Beastie Boys

Beastie Boys' Adam Horovitz Talks MCA Death: 'I Don't Believe Adam Was Afraid'

24 May 2012 10:09:00 EDT

Horovitz and Mike D talk to Rolling Stone magazine about Adam Yauch's Buddhism, cancer and future plans for the group.
By Gil Kaufman

Losing his lifelong friend and bandmate has been a crushing experience for Beastie Boys member Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz. But reflecting on the life of Adam "MCA" Yauch in a new interview, Horovitz said there is some solace he can find to fill the hole left behind.

"I don't believe Adam was afraid," he told Rolling Stone in an emotional interview just 10 days after MCA's May 4 passing after a three-year battle with cancer. "Bummed out, yeah. But I can't think when I ever saw him afraid ... That gives me peace."

During the interview, the only one Horowitz has given to date, he said he was still "totally numb" from the news, struggling to explain his emotions, which he said flow out of him at unexpected moments. "My wife is like, 'I want to make sure you're getting it out.' But then I'm walking the dog and I'll start crying on the street," he said.

Horovitz described Yauch as the group's leader  in the early days, saying he was "smarter, more organized." When the three were goofing around and coming up with crazy ideas for things they should do, it was MCA who would push the button and make them happen. Case in point: Horovitz once said, "we should take these pictures where we're dressed as undercover cops." MCA took that idea and helped turn it into the group's landmark "Sabotage" music video . In addition to being a great bassist, Horovitz said MCA also had a strong musical sensibility and really knew his way around gear. "I'd be like, 'Tell me where to put my fingers, and I'll play that for four minutes,'" he said of his reaction to Yauch's musical direction while recalling the time he went to MCA's Brooklyn apartment only to see it strung wall-to-wall with reel-to-reel tape in order to cut up a Led Zeppelin beat.

Fellow B-Boy Michael "Mike D" Diamond also spoke to the magazine about his friend's creativity, positivity and fighter's spirit, as well as MCA's uniquely raspy vocal tone.

"Even when we were doing our first hip-hop records, when we were 19 and 20, he sounded like a gruff 40-year-old. He was the Bobby Womack of rap," said Diamond. "Yauch was a gifted MC. It was his flow on things, rather than specific lyrics, that first blew Adam [Horovitz] and I away. Early on, we were in the studio, amazed by how Yauch made it seem so effortless. Horovitz and I were maybe a little jealous." Diamond remembered how the group played around with an 808 drum machine during the Ill sessions and Yauch asked what the tracks would sound like if the beats were played backwards. "Run from Run-D.M.C. was there, and he was like, 'Man, this is crazy.' But Yauch recorded this beat, bounced it to another tape, flipped it around -- this is pre-digital sampling -- and bounced it back to the multi-track tape," he said. "The reversed beat basically became 'Paul Revere.' Yauch saw this thing we couldn't see -- and he killed it."

The trio always appeared to present a one-for-all, all-for-one  front, but Horovitz said it wasn't always that way. After arguing over songwriting credits on their smash debut, Licensed to Ill, he said they squashed the beef and always split things three ways from then on. They did, however, reserve veto power, such as the time when Yauch wanted to put a painting of a tree on the cover of the 2007 instrumental album The Mix-Up. "I said, 'Anything is better than that tree,'" Horovitz said.

Horovitz and fellow MC Michael "Mike D" Diamond saw a change in Yauch when he became a Buddhist in the early 1990s. That mind-flip presented itself in lyrics with "simple ideas about love and non-violence," which were initially hard for him to put into non-"Hallmark" words.

But when Yauch was diagnosed with cancer in 2009, Horovitz believed his friend when he said, "I'm gonna be okay." After being right about so many things for so many years, Horovitz said, "You would get swept up in his excitement and positivity. We recorded a few months ago. It wasn't any different from before. We spent more time making fart jokes and ordering food, which was true to form. That's why it always took so long for us to put records out."

Those final sessions were instigated by Yauch, Mike D said. "It could only come from him, in terms of where he was at with treatment. It was stuff we had written or demo-ed, and there were new ideas." Yauch wasn't sure if he could record vocals, but ended up laying some down.

Asked if he can imagine making music without Yauch, Diamond said he could, but he wasn't sure if it would be in a "band format." What he does know, though, is that "Yauch would genuinely want us to try whatever crazy thing we wanted but never got around to."

It's unknown if those recordings will ever see the light of day, but for now, the tributes to MCA continue, including a recent resolution in the New York Senate honoring his achievements  and a Facebook petition asking the city to rename Squibb Park in Brooklyn Heights after the late MC.

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Billboard Music Awards Remember Whitney Houston, Robin Gibb

20 May 2012 23:09:10 EDT

Show also pays tribute to late legends Adam Yauch and Donna Summer.
By Jocelyn Vena

While the Billboard Music Awards were full of upbeat moments, thanks to highly charged performances from Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and more chart-toppers, the show also was somber at times, paying tribute to some of the music industry's brightest stars who died in the months before Sunday's (May 20) broadcast.

While Whitney Houston had the glitziest of the tributes, other late legends from all musical genres also mourned at the show. Right before the broadcast, the tragic news of Bee Gee Robin Gibb's death broke. The pop star died at the age of 62 after a lengthy battle with cancer. While his tribute was short, it was also very sweet, with "Modern Family" star and host Julie Bowen saying, "His voice and the music of the Bee Gees will live on forever."

Just two days before Gibb passed, the Queen of Disco, Donna Summer, died after her own battle with cancer; she was 63. British pop songstress Natasha Bedingfield recalled Summer's influence over her own music. "Donna Summer was a remarkable woman who brought so much light to so many. If we can remember her through her music, this can never really be the last dance," she said before launching into a rendition of Summer's dance-floor anthem "Last Dance."

Whitney Houston's tear-filled tribute was handled by many. Three-and-a-half months after Houston's untimely death in February, comedian Whoopi Goldberg said in her introduction, "I adored Whitney Houston. What all performers want and need and should get is love, and many of us here loved Whitney, and even if you're one of those who didn't show the love to Whitney, now is your chance, because tonight, that's what we're doing: We're going to be giving Whitney the greatest love of all."

Then, John Legend sat at his piano to perform Houston emotional, uplifting ballad, "Greatest Love of All." Jordin Sparks — Houston's co-star in her final film, "Sparkle" — handled Houston's legend-making "I Will Always Love You." Dressed in a flowing blue and black gown, the singer belted out the track, while Whitney's daughter, Bobbi Kristina, sat in the audience crying.

As the song wrapped, Whitney's sister-in-law Pat Houston and daughter accepted the Millennium Award in her honor. "This is truly an honor. We thank you, Billboard; we thank you, Whoopi, Jordin; we love you, John. But tonight, the one person that should be accepting this award is the one person that Whitney loved most."

"I just really want to say thank you to everyone who supported us through it all," Bobbi Kristina added. "Thank you so much for showing that much love, 'cause she deserved it. There will never be another one, ever. I thank you so much."

The outpouring of love and emotion didn't end there. Adam Yauch, MCA from the Beastie Boys, who died May 4 from his own battle with cancer, also was remembered. Top New Artist winner Wiz Khalifa said during his acceptance speech that the Beasties took hip-hop to new levels. "I just want to thank the Beastie Boys, and we will never forget MCA."

Later on, Cee Lo Green and Goodie Mobb may have been there to perform their own track, "Fight to Win," but afterward, Cee Lo told the room to get their asses up for their own spirited homage to MCA with "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)."

Share your condolences for the four late musical legends in the comments below.

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20 May 2012 22:00:39 EDT

Justin Bieber lights up the Billboard Awards stage.
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Beastie Boys Fans Travis Porter Pay Tribute With Tour

10 May 2012 14:54:06 EDT

DMC and Biz Markie also weigh in on life and legacy of the late Adam 'MCA' Yauch during 'RapFix Live.'
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway

None of the members of Travis Porter were even born when the Beastie Boysreleased hip-hop's first #1 album in 1986, but the seminal rap trio influenced the new-age party animals all the same.

In fact, Travis Porter have been planning to pay homage to the Beasties for some time now: They originally wanted to title their debut album No Sleep Till Atlanta in reference to the BB classic "No Sleep Till Brooklyn."

"A lot of people compare us to the Beastie Boys in some type of way," Travis Porter's Ali told "RapFix Live" on Wednesday when he and his group appeared on the show.

"Just because the hip-hop and the music and the fun," Quez added.

When you consider TP's electric club jams like "Make It Rain," "You Don't Know Bout it" and "Ayy Ladies," then the Beasties comparison makes sense. In their early days, Mike D, Ad-Rock and MCA — who died following his struggle with cancer on Friday, were the ultimate party starters, and Travis Porter look to carry on that tradition. Ultimately, TP decided to name their upcoming May 29 debut From Day 1, but they still plan to honor the Beasties.

"We named our tour No Sleep Till Atlanta though, still," Ali said of their upcoming summer run, which will support the LP.

DMC, a member of the iconic rap group Run-DMC, also appeared on "RapFix" and reacted to Yauch's death and the Beastie Boys' legacy. During the 1980s, Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys toured together and became fast friends.

"The first thing that came to my mind was like, man, another one of us, it's crazy. Adam Yauch is a member of one of the greatest groups ever in hip-hop, rock and roll history and music period," he said. "He will be forever remembered as one of the greatest voices in hip-hop."

MTV News also spoke with Biz Markie on Friday about Yauch's legacy. "He was in a class by himself. All three of them was in a class by themselves," the iconic rapper/DJ said. "They were different, but he was a cool one and he was just different. He was from a different cloth, he had a different aura about him. He was just super cool."

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Adam Yauch And The Beastie Boys: A Band Of Brothers

08 May 2012 13:57:39 EDT

With the death of MCA last week, Bigger Than the Sound looks back at the amazing connection the Beastie Boys shared.
By James Montgomery

After the death of Adam Yauch last week, I am almost 100 percent sure that the Beastie Boys are no more. And while that's a shame, it's also fitting: After all, it is impossible to imagine them existing without him.

Of course, how the Beasties choose to honor Yauch's legacy — or carry on with their careers — is ultimately up to them, which is why I can't say with total certainty that we've heard the last of them. And, to be honest, it's probably too early to even think about it. So instead, I'll just say that if they truly are done, there will never be another group like them.

And I'm not just saying that because of their legacy, creativity or consistency, all of which have been lauded at length in the days since MCA died (and rightfully so). No, what made the Beastie Boys so unique — and so undeniable — was the magic that the trio possessed, an indefinable quality that can only be honed over decades, and never duplicated.

Part of it was pure skill; the way they bobbed and weaved through verses, often completing each other's sentences, literally passing the mic. In a lot of ways a great Beasties song was a lot like a Globetrotters' routine — they'd sling passes into the ether, always knowing that someone would be there to catch it, never letting the beat skip or the ball drop. And you'd just sit there and marvel at it all.

But there was always something deeper about the connection: The Beasties were brothers in arms. From beer-guzzling partymeisters to stony thrift enthusiasts to pop-cult obsessives to downright deep doyens, they grew up together — grew old together — but never lost the joy of youth. And because of that, there was a genuine sense of camaraderie that accompanied them every step of their career. No matter what they were doing, you got the sense that there was no one else they'd rather be doing it with. The Beastie Boys truly loved each other, in that unerring, unwavering way that only old friends can. You know it from the heart-wrenching statements the two surviving members have released since Yauch's death, but more importantly, you feel it in their music.

It's there in the goofy boasts of Paul's Boutique tracks like "Shake Your Rump" and "Egg Man" (not to mention album-closing mega-mix "B-Boy Bouillabaisse") and the all-in surge of "So What'cha Want," from the follow-up, Check Your Head, where they took the leap together, expanding their sonic palette with instrumentals ... and their collective consciousness on tracks like "Namaste." You feel them becoming closer — not to mention a tighter band — on Ill Communication and The In Sound from Way Out!, having a blast on stuff like "Intergalactic" or "Three MCs and One DJ" off Hello Nasty, getting contemplative on To The 5 Boroughs. And on last year's Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, they paused to look back on how far they've come ... not to mention let it all hang out. It's the kind of growth that's inevitable, given their closeness; yet it's also the kind that cannot be forced in any way, shape, or form.

And while there certainly have been other great hip-hop groups in the decades since the Beastie Boys first blasted onto the scene (Run-DMC, Public Enemy, the Wu-Tang Clan, etc.), none were able to sustain the kind of career — or the connection — that MCA, Mike D and Ad-Rock had. Their contemporaries were pulled apart, imploded, faded away or simply lost focus ... the Beasties did none of those things. To the end, they were one team, one dream; they were never greater than the sum of their parts.

Which is why I say it's impossible to imagine the Beasties existing without MCA, and why I'm certain we'll never see the likes of them again. Many will try to replicate it, of course, assembled by shadowy Svengalis to feign friendship, but they'll never beat the B-Boys, because they were actually friends. No group will share the kind of bond they did, no group will be as selfless or as tightly knit.

And if this really is the end, then all of that is worth noting, not to mention celebrating. The Beastie Boys were one of the all-time greats, regardless of genre; they went deeper than all that. Theirs was the kind of connection we all strive for and, if we're lucky, maybe find once in our lives.

Do you think there will ever be another group like the Beastie Boys? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Mike D On Adam Yauch: 'I Miss Adam So Much'

07 May 2012 15:39:15 EDT

Beastie Boy Mike D pays tribute to his fallen comrade in Facebook post.
By Gil Kaufman

While some groups stay together for the money, the fans or the music, the Beastie Boys kept it going for nearly 30 years for something a bit less tangible: brotherhood.

The three lifelong friends toured the world, landed the first #1 rap album in history in 1987 with Licensed to Ill and sold more than 20 million albums in the SoundScan era (which began in 1991). The success was a bonus, but the sense you got at the end of the day is that Michael "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz and the late Adam "MCA" Yauch just really loved hanging out together, making music and each other laugh.

Yauch, who died at age 47  on Friday after a three-year battle with cancer , had been making music, videos and associated nonsense with Diamond and Horovitz since the three were snot-nosed punk teens.

That might explain why the message posted by Diamond on the Beastie Boys' Facebook page on Monday (May 7) morning felt like a brother struggling to come to terms with the passing of someone who was more than just his partner in rhyme.

"I know, we should have tweeted and instagrammed every sad, happy and inspired thought, smile or tear by now," D wrote in the post that came a short time after a similarly emotional message from Horovitz. "But honestly the last few days have just been a blur of deep emotions for our closest friend, band mate and really brother. I miss Adam so much.

"He really served as a great example for myself and so many of what determination, faith, focus, and humility coupled with a sense of humor can accomplish. The world is in need of many more like him. We love you Adam."

The post was accompanied by a photo of the scoreboard at Madison Square Garden emblazoned with a photo of Yauch this weekend, one of dozens of tributes   to the New York native rapper that came in the days following his death.

"This photo ... is just one awesome example of how NYC is such a unique place that amidst it's huge size and frenetic pace it really opens up it's heart in so many ways and on so many levels in times like these," Diamond wrote. "And though it makes me cry sometimes, it has been really amazing and moving to see."

Share your memories of Adam on Twitter using the hashtag #RIPMCA.

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Adam 'MCA' Yauch's Films: What's Next?

07 May 2012 14:31:55 EDT

Late Beastie Boy's film company, Oscilloscope Laboratories, carries on his legacy.
By Fallon Prinzivalli

With the news Friday that Beastie Boy Adam Yauch lost his battle with cancer, distraught fans turned up "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)" and remembered the rapper's incredible musical accomplishments. But those of us with an eye on movies remember MCA's contributions to the film industry as well.

With countless Beastie songs featured on movie soundtracks, including J.J. Abram's "Star Trek" and Marvel's "Iron Man 2," there's no doubt the group as a whole had success in film. But Yauch took it a step further when he dove into directing documentaries and shorts, including "Fight for Your Right Revisited," his 2011 Sundance Film Festival debut that acted as a sequel to the hip-hop trio's 1987 music video.

Most notably, however, Yauch launched the indie production and distribution company Oscilloscope Laboratories. With Yauch's death, some are wondering what will become of the company's future. A statement on the Oscilloscope website reads, "Adam's legacy will remain a driving force at Oscilloscope — his indomitable spirit and his great passion for film, people and hard work — always with a sense of humor and a lot of heart."

Here's what films are in store for Oscilloscope as it carries on Yauch's memory:

"Shut Up and Play the Hits"
A year ago, LCD Soundsystem played their final show to an audience of thousands at New York's iconic Madison Square Garden. James Murphy, LCD's frontman and the co-founder of DFA Records, decided to jump ship at the height of the group's career, which — while ambitious — proved to pay off. The show sold out almost instantly and the band left the music industry on top. As fans, friends and family gathered to witness the end of one of the most popular bands of its generation, the cameras were rolling to capture every moment of the unforgettable performance. The film closely follows Murphy as he deals with the positive and negative effects of his decision.

"Wuthering Heights"
Director Andrea Arnold offers a distinctly new take on the classic love story by Emily Brontë that follows the passionate love that grows between the mysterious Heathcliff and outgoing Catherine. The romance stirs envy within Catherine's brother, Hindley, and ultimately leads to misery for Heathcliff. Oscilloscope describes Arnold's version as "a beautiful and evocative visual masterpiece that brings out the powerful emotions at the heart of Brontë's classic novel, resulting in a viscerally affecting love story." "Skins" breakout star Kaya Scodelario is portraying the adult version of Catherine.

"Hello I Must Be Going"
This Todd Louiso-directed project was selected as the opening-night film for Sundance 2012. It follows Amy ("Up in the Air" actress Melanie Lynskey), a woman who returns to her parents' home in Connecticut after divorcing her husband. As she begins a love affair with a 19-year-old actor ("Girls" actor Christopher Abbott), her once-dormant passion surfaces, helping her discover a newfound sense of worth and purpose. Lynskey's breakout role is enhanced by Blythe Danner, who plays her mother suffering from empty-nest syndrome. The sex- and humor-filled love story is described by Oscilloscope as an "endearing and nuanced depiction of both the comic and tragic avenues of an existential crossroads." It arrives in theaters August 17.

"28 Hotel Rooms"
Directed and penned by Matt Ross, the film focuses on an intense sexual affair that begins as a one-night stand and accelerates into a relationship. The story follows a man (Chris Messina) and a woman (Marin Ireland) away on a business trip who sleep together despite the fact that she's married and he's dating someone. One night couldn't possibly hurt, right? When they spot each other months later, in another city at another hotel, they decide to hook up a second time and keep seeing each other. A threatening love blossoms as they form a profound relationship and deal with the ramifications of loving more than one person.

"Samsara"
The word Samsara means "the ever turning wheel of life" and is the focal point of the movie for award-winning "Baraka" filmmakers Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson. In the documentary, Fricke and Magidson search for the underlying current that links the individual lives of humanity. The project was quite an ambitious one filmed over the course of five years on five continents in 25 countries and shot entirely on 70mm film. The movie is meant to be a sensory experience full of stunning images and music that encourage the audience to interpret the meaning behind it. "Samsara" is set to hit theaters August 24.

Share your memories of Adam on Twitter using the hashtag #RIPMCA.

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Adam Yauch's Cancer: How Rare Is It?

07 May 2012 13:18:30 EDT

'This is a very tricky cancer,' says head and neck cancer specialist Dr. Spiro Manolidis.
By Gil Kaufman

Ever since Beastie Boys member Adam "MCA" Yauch was diagnosed with cancer  of the parotid gland, a salivary gland in the throat in 2009, the rapper kept an upbeat attitude in public about his chances of beating the disease.

Unfortunately, Yauch, 47, wasn't able to win his three-year battle and died on Friday  after several years spent out of the spotlight as he struggled to regain his health. Spokespeople for Yauch have not revealed what the cause of death was, but according to Dr. Spiro Manolidis, a head and neck cancer specialist in the Department of Otolaryngology at Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan, it is not unusual for this type of cancer to turn deadly.

"This is a very tricky cancer," said Manolidis, who did not treat Yauch, but whose sub-specialty is skull-based surgeries dealing with recurrences of this type of cancer. "It strikes at random and there are no known risk factors. Unlike other cancers, if you look at the statistical curve, these type tend to occur very far out, the patients do well for [several] years and then there is a recurrence. It has a tendency to come back." At the time of his diagnosis, Yauch said the cancer was localized and hadn't affected his voice. According to the American Cancer Society, the type of salivary cancer Yauch suffered from was very rare, with just two adults in 100,000 diagnosed with it every year. Most are 55 or older and doctors aren't sure what causes it, though traditional factors such as smoking and alcohol consumption are not thought to raise the risk.

The parotid gland is just in front of the ears and surgery to remove the cancerous cells is tricky because the facial nerve goes through the parotid, according to the Cancer Society. While surgery and radiation treatments are most often used, targeted drugs have not yet been developed for this rare disease.

Manolidis said tumors in the parotid tend to crawl long on nerves and travel within the body, which makes them hard to treat surgically or with radiation. "As a general rule, no chemotherapy has proven to work effectively on these tumors," he said. "The other tendency is for them to lie quiet and you assume the patient is cured and many years later they reappear as distant metastasis, with the lungs and bones being the favored locations."

It's unknown if Yauch had a recurrence of the same cancer and if he continued to pursue surgery as a treatment. Manolidis said that this type of cancer can be treated with aggressive surgery if it comes back in a localized fashion. "Once you have a situation like that and you [don't use traditional methods to treat it], something potentially curable becomes rapidly incurable," he said.

In July 2009, Yauch announced in a video  posted to BeastieBoys.com that he'd been diagnosed with cancer. "The reason we're here talking is because I have some pretty heavy news to say," Yauch said in the video. "About two months ago, I started feeling this little lump in my throat, like what you would feel if you have swollen glands or something like that, and so I didn't really think it was anything. ... They did tests, and I actually have a form of cancer in the gland that's over here, in the parotid gland, and it's also in the lymph node right in that area."

He said then that the cancer had not spread to other areas, which was good news since the survival rate depends on whether the disease has migrated elsewhere. The cancer can spread to the lungs and other organs if surgeons are not able to completely remove it from the gland. According to the American Cancer Society, if it does not spread, the five-year estimated rate of survival is 91 percent, though if it has spread far from the glands and is a "Stage 4" case, the survival rate drops to 39 percent.

Yauch had surgery to remove the tumor and began radiation treatments, which forced the Beastie Boys to cancel their summer touring plans, including headlining gigs at the All Points West Festival and Lollapalooza, in addition to delaying the release of their album Hot Sauce Committee: Part One. The album was finally released in May 2011 under the title Hot Sauce Committee Part Two with a slightly altered track list.

He followed with another note to fans in August of that year, telling fans that he was "rapidly recovering" from the surgery and that while his nick and jaw were still stiff, "things are moving along." By October, he told fans he'd traveled to Dharmsala, India, where he consulted with some Tibetan doctors  and attended a seminar by Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. "I'm feeling healthy, strong and hopeful that I've beaten this thing," he wrote. "But of course time will tell."

He made a rare public appearance at the Independent Spirit Awards in March 2010 and said that things were "touch-and-go" for a period, but that he was getting his energy back and eager to get back to work. Though he directed the short film for "Fight For Your Right Revisited"  and made a brief appearance in it, it marked one of the last times he would be seen in public. He was not present last month when the B-Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, though Ad-Rock read a heartfelt note from MCA giving thanks for the honor.

Share your memories of Adam on Twitter using the hashtag #RIPMCA.

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Beastie Boys Albums Storm iTunes Following Adam Yauch's Death

07 May 2012 10:42:54 EDT

Band's debut, Licensed to Ill, shoots up to #3 following MCA's death.
By

In what has become a modern digital mourning ritual, fans of the Beastie Boys swarmed onto iTunes over the weekend to snatch up copies of the trio's albums in honor of the passing of member Adam "MCA" Yauch.

The rapper, who died on Friday  at age 47, left behind a legacy of eight studio albums with partners Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz  and Michael "Mike D" Diamond. With everyone from Madonna , to the B-Boys' longtime DJ, Mix Master Mike and Justin Timberlake  paying homage, as well as in-concert shout-outs from Coldplay, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and fun. over the weekend, Yauch's memory was clearly on the minds of his peers.

But fans were feeling nostalgic as well, since all of the trio's studio albums featuring their intricate rhymes rocketed onto the iTunes charts since the news broke Friday. As of press time on Monday morning (May 7), the group's 1986 debut, Licensed to Ill moved up to the #3 position on the iTunes album chart, with the sample-thick 1989 follow-up, Paul's Boutique, on the chart at #13. A 1999 anthology charted at #26, followed by 1994's Ill Communication at #27, 1992's rock and rap hybrid Check Your Head (#38), their final studio effort, last year's Hot Sauce Committee Part Two (#42), the Boutique re-issue (#83), 2004's To the 5 Boroughs (#174) and the Head re-issue (#184).

The sales surge followed the pattern of rush buying that accompanied the recent deaths of Whitney Houston , Amy Winehouse , Etta James and Michael Jackson .

It's likely that a number of the albums will make it onto the Billboard 200 chart this week as well when it is released on Wednesday.

Share your memories of Adam on Twitter using the hashtag #RIPMCA.

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Beastie Boys' Ad-Rock Pays Tribute To Adam Yauch

07 May 2012 08:38:02 EDT

'Saturday Night Live,' Dalai Lama, Thom Yorke and fun. also honor Beasties rapper MCA.
By Gil Kaufman

Two days after losing his life-long friend and band mate of 30 years, Adam "MCA" Yauch , Beastie Boys rapper Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz posted a heartfelt note on the band's Tumblr page about his late comrade.

"As you can imagine, s--- is just fkd up right now," he wrote in the blog, which was accompanied by a picture of a hand with the message, "PWR 2 MCA" in front of a bank of CDs. "But I wanna say thank you to all our friends and family (which are kinda one in the same) for all the love and support. I'm glad to know that all the love that Yauch has put out into the world is coming right back at him."

Yauch, who died at age 47 on Friday after a three-year battle with cancer, was shouted out by many of his friends, admirers and acts he'd influenced over the weekend. Fun. threw in a verse of "Sabotage" as part of their encore at Washington D.C.'s 9:30 Club on Friday night and "Saturday Night Live" played a clip of the group's 1994 performance of "Sure Shot" on the show featuring Rihanna  as a musical guest. HBO dedicated the weekend broadcast of last month's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony (the B-Boys were inducted as only the third rap group to enter the Hall) to Yauch.

Among the luminaries weighing in was exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama, who released a statement in which he said, "Adam had helped us raise awareness on the plight of the Tibetan people by organizing various freedom Tibet concerts and he will be remembered by his holiness and the Tibetan people." Yauch, a Buddhist who was behind the landmark all-star Tibetan Freedom concerts  of the late 1990s, was blessed by the Dalai Lama last year.

MTV News also took to the airwaves to express our appreciation for the influential artist with the one-hour special "Adam Yauch: Remembering a Beastie Boy," during which we reflected on the legendary MC's career and the indelible mark he made on music as a whole, as well as on society.

Kim Gordon, former bassist for Sonic Youth, who were big supporters of the Tibetan Freedom shows, issued a statement to England's New Musical Express, in which she praised Yauch's lyrical abilities, "He told me once that he really liked the lyrics to [Sonic Youth's] 'Bull In The Heather'. It surprised me that he had even listened to it. It meant a lot to me that he went out of his way to tell me that, coming from such a great rapper and lyricist."

Another Tibetan Freedom supporter and performer, Radiohead's Thom Yorke, posted a remembrance on the band's website, in which he wrote, "I was very sad to hear the news of Adam Yauch's death yesterday.  We looked up to the Beastie Boys a lot when we were starting out and how they maintained artistic control making wicked records but still were on a major label, and the Tibetan Freedom Concerts they organized had a very big influence on me personally and the way Adam conducted himself and dealt with it all impressed me a lot. He was a mellow and v smart guy. May he rest in peace."

The tributes followed earlier ones from the likes of Madonna , the B-Boys' longtime DJ, Mix Master Mike and Justin Timberlake  as well as in-concert shout-outs from Coldplay and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Share your memories of Adam on Twitter using the hashtag #RIPMCA.

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