Adam Yauch, famously known as MCA, was the eldest member of the Beastie Boys and often regarded as the group’s creative and spiritual core. A devoted Buddhist and vegan, Yauch was the driving force behind their evolution, steering the trio from their rebellious hardcore punk beginnings to becoming chart-topping legends and hip-hop icons. This transformation began with the groundbreaking release of their 1986 debut album, Licensed to Ill.
Under the alias Nathaniel Hornblower, Yauch held down the low end for the Beastie Boys during their punk phase, playing bass with raw energy and attitude. As the band evolved, so did Yauch’s role, guiding them toward groovy instrumental experiments where his bass lines became funkier and more textured. He didn’t just shape their sound, he was also behind the camera, directing many of their unforgettable, visually wild music videos.
When Yauch passed away from cancer in 2012, his bandmates Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz chose to end the Beastie Boys’ story, honoring his legacy.
Here are five of Yauch’s most creative bass moments that helped define the band’s history.
1. Make Some Noise
“Make Some Noise,” the third single from the Beastie Boys’ eighth and final studio album, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, marked a triumphant return to form. It became their biggest hit since 2004’s “Ch-Check It Out,” climbing to No. 1 on the Nielsen alternative rock chart. And let’s be real—it also boasts some of Yauch’s funkiest, most infectious bass lines ever.
2. Time For Livin'
With this 1992 track from Check Your Head, the Beastie Boys revisited their hardcore punk roots. Adam Yauch’s heavy, driving bass line steals the show, punctuated by some truly interesting bass fills. The song itself is a cover of Sly and the Family Stone’s 1974 track from Small Talk, but the Beastie Boys reimagined it, taking it to the next level.
3. No Sleep Till Brooklyn
“No Sleep Till Brooklyn” is the sixth single from the Beastie Boys’ debut studio album, Licensed to Ill. It’s one of their signature songs and it is about a long tour and all the events that make it exhausting, while also emphasizing their commitment to keep going till they reach their home base in Brooklyn.
The Beastie Boys’ “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” was a big concert favorite and was regularly utilized as their closing song. The title is a play on the Motörhead album No Sleep ’til Hammersmith, among other references to then-popular metal.
4. (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)
On the other hand, Licensed to Ill’s sixth single, “No Sleep Till Brooklyn,” became one of their signature tracks. It’s a gritty ode to the exhaustion of relentless touring and the determination to push through until they hit their home base in Brooklyn. A concert favorite, it often closed their live sets, with its title paying homage to Motörhead’s No Sleep ’til Hammersmith and nodding to the metal influences of the time.
5. Sabotage
And then there’s “Sabotage,” arguably Yauch’s crowning achievement as a bassist. Built around his monstrous, distorted bass riff, the song brims with suspense and drama. As Adam Horovitz recalled in the liner notes of Beastie Boys Anthology (1999), “Yauch came in one day with this concept for a song where a distorted bass keeps playing a riff, and we would do all these hits and stops to build tension.”
Tragically, Yauch’s life was cut short in 2012 due to cancer. Diagnosed in 2009 with cancer of the parotid gland and lymph node, he underwent surgery and radiation therapy, which delayed the release of Hot Sauce Committee Part Two and its supporting tour. His loss left a void that could never be filled, but his legacy lives on through his music and vision.
Updated – 01/07/2025
