"MCA" Adam Yauch tribute billboards x Shepard Fairey x Haze x Glen E. Friedman x Kaves

Since the untimely passing of Adam Yauch aka "MCA" of the Beastie Boys on May 4th, 2012, there has been a flurry of homages, tributes, thoughts, memorials and expressions celebrating and honoring the lifelong legacy of this Brooklyn born rapper, turned philanthropist & director who left us too soon at a short age of only 47 years old.

Long time Beastie Boys fan and L.A. native Jason May wanted to do something to express his condolences. The end result was the renting of 4 Los Angeles billboards and the recruitment of some top street artists to pay his final respects.


First up to bat was Shepard Fairey of OBEY and an early iconic picture of the Beastie Boys by Glen E. Friedman from a California photo shoot in 1985. The same image was used for both billboards. One being at Sunset Blvd & Las Palmas and 2nd located on Fairfax south of Santa Monica Blvd.

Shepard Fairey x Glen E. Friedman x Beastie Boys

Second up was artist Kaves, as he brings his own unique spin on the same Glen E. Friedman photograph accompanied by a powerful lyric from the song "Sure Shot" off the Beastie Boys third album "Ill Communication". This billboard is located on Sunset Blvd. & San Vicente.

Kaves x Glen E. Friedman x Beastie Boys

Lastly but not least, is famed street artist Eric "Haze". Haze has been a longtime friend and collaborator of the Beastie Boys since the "License to Ill" era. Creating the original diamond logo that appears on that record and the cover art for "Ill Communication". Haze also did a very limited run of skateboards for the Beastie Boys in the mid-eighties. This skateboard can be seen with MCA in early photographs. Some of the shots were taken by Glen E. Friedman himself. Haze's billboard comes in a third in a trilogy, showcasing Haze's classic font used on "Ill Communication" and is at the intersection of Santa Monica Blvd. & Vine that just went up this past weekend.

  Haze x Beastie Boys (MCA)

In addition to these billboards, there have been countless tags, pieces, murals and other works of art paying their final respects to Adam Yauch "MCA".

Entree LS Crew from NYC homage out in Midwood, NY.

 Outside Diplo's studio "My name is MCA"

My personal slap tag tribute in the Beastie Boys cd section at Amoeba Music Hollywood

For Adam with love...

"Transmission LA: A/V Club" curated by Mike D

"When Mike D's in the House, what you gonna do?"

Between the dates of April 20th to May 6th, 2012, the MoCA Geffen Contemporary was transformed into a fully loaded sensory over-load. "Transmission LA: A/V Club" curated by Mike D of the Beastie Boys is a stunning collaboration of mixed mediums in various ranges in both audio & visual works from a slew artists. Presented by both Mercedes Benz and The Advant/Garde Diaries, Mike D serves up a smorgasbord of art, music, food, books and even some coffee, with the duration of the show dates specifically chosen to coincide with this years Coachella Music Festival.


"When Jeffery Deitch (MoCA Director) first approached me about doing this show, the assignment was more simple. It was to pick 10 or 11 artists that I found inspiring, or was inspired by. I quickly, however, spiraled out of control" -Mike D

Below is a sampling of some of the contributing artists on various days and nights:

Tom Sachs

Conceptual Sculptor artist from NYC

tomsachs.org

Jim Drain + Ara Peterson

Collaborators and friends for over 10 years present a multi-layerd instillation of colorful spinning pinwheels, that transcend that blissful moment between being awake and dreaming.

jimdrain.com

Peter Coffin

NYC based artist who is motivated by possibility and phenomenology presents an iteration instillation of neon lights which is Untitled (Lines) 2011

heraldst.com

Justin Lowe + Jonah Freeman

 These longtime collaborators instill a complex collage that explore the ascent & decent of societal institutions, consumerism, psychosis, media saturation and personal and social relations.

countryclubprojects.com

Ben Jones

Los Angeles based artist delivers us into a 8-bit world with his video instillation entitled 

"Roadtrip"

benjaminqjones.org

Will Fowler
Abtract painter from Los Angeles, who works can sometimes take up to years to complete.

davidkordanskygallery.com

Sage Vaughn
Wildlife & wild lives make up the world of this Los Angeles based painter who conjurers feelings
of tension between natural and unnatural elements.

sagevaughn.com

Sanford Biggers
 This New York based, L.A. native artist builds a creative practice out of combining art. music & performance as he presents "Ghettobird Tunic", with a jacket comprising of 1000 feathers accompanied by a video of Saul Williams performing in the jacket. 

sanfordbiggers.com

To bring the sensory of the audio-visual experience full circle, Mike D incorporated DJ's and musical performances on selected nights from some of the biggest names in the business, spanning multiple genres, while still keeping an eclectic, artistic feel and approach.

Santigold kicked off the opening night premier to celebrate the release of her upcoming album. Other predecessors to follow the duration of the exhibit included: Z-Trip,  Jeremy Sole of KCRW, J Rocc of the World Famous Beat Junkies, Dam-Funk, Peanut Butter Wolf, Jonti, Egyptian Lover, James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem, Major Lazer & Diplo.

Peanut Butter Wolf  DJ set on Saturday April 21st, 2012

  

The food aspect was covered by Kogi BBQ for lunch and dinner on Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays. A cash bar was available at nights and a specially designed coffee bar instillation by Robert McKinley was available for hot java, made fresh and prepared at any given time by a attending barista. This coffee bar was inspired by Italian bar culture, Federico Fellini and the streets of Napoli. Literary and books needs were met by an alt-art pop-up bookstore by "Family Bookstore" out of Los Angeles, offering hard to find artist publications, zines and other special editions as well.

Coffee Bar instillation by Robert McKinley
 robertmckinley.com 

Presented by Mercedes Benz

The "A/V" Benz

"Work hard, play hard, everything at 11" -Mike D

RIP Adam Yauch / MCA 1964-2012

The following is a repost from beastieboys.com with a personal note from myself.

Adam Yauch • 1964-2012

 

It is with great sadness that we confirm that musician, rapper, activist and director Adam "MCA" Yauch, founding member of Beastie Boys and also of the Milarepa Foundation that produced the Tibetan Freedom Concert benefits, and film production and distribution company Oscilloscope Laboratories, passed away in his native New York City this morning after a near-three-year battle with cancer. He was 47 years old.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Yauch taught himself to play bass in high school, forming a band for his 17th birthday party that would later become known the world over as Beastie Boys.

With fellow members Michael "Mike D" Diamond and Adam "Adrock" Horovitz, Beastie Boys would go on to sell over 40 million records, release four #1 albums–including the first hip hop album ever to top the Billboard 200, the band's 1986 debut full length, Licensed To Ill–win three Grammys, and the MTV Video Vanguard Lifetime Achievement award. Last month Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with Diamond and Horovitz reading an acceptance speech on behalf of Yauch, who was unable to attend.

In addition to his hand in creating such historic Beastie Boys albums as Paul's Boutique, Check Your Head, Ill Communication, Hello Nasty and more, Yauch was a founder of the Milarepa Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting awareness and activism regarding the injustices perpetrated on native Tibetans by Chinese occupational government and military forces. In 1996, Milarepa produced the first Tibetan Freedom Concert in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, which was attended by 100,000 people, making it the biggest benefit concert on U.S. soil since 1985's Live Aid. The Tibetan Freedom Concert series would continue to stage some of the most significant benefit shows in the world for nearly a decade following in New York City, Washington DC, Tokyo, Sydney, Amsterdam, Taipei and other cities.

In the wake of September 11, 2001, Milarepa organized New Yorkers Against Violence, a benefit headlined by Beastie Boys at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom, with net proceeds disbursed to the New York Women's Foundation Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Association for New Americans (NYANA) September 11th Fund for New Americans–each chosen for their efforts on behalf of 9/11 victims least likely to receive help from other sources.

Under the alias of Nathanial Hörnblowér, Yauch directed iconic Beastie Boys videos including "So Whatcha Want," "Intergalactic," "Body Movin" and "Ch-Check It Out." Under his own name, Yauch directed last year's Fight For Your Right Revisited, an extended video for "Make Some Noise" from Beastie Boys' Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, starring Elijah Wood, Danny McBride and Seth Rogen as the 1986 Beastie Boys, making their way through a half hour of cameo-studded misadventures before squaring off against Jack Black, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as Beastie Boys of the future.

Yauch's passion and talent for film making led to his founding of Oscilloscope Laboratories, which in 2008 released his directorial film debut, the basketball documentary Gunnin' For That #1 Spot and has since become a major force in independent video distribution, amassing a catalogue of such acclaimed titles as Kelly Reichardt's Wendy and Lucy, Oren Moverman's The Messenger, Banksy's Exit Through The Gift Shop, Lance Bangs and Spike Jonze's Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait Of Maurice Sendak, and many more.

Yauch is survived by his wife Dechen and his daughter Tenzin Losel, as well as his parents Frances and Noel Yauch.



Personal note: 

I heard the news from a friend this morning. I was rather devastated, shocked and speechless to say the least, such a young age of only 47. I first came across the Beastie Boys in 1986 when "License to Ill" came out and I was going into in the 7th grade. This was the same year when Run DMC's "Raising Hell" came out. Both were pivotal in my suburban Hip-Hop upbringing.These 3 clown princes of Hip-Hop caught my attention and held it for a span over 2 decades long that included 8 major studio releases, countless singles, ep's and side projects. I have always felt that the Beastie Boys were nothing short than innovating, fresh and never dull. As they grew and matured into adults, I was right there behind them doing the same thing over my life while amassing 71 of their records. I have had the pleasure to see them preform 6 times and every performance was full of energy and life that you don't find at most shows. Their ability to fuse rap, funk, punk, turntableism, and instrumentals have been proven to their success and longevity. The B-Boys were always mixing things up and keeping it new! I've personally viewed MCA as a wise man or monk, who was always grounded in his life, beliefs and works. A intellectual if you will, who delivers strong smart rhymes with authority. The Beastie Boys have provided the soundtrack to my life and MCA was definitely a gentlemen of Hip-Hop who will always be missed and never forgotten...