Adam Yauch, Beastie Boys' MCA, Dies at 47

Adam Yauch, who helped make hip-hop a worldwide cultural force as one-third of the influential crossover group The Beastie Boys, has died after battling cancer. He was 47.

His death was reported by GlobalGrind, a media company partly funded by Russell Simmons. Simmons and Rick Rubin co-led Def Jam Records as it rose to prominence in the 1980s thanks to acts including the Beastie Boys and Run-DMC.

Yauch, also a film director who co-founded the distribution company Oscilloscope Laboratories, was first diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his left salivary gland in 2009, but it was not clear whether he died of cancer. A spokesman for Yauch declined to comment.

With bandmates Mike D (Michael Diamond) and Ad-Rock (Adam Horovitz), Yauch started the Beastie Boys in the late 1970s as a hardcore punk outfit. But they evolved into a sneering, comedic rap group that, under the guidance of producer Rubin, broke through by mixing hip-hop beats and classic guitar riffs -- the same formula often employed by Run-DMC.

The Beastie Boys' lighthearted approach -- and whiteness in a genre dominated by African-Americans -- helped them achieve mainstream success at a time that hip-hop was often dismissed as urban braggadocio set to music, despite the artistry behind it. MTV's heavy rotation of the Beastie Boys' "Fight for Your Right to Party," and Run-DMC's "Walk This Way" helped expose millions of young people to hip-hop for the first time, paving the way for every massive act that has come since, from Public Enemy to Kanye West to Eminem.

Also read: Jack Black, John C. Reilly and Others Get Totally Beastie (Video)

But the Beastie Boys became one of the longest-lasting acts the genre has produced by evolving constantly. While their breakthrough record, "License to Ill," was full of fratty party jams, their follow-up, "Paul's Boutique," was one of the first albums to recognize the vast potential of aggressive, whimsical, multi-layered sampling. It made so many lists of "underrated" hip-hop albums in the '90s that it quickly shed that status. For the follow-up, "Check Your Head," Yauch and his bandmates played their own instruments, deftly combining hip-hop, grunge, jazz and psychedelic influences.

As the group continued to experiment and evolve over the next two decades -- and pack stadiums -- Yauch branched out into directing. Under the alias Nathanial Hörnblowér, he directed several videos for his group, and later helmed the Beasties' 2006 concert film "Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That!" He also directed the 2008 basketball documentary "Gunnin' for That #1 Spot," and founded Oscilloscope in the same year.

He said after his cancer diagnoses in 2009 that it was "very treatable," and the group delayed tour plans and the release of its album "Hot Sauce Committee Part 1," which was finally released last year in slightly different form as "Hot Sauce Committee Part 2."

He is survived by his wife and daughter.

Photo: Getty Images

Related Articles:

Neil LaBute, Adam Yauch on Sundance Shorts Lineup

Jack Black, John C. Reilly and Others Get Totally Beastie (Video)