip-hop group, A Tribe Called Quest, recalled that the Beastie Boys "showed us the ropes." Sean "Diddy" Combs called Yauch "a true pioneer and a creative force who paved the way for so many of us." The rapper Nas lamented the loss of a "brother": "MCA was so cool," he said. For Eminem, Yauch was an undeniable touchstone: "I think it's obvious to anyone how big an influence the Beastie Boys were on me and so many others." Yauch was an integral, founding member to the ever-weaving trio: three Jewish kids from New York who found widespread respect in a hip-hop world with few credible white performers. In a span of more than a quarter century that covered four No. 1 albums and more than 40 million records sold, the Beastie Boys played both prankster and pioneer— a simultaneously goofy and groundbreaking act that helped bring hip-hop to the mainstream. The demure, gray-haired Yauch wasn't the most boastful B-Boy; he was the thoughtful one and a steady source of the trio's innovative spirit. A practicing Buddhist, he led the group in performing concerts to benefit Tibet and, as a filmmaker, he helped create their imagery. "The group's music crossed genres and color lines, and helped bring rap to a wider audience," said Neil Portnow, president of the Recording Academy. "Yauch was an immense talent and creative visionary." Adam Nathanial Yauch, born in Brooklyn, formed the Beastie Boys with high school friend Diamond. Originally conceived as a hardcore punk group, they played their first show on Yauch's 17th birthday. In the letter read at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, Yauch recalled their early days at his parents' home in Brooklyn, "where we used to practice on hot Brooklyn summer days after school, windows open to disturb the neighborhood." The group became a hip-hop trio soon after Horovitz joined and coalesced after Yauch dropped out of Bard College two years into his studies. They released their chart-topping debut "Licensed to Ill" in 1986, a raucous album led by the anthem "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)". It was the first hip-hop album to top the Billboard chart, and while it remains popular, its irreverent rock-rap fusion bore few hints of an act with staying power. "Adam was incredibly sweet and the most sensitive artist, who I loved dearly," Russell Simmons, whose Def Jam label released "Licensed to Ill," said on his website. In the seven studio albums that followed, the Beastie Boys expanded sonically and grew more musically ambitious. Their follow-up, 1989's "Paul's Boutique," ended any suggestion that the group was a one-hit wonder. Extreme in its sampling and thoroughly layered, the album (produced by the Dust Brothers) was ranked the 156th greatest album ever by Rolling Stone magazine in 2003. The Beastie Boys would later take up their own instruments — a rarity in hip-hop — on the album "Check Your Head" and subsequent releases. Yauch played bass. Later, they would even release an album of instrumentals, which won one of their three Grammys in 2007. On "Pass the Mic," he rapped: "If you can feel what I'm feeling then it's a musical masterpiece / If you can hear what I'm dealing with then that's cool at least / What's running through my mind comes through in my walk / True feelings are shown from the way that I talk." For many, the Beastie Boys' lyrics — overflowing torrents of wit, humor and rhyme — were always the main draw. While other forms of hip-hop celebrated individualism, the Beastie Boys were a verbal tag team. Yauch once rapped, "on the tough guy style I'm not too keen." Their popularity perhaps peaked with 1994's "Ill Communication," which spawned several of their most famous music videos, including "Sure Shot" and the Spike Jonze-directed "Sabotage" — a hit highlighted by Yauch's bass solo. (MTV, which played a key role in the Beasties' rise, hurriedly assembled an hour-long tribute show to Yauch on Friday night.) Yauch used the group's growing fame to attract awareness for Tibetan Buddhists. He founded the Milarepa Fund to promote activism for Tibet in defense of what the nonprofit considered China's occupational government. In 1996, Yauch and Milarepa produced a hugely popular benefit concert for Tibet in San Francisco, which was followed by more international concerts over the next decade. "He was a goofball and behind a lot of their prankiness, but if you wanted to talk to him about what was going on in the world and social issues and everything, you got a totally different guy," said Rick Krim, executive vice president of music and talent relations at Vh1. Introducing the group at the Rock Hall, Public Enemy rapper Chuck D said the Beastie Boys "broke the mold." "The Beastie Boys are indeed three bad brothers who made history," Chuck D said. "They brought a whole new look to rap and hip-hop. They proved that rap could come from any street — not just a few." Yauch also went under the pseudonym Nathanial Hornblower when working as a filmmaker. He directed numerous videos for the group, as well as the 2006 concert film "Awesome: I F-----' Shot That!" (shot entirely by fans given cameras) and the basketball documentary, "Gunnin' for that (No.) 1 Spot." In 2008, he co-founded the noted independent film distribution company Osciolloscope Laboratories, named after his New York studio. Yauch is survived by his wife, Dechen Wangdu, and his daughter, Tenzin Losel Yauch. Yauch's illness, about which he first expressed hope that it was "very treatable," forced the group to cancel shows and delayed the release of their last album, "Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2." He hadn't performed in public since 2009. But the enduring popularity of the Beastie Boys across some 28 years is one of the steadiest paths of success in pop music — a time remarkable for the constant, warm camaraderie between Yauch, Horovitz and Diamond. "They are truly rock's most realized group — not hip-hop but all music, really," wrote Questlove, the drummer for the Roots, who toured with the Beastie Boys. "I mean, did we really expect the most thoughtful, mature, considerate act in music to be the same brats who gave us 'Licensed To Ill'?" ___ JAKE COYLE, The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Adam Yauch, the gravelly voiced rapper who helped make the Beastie Boys one of the seminal groups in hip-hop, died Friday. He was 47. Yauch, also known as MCA, died in New York after a nearly three-year battle with cancer, his representatives said. He had been diagnosed with a cancerous salivary gland in 2009. At the time, Yauch expressed hope that it was "very treatable," but his illness forced the group to cancel shows and delayed the release of their 2011 album, "Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2." He hadn't performed in public since 2009 and was absent when the Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month. Yauch was an integral, founding member to the ever-weaving trio: three Jewish kids from New York who found widespread respect in a hip-hop world with few credible white performers. In a 25-year span that covered four No. 1 albums and more than 40 million records sold, the Beastie Boys played both prankster and pioneer, a groundbreaking act that helped bring hip-hop to the mainstream. "The group's music crossed genres and color lines and helped bring rap to a wider audience," said Neil Portnow, president of the Recording Academy. "Yauch was an immense talent and creative visionary." The demure, gray-haired Yauch wasn't the most boastful B-Boy; he was the thoughtful one and a steady source of the trio's innovative spirit. A devoted Buddhist, he led the group in performing concerts to benefit Tibet, and, as a filmmaker, he helped grow their imagery. The rapper Q-Tip, a member of another major '90s New York hip-hop group, recalled that the Beastie Boys "showed us the ropes." Sean "Diddy" Combs called Yauch "a true pioneer and a creative force who paved the way for so many of us." The rapper Nas lamented the loss of a "brother." "I think it's obvious to anyone how big an influence the Beastie Boys were on me and so many others," Eminem said. "They are trailblazers and pioneers and Adam will be sorely missed." The Brooklyn-born Yauch formed the Beastie Boys with high school friend Michael "Mike D" Diamond. Originally conceived as a hardcore punk group, they played their first show on Yauch's 17th birthday. In a letter from Yauch read by fellow Beastie Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, Yauch recalled their early days at his parents' home in Brooklyn, "where we used to practice on hot Brooklyn summer days after school, windows open to disturb the neighborhood." The group became a hip-hop trio soon after Horovitz joined and coalesced after Yauch dropped out of Bard College two years into his studies. They released their chart-topping debut "Licensed to Ill" in 1986, a raucous album led by the anthem "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)". It was the first hip-hop album to top the Billboard chart. "Adam was incredibly sweet and the most sensitive artist, who I loved dearly," Russell Simmons, whose Def Jam label released "Licensed to Ill," said on his website. In the seven studio albums that followed, the Beastie Boys expanded sonically and grew more musically ambitious. Their follow-up, 1989's "Paul's Boutique," ended any suggestion that the group was a one-hit wonder. Extreme in its sampling and thoroughly layered, the album (produced by the Dust Brothers) was ranked the 156th greatest album ever by Rolling Stone magazine in 2003. The Beastie Boys would later take up their own instruments — a rarity in hip-hop — on the album "Check Your Head" and subsequent releases. Yauch played bass. On "Pass the Mic," he rapped: "If you can feel what I'm feeling then it's a musical masterpiece / If you can hear what I'm dealing with then that's cool at least / What's running through my mind comes through in my walk / True feelings are shown from the way that I talk." For many, the Beastie Boys' lyrics — overflowing torrents of wit, humor and rhyme — were always the main draw. While other forms of hip-hop celebrated individualism, the Beastie Boys were a verbal tag team. Yauch once rapped, "on the tough guy style I'm not too keen." Their popularity perhaps peaked with 1994's "Ill Communication," which spawned several of their most famous music videos, including "Sure Shot" and the Spike Jonze-directed "Sabotage" — a hit highlighted by Yauch's bass solo. Yauch used the group's growing fame to attract awareness for Tibetan Buddists. He founded the Milarepa Fund to promote activism for Tibet in defense of what the nonprofit considered China's occupational government. In 1996, Yauch and Milarepa produced a hugely popular benefit concert for Tibet in San Francisco, which was followed by more concerts over the next decade. "He was a goofball and behind a lot of their prankiness, but if you wanted to talk to him about what was going on in the world and social issues and everything, you got a totally different guy," said Rick Krim, executive vice president of music and talent relations at Vh1. Introducing the group at the Rock Hall, Public Enemy rapper Chuck D said the Beastie Boys "broke the mold." "The Beastie Boys are indeed three bad brothers who made history," Chuck D said. "They brought a whole new look to rap and hip-hop. They proved that rap could come from any street — not just a few." Yauch also went under the pseudonym Nathanial Hornblower when working as a filmmaker. He directed numerous videos for the group, as well as the 2006 concert film "Awesome: I F-----' Shot That!" and the basketball documentary, "Gunnin' for that (No.) 1 Spot." In 2008, he co-founded the noted independent film distribution company Osciolloscope Laboratories, named after his New York studio. Yauch is survived by his wife, Dechen Wangdu, and his daughter, Tenzin Losel Yauch. ___ AP Music Writer Nekesa Mumbi Moody and Associated Press writer Mesfin Fekadu contributed to this report. _____________________________________________________________ The Associated Press, The Associated Press Reaction to the death Friday of Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys: "Adam Yauch brought a lot of positivity into the world and I think it's obvious to anyone how big of an influence the Beastie Boys were on me and so many others. They are trailblazers and pioneers and Adam will be sorely missed. My thoughts and prayers are with his family, Mike D., and Ad-Rock." — Eminem ___ "May a great musical pioneer rest in peace. Our prayers go out to his family, as his hip hop family mourns our loss and celebrates his life." — Jay-Z __ "Today, the music industry lost one of its brightest stars. As a founding member of the Beastie Boys, Adam was a true pioneer and a creative force who paved the way for so many of us. My heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and fans around the world." — Sean "Diddy" Combs ___ "One of my greatest moments in music was when I worked with the Beastie Boys ... Now today I'm hearing our brother is gone. I prayed this would not happen .. MCA was so cool, man. We had great talks about what it was like for them in the beginning, getting into the rap game. I'll never forget that experience for the rest of my life. MCA is true legend who influenced me. God bless his soul and his loved ones." — Nas ___ "Last night, I took a 14 hour flight to Sydney, Australia from LA, embarking on P.E.'s 80th tour in 25 years. I just landed to 65 texts with the news. Adam and the Boys put us on our first tour 25 years and 79 tours ago. They were essential to our beginning, middle and today. Adam especially was unbelievable in our support from then 'til now, even allowing me to induct them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I consider myself a strong man and my father says be prepared to lose many in your post-50 path of life. Still, I'm a bit teary-eyed leaving this plane. R.I.P. Adam aka MCA." — Chuck D of Public Enemy ___ "I thought I was the fourth member of Beastie Boys in seventh grade. You couldn't tell me I wasn't. The first time I ever saw them on stage was a very early show of theirs before "License to Ill" came out, opening for Run DMC at Joe Louis Arena. My jaw dropped to the floor! Not only was I the only white kid in the place (as far as I knew) but I said to myself, 'Holy (expletive), there's other white kids that rap?!? WOW!' My mind was blown. ... MCA I know was at the forefront of this in the group, and for that I am forever indebted. When I heard the news, a crazy chill went through my body like no other. I don't wanna sound all dramatic, but that's the truth. ... My heart absolutely bleeds for my friend Mike D. and for Ad-Rock. Having lost a member of my own band, I understand a little of what it's like. I only hope in writing this that it brings a little comfort to his friends, family and fans, what an inspiration this man was and always will be to me. ...From one of your biggest fans, rest in peace homeboy. — Kid Rock, who inducted the Beastie Boys into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April ___ "MCA was a great artist, visionary and a selfless humanitarian He and his bandmates were especially kind to me and we became good friends. They took Tribe out on tour a couple of times and showed us the ropes. We spent a lot of time together and I learned a great deal from him and the boys. Our roots are intertwined in many ways. I can't put into words how crushed I am. My condolences goes out to his family. He will be greatly missed." — Q-Tip ___ As a co-founding member of the three-time Grammy-winning Beastie Boys, Adam Yauch was part of one of the most groundbreaking trios in hip-hop. The group's music crossed genres and color lines, and helped bring rap to a wider audience. A rapper, musician and director, Yauch was an immense talent and creative visionary, and an instrumental force in the group's career for more than three decades. In addition to his music and artistry, he was a philanthropist who devoted much of his energy to his passionate support for freedom of expression. The music world has lost a true trailblazer, and our deepest sympathies are with his family, friends and fans throughout the world. — Neil Portnow, president/CEO of the Recording Academy ___ "Lots of us at MTV grew up with Adam and his Beastie brothers. He had a keen artistic eye and great wit that helped shape so many of the group's music and videos. He made us want to rock, scream and laugh all in one breath. We will miss him as will his many fans." — Van Toffler, President of Viacom Music Group ___ "It's impossible to measure the influence Adam Yauch and The Beastie Boys have had on me personally, on hip-hop culture as a whole, and on rock and roll in general. His legacy here at Def Jam is nothing short of iconic — he was one of the pioneering artists of this great label and family. We are filled with a sense of loss today...the Def Jam flag is at half mast. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family and loved ones." — - President, Def Jam Recordings, the first label home of the Beastie Boys ___ "Adam Yauch was a pioneer who broke ground with his music and introduced hip hop to a wider audience. While we mourn the loss of one of our newest inductees, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is thankful to have been able to honor Adam before his passing. Just two weeks ago, band mate Adam Horowitz read Yauch's acceptance letter at the 2012 induction ceremony and fellow inductees, the Red Hot Chili Peppers dedicated their performance to him. Yauch's contributions to our culture as a musician, film director and advocate for the people of Tibet will be remembered forever."— Terry Stewart, President and CEO, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum ___ "R I P Adam... I'm devastated. Praying for Adam Yauch's family from the legendary Beastie Boys. Youll be missed!" — Rev. Run from Run-DMC, via Twitter ___ "(hash)RIPMCA the First Tape I ever bought as a kid was The Beastie Boys , Stank ya for the inspiration." — Big Boi of OutKast, via Twitter ___ "Adam Yauch (hash)RIPMCA. Thank you for Sabotage bass riff and many other great grooves. Adam also worked for justice and peace consciousness."— Krist Novoselic, via Twitter ___ "Now playing: something's got to give: BEASTIE BOYS R.I.P. M.C.A. One of the best hip-hop groups of all time! much love to MIKE-D and AD-ROCK." — Cee Lo Green, via Twitter ___ "Brooklyn_the Creative Capital of New York City_has made so many great contributions to music and the arts, and in the world of hip hop, they don't come much bigger than Brooklyn native Adam 'MCA' Yauch and his fellow Beastie Boys. ... Of course, Adam's home borough was immortalized in the Beastie Boys' 1987 hit, 'No Sleep Till Brooklyn,' and he never forgot where he came from with lyrics like 'Open Letter to NYC's' 'At lunch I'd go to Blimpies down on Montague Street and hit the Fulton Street Mall for the sneakers on my feet.' The thoughts and prayers of Brooklynites and music fans everywhere are with Adam's wife, Dechen Wangdu, and their daughter, Tenzin Losel, during this difficult time." — Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Borough President.