The late Adam Yauch made history as Beastie Boys rapper MCA, but he also leaves behind a rich legacy in filmmaking: Recall his work helming a number of the trio's music videos (as Nathaniel Hörnblowér), releasing envelope-pushing (and Oscar-nominated) documentaries and features via his production/distribution label Oscilloscope Labs, and directing his own acclaimed films, notably the 2006 concert doc Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That!. Take a look back at Yauch's work behind the camera, with and without fellow Beasties Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz, as Movieline runs down the 9 best films and videos he made as a director.
"Shadrach" (1989)
Live performance footage was rotoscoped over resulting in the gorgeous and surreal hand-painted music video for "Shadrach," off the Beasties' second studio album, Paul's Boutique.
"So What’cha Want" (1992)
Mike D, Ad-rock, and MCA traipse the woods as rapping, destructive forces of nature in one of my favorite Beastie Boys videos, made eerily sinister (and strangely perfect) by photo negative effects and speed-tweaked lip synching.
"Intergalactic" (1998)
A tribute to/send-up of Japanese kaiju monster movies and one of the best music videos of all time.
"Body Movin’" (1998)
More film nerdery from MCA -- "Body Movin'" as parody of the Dino De Laurentiis-produced Italian cult spy flick Danger Diabolik.
"Three MCs and One DJ" (1999)
A loving nod to DJ Mix Master Mike, who marked his first Beastie Boys collaboration on 1999's Hello Nasty; without him around to drop the beat, our MCs are frozen and helpless.
"Ch-Check It Out" (2004)
'70s cop shows, Evergladin', old lady drag... a classic.
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Awesome; I Fuckin’ Shot That! (2006)
Up there with the best concert docs of all time, Yauch's Sundance darling drew from footage shot by fans scattered around a 2004 Madison Square Garden show. Ben Stiller FTW!
Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot (2008)
Yauch turned his documentary lens on a group of promising high-school basketball stars with NBA dreams; all of them went on to NBA careers.
"Fight For Your Right Revisited" (2011)
The extended 30-minute version of the group's 2011 music video for "Make Some Noise" -- the sequel to "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" featuring Seth Rogen, Elijah Wood, and Danny McBride as the young Beastie Boys -- includes even more celebrity cameos and an inter-generational Beastie dance battle, a fitting ode to the group's decades-long career that simultaneously celebrates their roots and shows them coming full circle.
R.I.P. MCA. Leave your own favorite Yauch/MCA memories below.
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