47-year-old Adam Yauch Dies of Cancer – A License to Ill

Cover of Licensed to Ill

I had no idea Adam Yauch, a.k.a. MCA, had been battling cancer, so it came as quite a shock to me this morning. He’s survived by his wife Dechen Wangdu and his 14-year-old daughter Tenzin. Having an intimate history with Adam and the Beastie Boys‘ Hip Hop, I had to stop my day immediately to write this in his memory and honor!

They were the cool (and only) white guys who helped bring rap in right at the get-go.  It was an amazing time of underground rap performances happening at a weekly pace – really. I was living on the Lower East Side in Manhattan, and rap was almost exclusively listened to, created and spun by the black community. The Beastie Boys had a different sound, a white bread version, but it was really amazing, just like rap as a whole. The early rappers changed music as we know it and I loved it from the first time I heard the sound.

Back in the day, there was what was called the “Hotel Amazon”: a moving “house party” (the movie House Party was inspired by these). Hotel Amazon happened each weekend in Lower Manhattan, taking place at various high schools. Kid and Play were regularly seen, with Kid’s stovetop hair towering above the crowd. It’s where the early rappers all came together, having just created their latest hip rap music, freshly pressed vinyl literally right off the press, with the DJs spinning a new mix. The House party rocked and everyone was jamming. Sometimes the Beastie Boys, including Adam Yauch, were there. I was always the only white girl, with (usually) the only two white boys, my boyfriend and his friend Bob. In those days the gangs came to the house party too, so full body frisking was for everyone who wanted to join. No guns or weapons – no spoiling the fun. There was so much creativity emerging from the Lower East Side back then, not to mention graffiti art. Speaking of which did you notice Keith Haring on Google’s “I’m Feeling Lucky” today?

Rick Rubin, who started the record label “Def Jam,” was frequently seen on the street – the rare hip white dude who was so “on it” in those days that he was instrumental in starting the rap music record scene. Now a mogul, Rick had signature long hair to his waist and an “I’m busy” air about him, as he was signing on early rappers like LL Cool J, Run DMC and the Beastie Boys.

Rap was so underground that I remember you could not buy rap albums at Tower Records. I approached a black bouncer to find out where to go and he directed me to a small record shop behind Macy’s Herald Square. I will never forget going into the record shop in my cranberry Perry Ellis winter coat and working my way into the very back section where the rap albums were. The owner came rushing over to me and immediately said “you’re in the wrong section.” As my fingers rifled through the rap albums I replied, “No, I’m not.” I bought the Beastie Boys famous kick-off LP Cookie Puss (A popular Carvel ice cream cake) and some Heavy D that day.

Adam Yauch’s father Noel Yauch was an architect; he, like Spike Lee, was raised in Brooklyn by affluent parents. The Beastie Boys came at rap from a different angle than the other street boy rappers, and their sound reflected this. Sadly I had no idea that, for the past couple years, Yauch was suffering from cancer. As I do my cardio at the gym I often listen to my favorite song on License to Ill, “She’s so Crafty.” It’s my MO as an entrepreneur and everything about the song speaks to girl craftiness.

Wearing my early 90’s X-Girl shirt from the Beastie Boys X-Large clothing line

Adam, yes I know you were so very licensed to ill, but did you have to take it so seriously? We will miss you, you were brilliant, and we will always have our memories of you. You’ll always be Royally Grand to me!

Our hearts go out to his wife Dechen Wangdu, his daughter Tenzin and Adam’s family.

Related articles

• Beastie Boys Co-Founder Adam Yauch Dead at 48 | Music News | Rolling Stone (rollingstone.com)
• Adam “MCA” Yauch, RIP (boingboing.net)
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