R.I.P MCA/Bisons Game

   Yesterday of course was a very sad day for not only myself, but for millions of people across the world. 

   The gravelly-voiced, and beloved hip hop pioneer from Brooklyn, NY has left us. Adam Yauch, aka "MCA" from the legendary hip hop group Beastie Boys, passed away today at the age of 47 after a three year battle with cancer. Yauch along with Michael Diamond (Mike D) formed the Beastie Boys in 1981, playing their first show on Yauch's 17th birthday. 

   The Beastie Boys were originally a punk band comprised of Yauch, Diamond, Kate Schellenbach, and John Berry. As Berry and Schellenbach left the band, Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock) joined up and released their first album Licensed To Ill in 1986. 40 million albums later, the group still continued to tour until Yauch was unable to perform after being diagnosed with cancer in his salivary gland in 2009. 

   In honor of Yauch, the New York Mets used cuts from the Beastie Boys as their walk up music against the Arizona Diamondbacks last night. According to NESN, David Wright claimed the song "Brass Monkey" for each plate appearance (I would have chosen 'Sure Shot' myself).

   Initially, I heard of the news the minute I got on Yahoo! after getting done with an editing project for school. For a couple seconds I was speechless. I literally was frozen, mouth agape at what I was apparently seeing. The craziest thing was, I was listening to the Beastie Boys when I looked at the headline. It was certainly a while since I blasted the Beasties on my ipod. 

   My parents turned me on to the Beasties when I was about 5 years old. Having the albums Check Your Head, Ill Communication, Intergalactic, and Hello Nasty in the big stereo player in the house. I was hooked almost immediately by the funky beats, slick rhymes, and a certain flair that separated them from other hip hop artists/groups. 

   Today I had the opportunity to cheer up and lighten my mood by going to the Buffalo Bisons game earlier tonight against the Syracuse Skychiefs. Joining me were my fellow DJ's at 91.3FM WBNY. Scott Gattie, Kory Reid, Brian McDermott, Eric Webb, and Sam Mines joined my dad and myself to see the Bisons crush the Skychiefs 9-0. Bisons third baseman Matt Tuiasosopo went 4-4 with 2 home runs and sparkled on defense. It was a wonderful evening spending time with family and friends, and it was especially enjoyable being back at the ballpark for the first time since last season. I hope I go to many more games as summer vacation draws near.

   To close, I just wanted to say thank you Adam. For not only being a spectacular director/producer under the alias Nathaniel Hornblower, but being a slick keyboard, bass player who showed that hip hop artists can play instruments too. But best of all, thank you for founding one of the most influential music groups to ever hit the music world. Here's to MCA and long live the Beastie Boys. 

R.I.P MCA 1964-2012

LL