It would have never been the same, but don’t expect any Beastie Boys albums in the future — Mike D has officially confirmed the group won’t go on without MCA.
The Beastie Boys, founded in New York in the very early 80s, made music for decades — and maintained a solid fan base and consistent critical acclaim.
Like the three men who comprised the Beastie Boys, the music evolved but fans remained loyal. And when MCA, real name Adam Yauch, died of a rare form of cancer in 2012, it was a crushing blow to music.
MCA has been honored and mourned by both his fans and bandmates Mike D and Ad-Rock, and the former revealed in court on May 30 that the Beastie Boys are effectively over for good.
When Mike D testified in a suit over copyright infringement by Monster Energy, and the rapper (real name Mike Diamond) spoke about other licensing opportunities, he reiterated the surviving members’ stance on use of their catalog.
Mike D explained:
“We have not been able to tour since MCA, Adam Yauch, died… We can’t make new music… [and] we do not let our music get used in in commercials for commercial products.”
Yauch died in August of 2012 at the age of 47, and his last will and testament addressed future use of the Beastie Boys’ music, in part.
In it, MCA stated:
“Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, in no event may my image or name or any music or any artistic property created by me be used for advertising purposes.”
The matter came to issue late last year after girl-centric toy company GoldieBlox heavily referenced the band’s early hit “Girls” in a commercial aimed at knocking boys’ toys — and the surviving members were forced to address the issue after it was insinuated that they’d used their clout to bully the independent company.
In a statement in November, Mike D and Ad-Rock said that after the track was used without permission, the toymaker preemptively sued the band, explaining:
“We strongly support empowering young girls, breaking down gender stereotypes and igniting a passion for technology and engineering… As creative as it is, make no mistake, your video is an advertisement that is designed to sell a product, and long ago, we made a conscious decision not to permit our music and/or name to be used in product ads. When we tried to simply ask how and why our song ‘Girls’ had been used in your ad without our permission, YOU sued US.”
During his recent testimony, Mike D also stated that the surviving Beastie Boys members turned down an opportunity to license their song “Sabotage” for an Arnold Schwarzenegger film, despite the proposed deal being very lucrative.
[Image: Beastie Boys, Creative Commons]
