How Adam Yauch's Cancer Battle Changed The Beastie Boys

by Jason Lipshutz, N.Y.  |   May 04, 2012 4:05 EDT

2009 was supposed to be the Beastie Boys' big comeback year.

"Hot Sauce Committee Part 1," the trio's eighth album and first non-instrumental full-length in five years, was set for a Sept. 15, 2009 release, and was set to feature guest appearances by Nas and Santigold. MCA, Ad-Rock and Mike D had been confirmed as headliners at U.S. festivals like Lollapalooza, Outside Lands and Austin City Limits, and a proper tour was in the works.

Everything came to a halt, however, on July 20, 2009, when Adam "MCA" Yauch announced that he had been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his left salivary gland. On Friday, May 4, that cancer tragically claimed Yauch's life.

When MCA first announced that he was battling the disease, he lamented the effect that his health would have on the Beasties' upcoming plans, but remained optimistic that immediate surgery would lead to a full recovery. "I just need to take a little time to get this in check, and then we'll release the record and play some shows," he said in a written statement at the time. "It's a pain in the neck (sorry had to say it) because I was really looking forward to playing these shows, but the doctors have made it clear that this is not the kind of thing that can be put aside to deal with later."

Consequently, "Hot Sauce Committee Part 1" was pushed back indefinitely, and all of the group's upcoming performances were scrapped. Tenacious D picked up their slot at Outside Lands, while the Yeah Yeah Yeahs filled in for the Beastie Boys at Lollapalooza and paid tribute to the group by playing the "Sabotage" riff, much to their crowd's delight.

In October 2009, Yauch sent an email update to Beastie Boys' official fan list, writing that he was "taking Tibetan medicine and at the recommendation of the Tibetan doctors I've been eating a vegan/organic diet," after undergoing surgery in late July to remove the cancerous tumor. "I'm feeling healthy, strong and hopeful that I've beaten this thing, but of course time will tell," wrote Yauch.

One year later, a track list for "Hot Sauce Committee Part 2" -- which was to be released before "Hot Sauce Committee Part 1" -- was unveiled, with a spring 2011 release date in mind. After Mike D told the BBC that he was "really happy" about his group mate's improved health, reports surfaced that Yauch was cancer-free; however, Yauch called the claims "exaggerated. I'm continuing treatment, staying optimistic and hoping to be cancer free in the near future."

"Hot Sauce Committee Part Two" was given a May 3, 2011 release date, and Capitol Records' rollout of the album was highlighted by unique promotional stunts that never included the trio performing live or on camera. The music video for "Make Some Noise," the album's first single, was an abridged version of Yauch's short film "Fight For Your Right Revisited" and a star-studded homage to the Beasties' "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)" video, with Seth Rogen, Elijah Wood and Danny McBride playing the Beasties. Later, a music video for "Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win" (featuring Santigold) reunited the Beastie Boys with director Spike Jonze -- responsible for their classic "Sabotage" clip -- and featured MCA, Mike D, Ad-Rock and Santigold… in action-figure form.

And the trio previewed the album before its release by placing a TK3 Speaker Boombox at half court at New York's emptied Madison Square Garden, pressing play on "Hot Sauce Committee Part 2" and broadcasting the playback via Livestream. Despite the lack of live record promotion, "Sauce" debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and sold 128,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan (its current sales stand at 347,000 copies).

When the Beastie Boys were announced as part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2012 class (along with groups like Guns N' Roses and the Red Hot Chili Peppers), the group called the honor "f----n' crazy and awesome!" in a statement. "While we are very proud of the music we make, we have to acknowledge the inspiration from our families, friends and musicians like the slits, bad brains, x-ray spex, the treacherous three and too many others to possibly name. And most of all, we give thanks to New York City and the world of musical influence it provided for us," the group wrote.

However, Yauch's health prevented the Beastie Boys from performing at the Rock Hall induction ceremony in Cleveland on April 14. The Roots, Kid Rock and Gym Class Heroes' Travie McCoy paid homage to the group with performances of tracks like "Sabotage" and "No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn." HBO will premiere the broadcast version of the ceremony on Saturday night (May 5).

It is unclear whether or not "Hot Sauce Committee Part 1" will ever be released, or what the future of the remaining Beastie Boys looks like. But in his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame acceptance speech, which Ad-Rock and Mike D read at the ceremony, Yauch thanked the group's fans for being so integral to their legendary -- and over the past three years, trying -- past. "This induction is as much ours as it us yours," wrote MCA.

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Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch dies of cancer, aged 47

The Beastie Boys (L-R) Mike Diamond, Adam Horowitz and Adam Yauch are photographed at the 2006 Sundance film festival in Park City, Utah, January 22, 2006.

Credit: Reuters/Mario Anzuoni

By Bob Tourtellotte

LOS ANGELES | Fri May 4, 2012 6:55pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Adam Yauch, a founding member of pioneering hip-hop group the Beastie Boys who captivated fans with their brash style in early hits like "Fight for Your Right (To Party)," died on Friday after a battle with cancer. He was 47.

Yauch, Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz formed the band that gained fame in the 1980s and stood out not just for their music, but for their ethnicity. In a genre dominated by African-Americans, they were three white Jewish kids from Brooklyn, New York.

The Beastie Boys sold some 40 million records worldwide over more than 20 years. As time passed, Yauch branched into filmmaking and activism, helping raise money for various causes including efforts to help free Tibet from Chinese rule.

"It is with great sadness that we confirm that musician, rapper, activist and director Adam "MCA" Yauch, founding member of Beastie Boys ... passed away in his native New York City this morning after a near-three-year battle with cancer," said a statement posted on the band's website.

In July 2009, Yauch disclosed he had been diagnosed with a tumor in his left salivary gland and lymph node, and he later had surgery and sought medical treatment in Tibet, among other places. In October of that year, he said he was "feeling healthy, strong and hopeful" that he had beaten the disease.

But as recently as last month, it was apparent Yauch was very ill when he missed his group's introduction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Yauch was born in Brooklyn on August 5, 1964, and taught himself to play bass guitar, forming a band on his 17th birthday that would later become the Beastie Boys. He went by stage name MCA. Diamond was Mike D and Horovitz, Ad-Rock.

Initially, the group played punk rock, but soon switched to rap as that musical genre gained prominence on New York streets and in underground clubs in the early 1980s.

The group's breakout album, "Licensed to Ill," was released in 1986 and featured "Fight for Your Right" and "Brass Monkey," and put it squarely on the music industry's hitmaker map.

MUSIC, FILM, PHILANTHROPY

The Beasties followed "Licensed to Ill" with "Paul's Boutique" (1989), which broke from the hard rock and rap of their debut. That was followed by CDs like "Ill Communication" (1994), with its big single, "Sabotage," and "Hello Nasty" (1998) that featured the hit "Intergalactic."

Over the years, the Beasties challenged themselves with shifting musical styles, but their fans remained loyal. They released four No. 1 albums in their career and won three of the music industry's top awards, the Grammys.

The Recording Academy, which gives out the Grammys, issued a statement calling Yauch "part of one of the most groundbreaking trios in hip-hop."

Russell Simmons, a co-founder of Def Jam Records, the label that first signed the Beasties to a record deal, posted a message on his website saying, "Adam was incredibly sweet and the most sensitive artist, who I loved dearly."

Under the alias of Nathanial Hörnblowér, Yauch also directed Beastie Boys videos such as "So Whatcha Want," "Intergalactic," "Body Movin" and "Ch-Check It Out."

He founded independent film company Oscilloscope Laboratories, which makes and distributes low-budget, art-house fare. It recently released the drama "We Need to Talk About Kevin."

Outside music and film, Yauch formed the Milarepa Foundation, which raised money for post-September 11 disaster relief and other causes. In 1996, Milarepa produced the massive Tibetan Freedom Concert in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.

Yauch is survived by his wife, Dechen, and his daughter, Tenzin Losel, as well as his parents, Frances and Noel Yauch.

(Reporting By Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Peter Cooney)

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