(AP Photo/Evan Agostini, file)
NEW YORK (AP) — Adam Yauch, the gravelly voiced Beastie Boys rapper
who co-founded the seminal hip-hop group, has died at age 47.
Yauch’s representatives confirmed that the rapper died Friday morning in New York after a nearly three-year battle with cancer.
Also known as MCA, Yauch was diagnosed with a cancerous salivary gland in 2009. He had undergone surgery and radiation.
At the time, Yauch expressed hope it was “very treatable,” but his
illness caused the group to cancel shows and delayed the release of its
2011 album, “Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2.”
The Brooklyn-born Yauch created the Beastie Boys with high school
friend Michael “Mike D” Diamond. Originally conceived as a hardcore punk
group, it became a hip-hop trio after Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz joined.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
Adam Yauch, the gravelly voiced Beastie Boys rapper and the most
conscientious member of the seminal hip-hop group, has died, his mentor
Russell Simmons said Friday. He was 47.
Calls and emails to representatives for the Beastie Boys were not
immediately returned. Simmons‘ Def Jam label released the Beastie Boys’
first album, “Licensed to Ill.”
The cause, time and whereabouts of death weren’t immediately known.
Yauch, who’s also known as MCA, was diagnosed with a cancerous parotid
gland in 2009. He had undergone surgery and radiation.
At the time, Yauch expressed hope it was “very treatable,” but his
illness caused 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 in April.
The Brooklyn-born Yauch created the Beastie Boys with high school
friend Michael “Mike D” Diamond. Originally conceived as a hardcore punk
group, it soon became a hip-hop trio after Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz
joined. 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!)”.
But in the seven studio albums that followed, the Beastie Boys
expanded considerably and grew more musically ambitious. Their
follow-up, 1989′s “Paul’s Boutique,” ended any suggestion of the group
as a one-hit wonder. Extensive in its sampling and sonically layered,
the album 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.
The Beastie Boys – a trio of white Jewish kids – established
themselves as one of the most respected groups in hip-hop at a time when
white rappers were few.
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,”
said Chuck D. “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!” He also co-founded the
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.
