It’s Friday May 4th and I’m working away as usual. Toggling between my DOS looking AS400 screens, Microsoft Outlook and personal Gmail (Shhh, don’t tell). Checking the lower right corner and I notice Stealthbot’s last message to me ‘MCA DIED!!!’. Looking at it sideways, I had to make sure what I was reading was correct. I pulled up my twitter feed, when it updated I saw tweet after tweet: #RIPMCA

I told Stealth I’d be right back and made my way to the ‘Executive Bathroom’. After locking the door I lost it. I broke down. I sobbed. I cried. Was it the memories of my childhood? Remembering the energetic vibe I got from the shows?, Memories of family that I loved and lost to cancer as well. I’m getting teary eyed again writing this. Cancer sucks.

I never met Adam Yauch. Sure, I had friends that saw him up at Brighton. Old School Caroline and her posse would leave at a moments notice to catch up with them, even if it meant just hanging out in the Salt Lake International Airport. Yeah, I called bullshit on that one as well. Until I saw the pictures. The circle that I ran with LOVED the Beastie Boys.

Alternative radio station 96.3 DJ Sean Boy Walton (circa late 90’s) made it a point to show me the 12 inch WAX version of ‘Sure Shot’ he had gotten (that Mike Nardone remix is the ILLEST!),. Justin Barlow (who played in local rock acts: Rapture, Insufficient Subculture and others) thought ‘Check Your Head’ was a masterpiece. And my own crew. Who grew up on the sounds of Run DMC, Public Enemy, NWA and others. Hip hops ‘Golden Era’. We always had the utmost respect for what at first many thought was a ‘Novelty Act’ or ‘Brat Rap’. ‘Licensed To Ill’ had it’s catchy party jams, decadence and irresponsibility. It also had ‘Paul Revere’, ‘No Sleep Till Brooklyn’ and Led Zeppelin drum break banger ‘Rhymin & Stealin”. All three songs still in heavy rotation on my Ipod.

The truth is if I ever stood face to face with MCA I honestly wouldn’t know what I would say. Or even what to say.

I know I would thank him.

Thank him for making timeless music. ‘Pauls Boutique’ is one of the best LP’s EVER made by a rap group, period. Thank him for constantly pushing the boundaries and reinventing the idea of what a music could and should be. Thank him for maintaining artistic control over his records while still having billboard chart success. Thank him for influencing others in the game while paving the way. Thank him for the Trek shoutouts in his lyrics. Thank him for proving F. Scott Fitzgerald wrong. Shedding the hard partying bad boy persona and embracing Buddhism. Thank him for putting love out in the world.

They used to say Hip Hop wouldn’t make it to 1990. Now, in 2012 we get to celebrate and mourns the lives of the legends of our culture.

Go ahead, pour out some Brass Monkey for the man.

-Dagobot