The new issue of Rolling Stone is largely devoted to the recently-departed musician and filmmaker Adam "MCA" Yauch, who co-founded seminal hip hop act Beastie Boys way back in 1981. The issue features a long look at Yauch's career and "remarkable personal growth as he moved on from his band's loutish, hard-partying Licensed to Ill phase on to spiritual enlightenment in the latter half of his all-too-brief life." And it includes short but sweet interviews with surviving Beastie Boys Mike D and King Ad-Rock, who open up for the first time about their loss. more ›

Right now you can show your support by spreading the word and "liking" the Facebook page. And no disrespect to pharmaceutical pioneer Dr. Edward Robinson Squibb, who the park is currently named for... but he hailed from Delaware and probably never skateboarded a day in his life. more ›

As we reported earlier, The King Ad-Rock (a.k.a. Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz) paid a surprise visit to the MCA Day memorial gathering in Union Square park on Saturday. Here are more photos and videos from the informal memorial, which was organized by Beastie Boys superfan Michael Kearney. In the first video here, Kearney describes how "what's transpiring today is a total testament to the message of Beastie Boys, especially Adam Yauch: you do good things and put positive things out into the universe, people will gravitate toward it." more ›

Yesterday we alerted you that MCA Day was coming to Union Square this Saturday, and below the organizer, Michael Kearney, tells us more about what to expect, and why he felt compelled to create a gathering to remember Adam Yauch. The event comes just over two weeks after Yauch's passing on May 4th. In the interview, Kearney sums up why so many people who never knew Yauch personally were so saddened by his death. more ›

On May 11th a Twitter and Facebook page were set up for MCA Day, which will honor the late Adam "MCA" Yauch. The event will take place this Saturday May 19th in Union Square, and will give fans of the Beastie Boy a place to memorialize him as a group. On the Facebook page, organizer Michael Kearney has written: "Picture an NYC Subway car full of all types and walks of life... singing Beastie Boys songs in unison. That's my vision for MCA DAY NYC. I'm going to build that. Thanks for your support. That trains a coming..." We've contacted Kearney for more information on the event, and will update as more details come in. more ›

State Senator Daniel Squadron took to the Senate floor yesterday to introduce a resolution honoring Adam "MCA" Yauch, the beloved musician, rapper, Beastie Boys co-founder, filmmaker, Buddhist, and political activist. Yauch died of cancer ten days ago at a Manhattan hospital, and heartfelt tributes have gone up around NYC and beyond...and now all the way to the state legislature. more ›

A Portland-based filmmaker and father of two, James Winters, got his kids and his nephew to reenact the Beastie Boys' video for "Sabotage" as a tribute to Adam "MCA" Yauch, who succumbed to cancer on May 4th. This is one of the more adorable tributes created so far (but our favorite is still the mural in Brooklyn), so we won't even question why they felt the need to go off-script and put a clown in it. more ›

In December of 2009, we had the opportunity to interview Adam Yauch, the Beastie Boy and founder of the film production company Oscilloscope Laboratories. It was six months after Yauch had been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his left parotid (salivary) gland. At first MCA seemed optimistic about the diagnosis, saying, "I just need to take a little time to get this in check, and then we'll release the record and play some shows. 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." Last Friday, however, Yauch succumbed to cancer at age 47. more ›

Last Friday we were deeply saddened by the news that musician and filmmaker Adam Yauch, a.k.a. MCA of the Beastie Boys, had succumbed to cancer. A week later, we're still deeply saddened, and we're not alone. Last night Brooklyn Bowl was packed with Beastie Boys fans who gathered for a screening of Yauch's kinetic concert doc Awesome, I F*&king Shot That, followed by a DJ set by ?uestlove of The Roots. At one point during his set, ?uest reminded the crowd that MCA "was the first and only person on the planet to stage dive in Soul Train. Twice." And elsewhere in NYC, more tributes to Yauch are surfacing. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] Over the weekend, many musicians, artists and other notables shared their remembrances of the late great Adam Yauch, the musician and filmmaker known worldwide as MCA. The Mets walked out to Beastie Boys songs before Friday night's game, and there was a beautiful Yauch tribute on the MSG scoreboard during yesterday's Knicks game. And yesterday comedian Neal Brennan, who co-created and co-wrote the Chappelle Show, shared this video that never aired, from the series' aborted third season. It features Beastie Boys performing "The New Style" on a boat in New York City’s East River. Earlier today, the video was taken down for violating Viacom's evil sensibilities, but now it's back up... for now. more ›

Giants quarterback Eli Manning took to Saturday Night Live to mock his New York credentials, as well as rival quarterback Tim Tebow and big brother Peyton Manning. Manning acquitted himself admirably, and the sketches, on the whole, were pretty good, though writers did put Manning in drag (that's a go-to for athletes who host). more ›

Last night, Coldplay revisited their cover of the Beastie Boys' "Fight For Your Right (To Party)" at the Hollywood Bowl—they did it at the 2009 All Points West festival, too, and apparently didn't learn their lesson—to pay tribute to Adam Yauch, the Beastie Boys founder, filmmaker, and humanitarian who died yesterday at age 47. Here are a few other (some better) covers of Beastie Boys songs: more ›

When news broke yesterday that Beastie Boy Adam "MCA" Yauch had died of cancer at the age of 47 the Internet pretty much shut down. Yauch tributes dominated Twitter and everyone mourned by watching and listening to The Beastie Boys. more ›

If you want to stroll around the five boroughs drinking some Brass Monkey, mourning and celebrating the loss and the life of Adam Yauch while listening to Paul's Boutique, here are some suggestions on where to take your own self-guided Beastie Boys tour. We got things going with the following spots, and you can add your own to the map. more ›

There are definitely more eloquent ways of saying this, and there will be time for that, but this just really fucking sucks. No way around it. As ?uestlove put it, "Yauch is gone. fuck." We remember meeting Adam Yauch at a film screening for his nascent Oscilloscope film distribution company—he was as kind, thoughtful, and perceptive as we expected. Years earlier, we had spotted him at a massive march protesting the start of the Iraq war—we noticed MCA ahead of us in the crowd when he joined other demonstrators sitting down in the middle of the street. No words were exchanged, and nobody hounded him, because it was no surprise Yauch was there. Here he is with the Brass Monkey on Soul Train in 1987: more ›

Horrible news: Russell Simmon's website Global Grind is reporting that Adam Yauch has succumbed to cancer. We have not received confirmation from Beastie Boys' management Nasty Little Man—no one is answering calls at their office or cell phone at this moment. We'll update when we get confirmation, but it seems likely that Simmons would be in the know. more ›

Great news: Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys has reportedly beaten cancer. In an interview with BBC, band-mate Mike D said that Yauch's "all-clear" following his illness was "a good thing" and that "we're really happy about it." It's quite a relief, because the last we heard from Yauch in April, he was sending out a mass e-mail requesting cancer-smashing vibes from his fans. Looks like the vibes worked! (Yauch also credits his vegan diet.) more ›

When Beastie Boys co-founder Adam Yauch announced that doctors had found a cancerous tumor in his left parotid (salivary) gland, he expressed optimism about his recovery, because the cancer was localized and would not affect his vocal chords. That was back in July, and though we've interviewed Yauch since then, we didn't want to press the man too much on his health. (Gothamist: How is your health situation? Yauch: I'm doing all right! I'm in Hawaii right now, feeling good.) It's unclear what his status is, but this email just went out to members of the Beastie Boys fan club: more ›

Ideally every good summer music festival is filled with one or two moments where everyone there can't help but shake off the cobwebs of cynicism and think to themselves, "Now this is what it's all about." It's pretty safe to say that Jay-Z did just that for a few thousand people last night at All Points West, performing the takeover just as the rain cleared to begin his first American festival appearance with a cover of "No Sleep Til Brooklyn." We admit to needing a video like the one below to do just that for those of us stuck listening to APW coverage on rock radio stations suddenly caring about Jay, accompanied by DJs using it as a chance to show off their emcee skills and explain the rapper's importance due to his collaborations with The Killers, Jack White and Linkin Park. Alas, Jigga to the rescue: more ›

It only took the folks behind the All Points West Festival a few days to find a replacement for their Friday night headliners. Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys announced on Monday that the band would be canceling their upcoming tour, which included the festival date, while he undergoes treatment for throat cancer. So, upon hearing such somber news who does one get to replace the legendary trio? The fest booked another Brooklyn-born boy, of course, and his name is Jay-Z. The APW press release says this is, somewhat unbelievably, the U.S. festival debut for the rapper; choosing a fitting quote from one critic that declares: “his mouth is one of the most nimble in the genre's history, and he uses it to present thoughts that are sharp, funny and resonant." Sounds about as close to the Beasties as one can get, and hopefully he'll do a cover or two to fill the void. For those not interested in Jigga, single day Friday tickets are now refundable (the rest of the fest's lineup is here). more ›

Some heavy news out of the Beastie Boys' camp today: The three emcees and one DJ are canceling their upcoming tour and postponing their new album release because doctors have discovered a cancerous tumor in Adam Yauch's left parotid (salivary) gland. In the video above, Yauch and Adam Horovitz announce the bad news, with Yauch expressing healthy optimism about his recovery, because the cancer is localized and will not affect his vocal chords. He's expected to have surgery next week, to be followed by radiation treatment. more ›

The Hollywood Reporter has news that Beastie Boy Adam Yauch will be expanding his music and film production operation, Oscilloscope Laboratories, into indie film distribution. Under the nom de plume Nathanial Hörnblowér, Yauch has orchestrated many of the Beastie Boys videos, as well as the hip hop group’s inventive full-length concert doc Awesome; I Fuckin’ Shot That! Oscilloscope also shot and produced live concert videos for Beck and Ryan Adams. more ›