Today marks a sad day as another hip-hop legend has passed. Adam Yauch, aka MCA of the Beastie Boys, died today at the age of 47. Yauch had been battling cancer for the past three years and passed away this afternoon. The Beastie Boys are one of the first rap groups I ever heard, as their debut, Licensed To Ill, dropped in 1986 when I was only 7 years old. My older brother got the tape for his birthday and listened to it over and over and over again. I remember hearing "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" for the first time and asking my dad what "skeezing with a whore" meant. It's not every day your 7-year-old is asking what a whore is.
I also remember loving "Brass Monkey" but having absolutely no idea what "Brass Monkey" was. Now, I listen to that album and reminisce on my high school and college years when Licensed To Ill was officially "old school" hip-hop. It's still one of my favorite albums to this day.
Yauch and the group grew musically over the years, teaching themselves how to play instruments and continuing on a rock/alternative hip-hop sound on Check Your Head and Ill Communication and bringing us such classics as "So Whatchu Want," "Sabotage," and "Sure Shot" among others.
I saw the Beasties perform along with A Tribe Called Quest and it remains one of my favorite shows of all time. Their music will always mean a lot to me and I'm glad they were recognized with the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame honors this past year. I'm just sad I won't get to see them perform again or get any new music from the Beasties.
The Beastie Boys released their final album last May which is quite a feat considering their first album dropped in 1986. Thank you MCA for all the great music over the years. You will be missed.
And now, here's "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" - go listen to Licensed To Ill and sip a cold one!
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