Like most fans in the music world, I am very heart broken hearing about the death of Adam Yauch (better known as MCA) of the Beastie Boys. I’ve listened to the Beastie Boys for years. I’ve been a huge fan of them from way back and still am a huge fan of them now. No matter what you think of the Beastie Boys, love ’em or hate ’em. They were geniuses. They wrote incredible songs, and they are very talented live performers. They were such an inspiration to me. I never saw the Beastie Boys live, but I’ve always bought their albums.

Adam’s earlier life, he was born in and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He taught himself how to play bass guitar during high school, and right away he formed the Beastie Boys, with members: John Berry, Kate Schellenbach, and Michael Diamond. The band started off playing hardcore punk music before changing their sound to hip hop. When Yauch turned 22, that’s when he changed the Beastie Boys genre to hip hop music, as a trio. The band released their first album, “License To Ill”, under Def Jam Records.

The band were very successful over the years. Selling millions of records, making lots of hit music videos (which most of them were directed by Yauch himself), they won a few awards, and now they were just inducted into the, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Adam Yauch was diagnosed with cancer in 2009. Yauch passed away today at the age of 47. He is survived by his wife and daughter.

Kev