RIP MCA

The Beastie Boys burst onto the scene in the 80's, and sustained longevity to sell more than 40 million records worldwide.

The rap game lost one of it’s original pioneers on Friday May 4th. Adam “MCA” Yauch, one of the founding members of the Beastie Boys, died after a nearly 3 year battle with cancer, the group’s publicist said. He was 47.

It was revealed in 2009 that Yauch had cancerous tumor in a salivary gland, which led to the cancellation of concerts and another album. Having lost my grandfather to cancer, I can sympathize with MCA and his family. It is never easy for anyone involved to deal with. The beauty of Yauch’s talents, however, allow fans to now listen to the Beastie’s music at their convenience (Hence why I’m writing this right now).

The Beastie Boys shot onto the scene in 1986 with their “Licensed to Ill” album that featured “(You Gotta) Fight for the Right (to Party”), “Brass Monkey” and “No Sleep Till Brooklyn.”

The group, which also featured Michael “Mike D” Diamond and Adam “Adrock” Horovitz, sold more than 40 million records and had four No.1 records. If you grew up in the golden era of rap and liked that brand of music, chances are you knew, appreciated or were a fan of the Beastie’s. I’m not going to lie, the fact the Beastie Boys were white in a predominantly black industry definitely added to the allure of the group.

MCA grew up in Brooklyn Heights, and was an accomplished director and producer. All you had to do was hear him rhyme and you could instantly tell how talented he was. One of my biggest regrets is not getting tickets to the Beastie Boys-A Tribe Called Quest show in Chicago in ’97. Friends of mine who attended all lamented how great of a show it was.

There’s only one way I pay tribute on this site, and that’s to feature the talents of the performers I’m writing about. So sit back and chill the most to some of the Beastie Boys’ best jams. RIP, MCA. You will be missed…