Emily Matview:
I’m usually not too affected by celebrity deaths but this is one that really hits me hard.
Beastie Boys was one of the first bands I got into when I was a clueless middle schooler discovering the world of music for the first time and they’re one of the few bands from that period of my life that has stuck with me and that I still listen to on a regular basis. I feel very fortunate I got to see them right before “To the 5 Boroughs” was released at the Huntridge for the MTV $2 show (one of the most memorable shows I’ve ever been to, see below for video).
Without the Beasties and the way they mixed hip hop, punk, rock, hardcore and more I wouldn’t have developed nearly as diverse a taste for music as I have now and the introduction of political and social causes to songs and live shows taught me that music could do more than just entertain (or more specifically, that something can be entertaining and be a force for education and change in this world), and I’ll be forever grateful to them for that.
Looking at my Facebook feed today (and likely all of yours who are reading this) is a real testament to the Trio’s talent – that so many people from so many walks of life are equally saddened by the news. Young and old, punk kids and hip hop kids, people that don’t even listen to much music and so many more. It shows just how many barriers they broke down and how many lives they touched, and I think Adam Yauch would be happy with that legacy.
RIP MCA
1964-2012
http://youtu.be/GsmaK03VfBo
Lance Wells:
There are very few musicians I can say I’ve been a fan of for 25 years, but the Beastie Boys are one of those rare exceptions. It all started way back in 1987 when my mom bought me the album License To Ill at the K-Mart in Henderson, and much like the Beasties, I have been embarked on an evolutionary journey ever since. Sadly, Adam Yauch (aka MCA) passed away on May 4th, 2012, and as someone who enjoyed his music and was influenced by his words, I feel compelled to write a few short sentiments about the man and his band.
At the time I first heard License To Ill, I was nothing short of a snot-nosed brat who simply liked distorted guitars, funny lyrics, and Run DMC (the Beasties probably had a very similar mindset in ’87). I first discovered the Beastie Boys when I caught the video for “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)” on MTV late one night, and as a typical juvenile, I basically thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen or heard. Of course, I had to have the record, and I played the tape until it was worn out, never really taking much stock in what the lyrics were really saying.
Right around the same time, I stumbled upon punk rock, and through bands like Circle Jerks, Dead Kennedys, and Suicidal Tendencies, I realized loud, obnoxious music could have something very vital to say. I was still down with the License To Ill sound, but I had been deeply moved by this new music I discovered, and my life was now set on a path that would be spent searching for answers, questioning authority, etc. Oddly enough, MCA and the Beasties seemed to take a similar journey as they also began to evolve and realize the true power of their music and words.
Over the years, each new Beastie Boys record would bring a little something different to the table. Paul’s Boutique took on a more pure hip-hop sound to disprove the critics who said the Beasties couldn’t really rap, while Check Your Head andIll Communication would see the band returning to live instrumentation and some of their punk rock roots with songs like “Time For Livin’” and “Heart Attack Man”. Hello Nasty brought more electronics into the mix, the post-911 album, To The 5 Boroughs, would see the band write their most political lyrics to date, and The Mix-Up was an instrumental album that probably threw some fans for a loop. And just to show they could still bring it 25 years later, MCA and company released another solid effort in 2011 with the much anticipated Hot Sauce Committee Part Two.
With this evolution of sound also came an evolution of the heart and mind, and with time, the Beasties began to move well beyond the immaturity of their first few releases. With a legacy of rampant partying and womanizing behind them, the group would soon begin to introduce more important personal and political subject matter into their lyrics, and they would eventually almost forsake their License To Ill era altogether (LTI songs and videos were notoriously absent from live sets and DVD collections respectively). A far cry from “skeezin’ with a whore”, MCA would one day be a vocal supporter of the Tibetan independence movement as well as a practicing Buddhist and vegan.
Along their path to enlightenment, however, MCA and the Beastie Boys never forgot how to have fun. Unfortunately, I only saw the band live once, but it was one of the most entertaining shows I have ever been to. I was living in Tempe, AZ at the time, and managed to catch them that summer at the Mesa Amphitheater with House of Pain and L7. My favorite Beastie album, Check Your Head, had dropped earlier that year, and they played an immense live set that not only featured hip-hop and funk, but also included a punk interlude complete with a Minor Threat cover.
It’s hard to say what will become of the Beastie Boys in the absence of MCA, but whatever path Adrock and Mike D choose to take with the group, I am certainly grateful for the 25 year journey I was able to take with them. MCA will be dearly missed by many, but his legacy will live on through his lyrics, music, and more. To Adam Yauch: Thanks so much for everything and be sure to rest in peace, brotha.
And to anyone who thinks the Beastie Boys aren’t punk, check your head (and this youtube video).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvFcMu-AvZs
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