Adam Yauch | |
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Yauch in 2007
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Background information | |
Birth name | Adam Nathaniel Yauch |
Also known as | MCA, Nathanial Hörnblowér, Bloach, Abednego, Gary |
Born |
Brooklyn, New York City, United States |
August 5, 1964
Died | May 4, 2012 New York City, US |
(aged 47)
Genres | Hip hop, rap rock, hardcore punk, alternative hip hop, rock opera |
Occupation(s) | Rapper, musician, songwriter, director, film distributor |
Instruments | Vocals, bass guitar, keyboard |
Years active | 1979–2012 |
Labels | Def Jam, Grand Royal, Capitol |
Associated acts | Beastie Boys |
Website | www.beastieboys.com |
Adam Nathaniel Yauch (pronounced /ˈjaʊk/; August 5, 1964 – May 4, 2012) was an American rapper, musician, film director, and human rights activist. He was best known as a founding member of the hip hop group Beastie Boys. He was frequently known by his stage name, MCA, and sometimes worked under the pseudonym Nathanial Hörnblowér.
Yauch founded Oscilloscope Laboratories, an independent film production and distribution company based in New York City. As a Buddhist, he was involved in the Tibetan independence movement and organized the Tibetan Freedom Concert.
Born in Brooklyn, New York City, Yauch was the only child of a social worker and a painter and architect. Yauch had a non-religious upbringing. His father had been raised a Catholic and his mother was Jewish.
Yauch attended Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn's Midwood neighborhood. In high school, he taught himself to play the bass guitar. Yauch formed the Beastie Boys with John Berry, Kate Schellenbach, and Michael Diamond. They played their first show—while still a hardcore punk band in the vein of Reagan Youth—on his 17th birthday. He attended Bard College for two years before dropping out.