Adam Yauch aka MCA of the Beastie Boys, died today at the age of 47. he was diagnosed with cancer in a salivary glad in the neck in 2009, and never fully recovered.
I loved the Beastie Boys first two albums. Licensed to Ill was a sucker MC masterpiece and Paul's Boutique saw em grown up fast.
I watched them open for RUN DMC at MSG back in 1987 and was completely overwhemed by their snotty, fucked up 'tude. MSG erupted constantly in black versus white fights, and after the show the arena was surrpunded by cops on mounted horses.
i saw them twice after that. Once on the Hello Nasty where I thought theyw ere only alright, and later at randall's Island for the Free Tibet festival. And I thought they were awesome.
Once they went straight and became good guys, I kinda thought ugh… not so much. And I wasn't overwhelmed by their last album Hot Sauce Committee.
But consider it personal prejudice. Not only did Adam help break down the rap color barrier by he also sent sampling into a whole other art form.Here
Here is my Creem review from 1986
The most exciting white rock album since Never Mind the Bullocks has lousy politics.
Real lousy. The Beastie Boys’ debut LP, Licensed to Ill, almost validates Tipper Gore: they advocate angel dust, crack, drinking huge amounts of alcohol, murdering twin sisters and shooting people in the back. They are homophobic, defiantly sexist – and suggest that you fight your hypocritical parents for the right to party.
Listening to the Beasties rap all over their rock rhythms, I found myself laughing out loud and gasping in disbelief. I’d thought rock couldn’t shock me anymore. W.A.S.P., of course, are more sexist than the Beasties, but W.A.S.P. are so bad they aren’t even boring. Schoolly-D is more violent, but his matter-of-fact delivery implies he’s been calloused by his lifestyle, and that’s the price. The Beasties are having the time of their lives, making lots of money and sharing their joy in not doing what they’ve been told. No payback.
Under the auspicious direction of co-producer/writer Rick Ruben – a founder of Def Jam (the only record company that matters) – Mike D., MCA and Ad-Rock have forged white thrash-metal to black rap and formed an entirely wicked anti-Christ. I’ve mentioned Schoolly-D, and he’s had a pronounced influence on the Beastie Boys. As for the other part of this unholy triumverate? Well, one song here’s called “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” – and I’m betting Lemmy loves them right back.
So is it rock? Well, yeah. As Rubin told Melody Maker: “What makes rock ‘n’ roll is the beat, not the guitar…We make beat-orientated records as opposed to pulse-orientated records.” And Licensed to Ill will bea(s)t you senseless; songs like “The New Style,” “Girls,” “Fight for Your Right” and “No Sleep” are so invigorating, alive, snotty and fun, they’re rock in the purest and most perfect sense of the term.
The Beasties’ sense of humor saves their excessive misogyny and irresponsibility from becoming unlistenable. A band conjuring up Jimmy Page to note they share a taste in underage girls is, obviously, laughing itself sick. And while not justification in itself, their flaunting of the laws teenage kids have been force-fed (and swallowed) for years, may well be the only form of rebellion left. It’s a rotten rebellion, far more self-destructive than punk ever was. Still, if rock – by its very nature – should get up parents’ noses, this’ll drive ‘em to distraction. Along with Schoolly D, LL Cool J and Mantronix, it might be the first ideological change for teens since Reagan took office.
Beyond social redemption, often beyond contempt, the Beastie Boys are getting away with murder. And you thought only the government could do that.