OVER MORE THAN two decades of music-making, the Beastie Boys carved out a reputation as one of the most inventive hip-hop groups out there.
And a lot of that came down to their videos – many directed by Adam Yauch/MCA, who died yesterday aged 47 after a three-year battle with cancer. Yauch helmed the clips under his pseudonym Nathaniel Hornblower.
Here are six iconic moments from a groundbreaking career:
1. (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)
The song that kicked it all off for the Beastie Boys – and landed them in hot water with critics, other rappers and, well, just about everyone. Features Yauch beating an, uh, adult toy against his head.
2. No Sleep Til Brooklyn
Another iconic early single, this video features the trio donning hair-metal outfits for a riff (geddit?) on 1980s rock culture.
3. So What Cha Want
Remember when special effects were like this? Adam Yauch got happy with the graphics software for this 1992 single.
3. Sabotage
The Beastie Boys video to end all Beastie Boys videos? Directed by none other than Spike Jonze, this masterpiece from Ill Communication sees MCA, Adrock and Mike D togging out for a parody of 70s cop movies. And it’s better than a lot of them.
5. Intergalactic
Another Yauch creation which sees the group looking to Japanese monster flicks for inspiration. Can something be both sublime and ridiculous?
6. Make Some Noise
Yauch directed this video just last year – a sequel of sorts to Fight For Your Right. It went on to win an MTV Video Music award.
All videos YouTube/Beastie Boys
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