The New York musician and hip-hop pioneer Adam Nathaniel Yauch passed away today at the age of 47, leaving behind his wife Dechen Wangdu and a daughter. He was one of the three co-founders of the US rap trio Beastie Boys. Together with the Beasties he made music history, as director he created the fantastic low-fi clips for “Intergalactic” and “Fight for your Right (Revisited)”, the latter of which can be admired in its full length below. Simmons' label Def Jam released the groundbreaking hip-hop band's first album, "Licensed to Ill".
The co-founder of the Beastie Boys was diagnosed with parotid gland cancer in 2009. Yauch had stated at the time that his illness was definitely treatable. But because of his illness, the group canceled various appearances and postponed the release of their album “Hot Sauce Committee, Part Two” until last year. His company Oscilloscope Laboratories produced Banksy's “Exit thru the Gift Shop”, among other things, he was also a political activist, founder of the Free Tibet Music Festival and most recently actively involved in the Occupy Movement in New York. Shit. Fuck. Kick it root down! RIP