Adam Nathaniel Yauch ( ; August 5, 1964 – May 4, 2012), also known by the stage name MCA, was an American rapper, bassist, filmmaker and a founding member of the

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

group

Beastie Boys The Beastie Boys were an American Hip-hop, hip hop and Rap rock, rap rock group formed in New York City in 1979. They were composed of Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Mike D, ...

. Besides his musical work, he also directed many of the band's music videos and did much of their promotional photography, often using the pseudonym Nathanial Hörnblowér for such work. Yauch founded

Oscilloscope Laboratories Oscilloscope Laboratories is an independent film company, distributor, recording studio and production facility. It was founded by Adam Yauch Adam Nathaniel Yauch ( ; August 5, 1964 – May 4, 2012), also known by the stage name MCA, was an Am ...

, an independent film production and distribution company based in New York City. As a

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

, he was involved in the

Tibetan independence movement The Tibetan independence movement ( ''Bod rang btsan''; zh, t=西藏獨立運動, s=西藏独立运动) is the political movement advocating for the reversal of the 1950 annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China, and the separation ...

and organized the

Tibetan Freedom Concert Tibetan Freedom Concert is the name given to a series of socio-political music festivals held in North America, Europe and Asia from 1996 onwards to support the cause of Tibetan independence. The concerts were originally organized by Beastie Boy ...

. He died in 2012 from parotid cancer, after which Beastie Boys disbanded.

Early life and education

Born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York City, Yauch was an only child. His father Noel was an architect, and his mother Frances was a social worker. Yauch's mother was Jewish and his father Catholic, but he had a non-religious upbringing in

Brooklyn Heights Brooklyn Heights is a residential neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Old Fulton Street near the Brooklyn Bridge on the north, Cadman Plaza West on the east, Atlantic Avenue on the south ...

, Brooklyn. Yauch attended Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn's Midwood neighborhood. In high school, he taught himself to play the bass guitar and formed Beastie Boys from hardcore punk band Young Aborigines, with John Berry,

Kate Schellenbach Katherine A. Schellenbach (born January 5, 1966) is an American musician and television producer. She is the drummer of Luscious Jackson and was a founding drummer of Beastie Boys. Career Born in New York City, she played with Beastie Boys from 1 ...

, and Michael Diamond. They played their first show—while still a

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

band in the vein of

Reagan Youth Reagan Youth was an American anarcho-punk band formed by singer Dave Rubinstein (Dave Insurgent) and guitarist Paul Bakija (Paul Cripple) in Queens, New York City in early 1980. History Initial career (1980–1990) David Rubinstein and Pa ...

—on his 17th birthday. He attended

Bard College Bard College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains within the Hudson River Historic District ...

for two years before dropping out.

Beastie Boys

Beastie Boys, a hip-hop trio, released their first album ''

Licensed to Ill ''Licensed to Ill'' is the debut studio album by the American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on November 15, 1986, by Def Jam and Columbia Records. The album became the first rap LP to top the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, and was the second ra ...

'' on

Def Jam Records Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

when Yauch was 22. He directed many of Beastie Boys' music videos, often under the pseudonym Nathanial Hörnblowér. In 2002, Yauch constructed a recording studio in New York City called

. He began an

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film production, produced outside the Major film studios, major film studio system in addition to being produced and distributed by independ ...

distributing company called Oscilloscope Pictures. He directed the 2006 Beastie Boys

concert film A concert film or concert movie is a film that showcases a live performance from the perspective of a concert goer, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert, by either a musician or a Stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian. Ea ...

Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That! ''Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That!'' (alternate title: ''Awesome; I... Shot That!'') is a 2006 concert film by American hip-hop group Beastie Boys, directed by Adam Yauch under the name Nathaniel Hörnblowér. It was created by giving camcorders to ...

'' Beastie Boys had sold 40 million records worldwide by 2010. In April 2012, the group was inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

. Yauch was inducted ''

in absentia ''In Absentia'' is the seventh studio album by British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, first released on 24 September 2002. The album marked several changes for the band, with it being the first with new drummer Gavin Harrison and the f ...

'' due to his illness. His bandmates paid tribute to him; a letter from Yauch was read to the audience. In 2011, Yauch received the Charles Flint Kellogg Award in

Arts and Letters Arts and letters is a historical and traditional term for arts and literature, implying a comprehensive appreciation or study of visual arts, performing arts, and literary arts or literature. The concept is similar to the liberal arts and has been ...

from

, the college he attended for two years. The award is "given in recognition of a significant contribution to the American artistic or literary heritage".

Other independent work

He directed the 2008 film '' Gunnin' For That #1 Spot'' about eight high school basketball prospects at the

Boost Mobile DISH Wireless L.L.C., doing business as Boost Mobile, is an American telecommunications company and wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation. Boost Mobile is the List of mobile network operators in the United States, fourth largest wirele ...

Elite 24 Hoops Classic at

Rucker Park Greg Marius Court at Holcombe Rucker Park is a basketball court at the border of Harlem and the Coogan's Bluff section of Washington Heights neighborhoods of Manhattan, at 155th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, just east of the forme ...

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

, New York City. Yauch produced '' Build a Nation'' (2007), the comeback album from hardcore/punk band

Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American punk rock band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1976. They are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this term to describe their music. They are also an ade ...

. When Bad Brains released '' Into the Future'' (2012), the band dedicated the album to Yauch, their longtime friend and backer, who had died several months previously. In addition, Oscilloscope Laboratories also distributed

Kelly Reichardt Kelly Reichardt (; born March 3, 1964) is an American film director and screenwriter. She is known for her minimalism, minimalist films closely associated with slow cinema, many of which deal with working class, working-class characters in small ...

's ''

Wendy and Lucy ''Wendy and Lucy'' is a 2008 American drama film directed by Kelly Reichardt. Reichardt and Jon Raymond adapted the screenplay from his short story "Train Choir". The film stars Michelle Williams as Wendy, a homeless woman who searches for her lo ...

'' (2008),

Oren Moverman Oren Moverman (; born July 4, 1966) is an Israeli-American Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, film director, and Emmy Award-winning film producer. He has directed the films '' The Messenger'', ''Rampart'', '' Time Out of Mind'', and '' The Di ...

's '' The Messenger'' (2009), and

Lynne Ramsay Lynne Ramsay (born 5 December 1969) is a Scottish filmmaker and cinematographer, best known for the feature films '' Ratcatcher'' (1999), '' Morvern Callar'' (2002), '' We Need to Talk About Kevin'' (2011), '' You Were Never Really Here'' (2017) ...

's ''

We Need To Talk About Kevin ''We Need to Talk About Kevin'' is a 2003 novel by Lionel Shriver, first published by Serpent's Tail, about a fictional school massacre. It is written from the first person perspective of the teenage killer's mother, Eva Khatchadourian, and do ...

'' (2011).

Personal life and views

Yauch was a practicing

. He became an important voice in the

, creating the

Milarepa Fund The Milarepa Fund is an American non-profit organization that raises money for and promotes awareness of the Tibetan independence movement. History The Milarepa Fund was founded in May 1994, by musician Adam Yauch and activist Erin Potts. The fun ...

, a nonprofit organization devoted to Tibetan independence and organized several benefit concerts to support the cause, including the

. In 1995, while attending a speech by the

Dalai Lama The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣识一切瓦齐尔达喇达赖喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, he met his wife, Tibetan American Dechen Wangdu. They married in 1998 and had a daughter the same year. In 1998, during the

MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category ...

, when receiving the

Video Vanguard Award The Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, is a merit given to recording artists and music video directors at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), a ceremony that was established in 1984. It is presented by MTV for "outstanding contributions" and ...

, Yauch condemned America's wars in Muslim countries and prejudice against Muslims and Arabs.

Illness, death and legacy

In July 2009, Yauch was diagnosed with a cancerous parotid gland and

lymph node A lymph node, or lymph gland, is a kidney-shaped organ of the lymphatic system and the adaptive immune system. A large number of lymph nodes are linked throughout the body by the lymphatic vessels. They are major sites of lymphocytes that includ ...

. He underwent surgery and

radiation therapy Radiation therapy or radiotherapy (RT, RTx, or XRT) is a therapy, treatment using ionizing radiation, generally provided as part of treatment of cancer, cancer therapy to either kill or control the growth of malignancy, malignant cell (biology), ...

, delaying the release of ''Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 1'' until 2011 (when it was renamed '' Hot Sauce Committee Part Two'') and canceling the trio's planned tour. He was unable to appear in videos for the album. At the time, Yauch called the cancer "very treatable". On May 4, 2012, Yauch died in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, New York, at age 47. In his last

will and testament A will and testament is a legal document that expresses a person's (testator) wishes as to how their property (estate (law), estate) is to be distributed after their death and as to which person (executor) is to manage the property until its fi ...

, he left instructions that his music not be used in advertising, though the legal validity of those instructions has been questioned. On May 3, 2013, ceremonies were held to rename the Palmetto Playground in

Adam Yauch Park. Yauch is also the subject of a mural dedicated to his memory at the Beastie Boys' former studios in LA.

Discography

with Beastie Boys * ''

'' (1986) * ''

Paul's Boutique ''Paul's Boutique'' is the second studio album by the American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on July 25, 1989, by Capitol Records. Produced by the Beastie Boys and the Dust Brothers, the album's composition makes extensive use of samples ...

'' (1989) * ''

Check Your Head ''Check Your Head'' is the third studio album by the American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on April 21, 1992, by Grand Royal and Capitol Records. Three years elapsed between the releases of the band's previous studio album '' Paul's Bou ...

'' (1992) * ''

Ill Communication ''Ill Communication'' is the fourth studio album by the American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on May 31, 1994, by Grand Royal and Capitol Records. Co-produced by Beastie Boys and Mario Caldato, Jr., it is among the band's most varied rel ...

'' (1994) * ''

Hello Nasty ''Hello Nasty'' is the fifth studio album by the American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on July 14, 1998, by Grand Royal and Capitol Records. The album sold 681,000 copies in its first week, debuting at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 cha ...

'' (1998) * ''

To the 5 Boroughs ''To the 5 Boroughs'' is the sixth studio album by the American hip-hop group Beastie Boys. The album was released on June 14, 2004 internationally, and a day later in the United States. The album debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, b ...

'' (2004) * '' The Mix-Up'' (2007) * '' Hot Sauce Committee Part Two'' (2011)

References

External links

* * * * *
Village Voice Slideshow Dedication of Adam Yauch Park
Interviews
Interview
in ''

Shambhala Sun ''Lion's Roar'' (previously ''Shambhala Sun'') is an independent, bimonthly magazine (in print and online) that offers a nonsectarian view of "Buddhism, Culture, Meditation, and Life". Presented are teachings from the Buddhist and other contempla ...

''
Audio interview on the.LIFE Files

Interview on "Gunnin' For That #1 Spot"
at IFC, June 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Yauch, Adam 1964 births 2012 deaths 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American guitarists Alternative hip-hop musicians American LGBTQ rights activists American baritones American feminist musicians American male bass guitarists American male guitarists American male rappers American music video directors American people of German descent American punk rock bass guitarists American rap rock musicians Bard College alumni Beastie Boys members Converts to Buddhism Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Deaths from salivary gland cancer Edward R. Murrow High School alumni Grammy Award winners Guitarists from New York City Jewish American musicians Jewish punk rock musicians Jewish rappers MTV Video Music Award winners Rappers from Brooklyn Tibetan Buddhists from the United States 20th-century American Buddhists 21st-century American Buddhists