Beastie Boys' Adam "MCA" Yauch Remembered: A Timeline of the Group's Big Moments

Look back at the history of the group that the late hip-hop star founded

By Peter Gicas May 04, 2012 8:43 PMTags
The Beastie BoysJason Kempin/FilmMagic

As Beastie Boys fans around the world mourn the passing of  Adam "MCA" Yauch at the age of 47, we thought it would be fitting to briefly look back on his tremendous career that he had with the band that he helped found.

Aug. 4, 1964: Adam "MCA" Yauch was born in Brooklyn, NY.  After teaching himself how to play the bass guitar, Yauch formed the Beastie Boys in 1979 and soon was playing with Mike "Mike D" Diamond (born Nov. 20, 1965) and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (born Oct. 31, 1966) while still in high school.

1985: The EP, Rock Hard, is released. Band opens up for such acts as Madonna, Run DMC and LL Cool J.

1986: The Beastie Boys' debut album, Licensed to Ill, is released, spawning the hits "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)" and "No Sleep till Brooklyn." It was the first rap album to go to No. 1 on the Billboard album chart. Over nine million copies were sold—though many parental groups decry the crass lyrics and onstage antics of the trio.

1988: Group heads back into the studio to work on their sophomore effort, Paul's Boutique. Despite featuring the tracks "Hey Ladies" and "Shake Your Rump," the dense, mature Dust Brothers-produced album failed to generate the level of success of its predecessor, selling only about a million copies. Still, it's a classic.

1992: The album, Check Your Head, was released and eventually went double platinum, generating the hit singles "So What'cha Want" and "Pass the Mic."

1994: The Boys release Ill Communication, which debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 and score a hit with the single "Sabotage." That same year, they headline the Lollapalooza music festival.

1997: Yauch & Co. once again debut at No. 1 with their next collection of tunes, Hello Nasty.

1999: Hello, Nasty not only went on to earn the group a Best Alternative Performance Grammy, but the fellas won a Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group statuette for the song "Intergalactic." The track's video was also named Best Hip-Hop Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Oct. 2001: The band organize and headline the New Yorkers Against Violence Concert in the wake of 9/11 to raise money for the New York Women's Foundation Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Association for New Americans.

2002: Yauch begins building a recording studio in New York.

2003: Band release as a free download the song, "In a World Gone Mad" as a protest song against the war in Iraq.

Jun. 15, 2004: Album, To the 5 Boroughs, is released and debuts at No. 1. Includes the hit "Ch-Check It Out."

2007: Group releases an all-instrumental album, The Mix-Up.

2008: The Mix-Up wins the Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Album.

July 20, 2009: Yauch posts a video on the Beastie Boys' official website announcing the band will have to cancel its upcoming summer tour and postpone the launch date of the new album, Hot Sauce Committee Part 1after Yauch was diagnosed with cancer.

Oct. 8, 2009: Three months after disclosing his cancer diagnosis, Yauch says he's on the road to recovery after receiving treatment from Tibetan specialists.

Jan. 7, 2011: Yauch is reportedly given the all-clear by doctors a year and a half after being diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his parotid gland.

May 3, 2011: The band opts to forgo releasing Hot Sauce Committee Part I and instead put out Hot Sauce Committee Part 2.

April 2012: The Beastie Boys are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Yauch is not in attendance.

May 4, 2012: Yauch dies at the age of 47.