Today would’ve marked the 53rd birthday of Adam “MCA” Yauch, the Beastie Boys founder who died in 2012 after a three-year battle with cancer. In honor of the special day, fans went to social media to share a slew of tribute messages. Many simply wished the rapper a happy birthday, others expressed how much they missed him, and some thanked MCA for the music he created and gave to the world.
Happy Birthday Adam Yauch. May you Rest In Peace and Prosperity through all eternity and beyond #Rip #adamyauch #BeastieBoys
Adam Yauch, a.k.a. MCA of the Beastie Boys, would have turned 53 today. Fuck cancer. pic.twitter.com/ja99kJj3QW
Adam Yauch, MCA of the @BeastieBoys, should have turned 53 today. #BeatCancer #RIPMCA pic.twitter.com/ehNJCVaKSk
Happy 53'rd Birthday to the great & late Adam Yauch AKA "MCA". Beasties forever 🤘🏽 pic.twitter.com/LWAmqnZUy6
#HappyBirthday to the great #AdamYauch aka #MCA of the #BeastieBoys. He was born on August 5, 1964. He died on May 4, 2012. #HipHop #RIPMCA pic.twitter.com/qXvVqgGiu2
Today also marked the sixth and final MCA Day, an annual celebration of the rapper’s life and illustrious career. The public event went down in Brooklyn, where MCA was born and raised. It included live music, art, guest speakers, as well as the opportunity to give to charity.
“Adam Yauch was one of the best this crazy world has ever seen. Let’s get together and honor a life well-lived through his favorite channels: art, music and community,” the MCA Day 2017 announcement read. “There is no cost to attend—celebrating Yauch is free. Of course, we’ll have some info on how you can lend a hand to some folks that really need it. All ages are welcome […] Come by car, train, bus, boat, hoverboard or pop a wheelie on your unicycle… Show up, get down, shout it out and take it in. ‘BBoys & BGirls of the WORLD….. UNITE!’”
Unfortunately, the founder of MCA Day recently announced this year’s event will be the last, as it’s becoming too large to properly handle.
“It does get bigger and bigger every year, it’s very hard and time consuming. A ton of blood, sweat, and tears go into it,” Mike Kearney told Brooklyn Paper. “It’s very, very bittersweet—I’ve gotten to know so many people all over the world and have established so many new friendships, with people I otherwise never would have met and crossed paths with, but now are connected forever because of Yauch and the Beastie Boys music.”
Kearney revealed he didn’t intend to host another MCA Day this year; however, he had a change of heart following a tense and polarizing election year.
“I just felt a lot of people in the country have been emboldened to come out with hateful rhetoric,” he explained. “This year’s ‘MCA Day’ encourages fans to not only celebrate Yauch, but take it on themselves to be the hall monitors and call people out on their bullshit, and there’s no better community to do that.”
