| Adam Yauch | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Adam Nathaniel Yauch |
| Also known as | MCA Nathanial Hörnblowér |
| Born | August 5, 1964 |
| Origin | Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop, rap rock, hardcore punk, alternative hip hop |
| Occupations | Rapper, Musician, Songwriter, Director, Film Distributor |
| Instruments | MC, vocals, bass guitar, keyboards, turntables |
| Years active | 1979—present |
| Labels | Def Jam Grand Royal Capitol |
| Associated acts | Beastie Boys |
| Website | www.beastieboys.com |
| Notable instruments | |
| ARP-2600, Ampeg AEB-1, Fender Jazz, Ampeg Electric Upright, Roland TR-808 | |
Adam Nathaniel Yauch (pronounced /ˈjaʊk/; born August 5, 1964) is a founding member of hip hop trio the Beastie Boys. He is frequently known by his stage name, MCA, and other pseudonyms such as Nathanial Hörnblowér.
Contents |
Yauch was born an only child in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Frances and Noel Yauch, who is a painter and architect. His father was Catholic and his mother was Jewish.[1] In high school, he taught himself to play the bass guitar, and formed Beastie Boys. They played their first show — then still a hardcore punk band in the vein of Reagan Youth — on his 17th birthday, while still attending Edward R. Murrow High School in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn. He attended Bard College for 2 years before dropping out. Two years later, when Yauch was 22, the Beastie Boys, now performing as a hip hop trio, released their first album Licensed to Ill on Def Jam Records.
Under the pseudonym "Nathanial Hörnblowér",[2] Yauch has directed many of the Beastie Boys' music videos. Yauch made his televised debut as Hörnblowér at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards as he stormed the stage in costume to protest after R.E.M. won the award for Best Direction over the Spike Jonze directed Beastie Boys video "Sabotage". He also directed the 2006 Beastie Boys concert film Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That!, though in the DVD extras for the film, the title character in "A Day in the Life of Nathanial Hörnblowér" is played by David Cross. He also directed the 2008 film Gunnin' For That #1 Spot about eight high school basketball prospects at the Boost Mobile Elite 24 Hoops Classic at Rucker Park in Harlem, New York City.
In 2002, Yauch built a recording studio in NYC called Oscilloscope Laboratories and produced Build a Nation, the comeback album from hardcore/punk band Bad Brains. Oscilloscope Laboratories also distributed Adam Yauch's directorial film debut, basketball documentary Gunnin' For That #1 Spot (2008) as well as Kelly Reichardt's Wendy and Lucy (2008) and Oren Moverman’s The Messenger (2009).
MCA, along with fellow Beastie Boys members Adrock and Mike D appeared in the 2005 streetball game NBA Street V3 as an unlockable team wearing New York Knicks #00 jerseys and caps. MCA later appeared in the 2007 skating game Tony Hawk's Proving Ground as an unlockable skater wearing the black suit MCA occasionally wears. Most recently; MCA appears alongside his musical compatriots as a playable character in EA's NBA Jam (2010). This is seen by many as a homage to his original appearance along Adrock and Mike D in Midway's original NBA Jam, circa 1993 as secret characters. In NBA Jam 2010, the Beastie Boys team can be unlocked through the use of a cheat code or by defeating them in game.
Yauch is a practicing Buddhist.[3]
In 2009, Yauch was treated for a cancerous parotid gland and a lymph node and underwent surgery and radiation therapy delaying the group's album release and tour.[4][5] Yauch became a vegan under the recommendation of his Tibetan doctors.[6]