'Licensed to Ill' climbs to No. 2 on iTunes' album chart in the wake of Adam Yauch's passing, while the unreleased performance from 'Chappelle's Show' is deleted due to copyright claim by Viacom.
- May 8, 2012
AceShowbiz - Beastie Boys have made a huge jump on album chart following their member Adam Yauch's passing. The Hip-Hop group rose to the third place on iTunes' album rundown over the weekend with their 1986's debut effort "Licensed to Ill". They continued to climb higher by securing the runner-up position on Monday night, May 7.
Almost at the same time, a video featuring the band's vintage performance from an unreleased gig hit the web briefly before being removed at the request of Viacom. The footage was taken in 2004 for the third season of Comedy Central's "Chappelle's Show". It remained unseen until co-creator Neal Brennan uploaded it on YouTube recently.
Adam "MCA" Yauch lost his battle against cancer at the age of 47 on Friday, May 4. The likes of Eminem, Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z expressed their grief over his passing through messages of condolence, while some others like Coldplay and Red Hot Chili Peppers opted to pay homage to the late rapper by covering the band's song.
As for fellow bandmate Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz, he wrote an open letter on Tumblr to remember MCA. "As you can imagine, s**t is just fkd up right now. but I wanna say thank you to all our friends and family (which are kinda one in the same) for all the love and support," he stated. "I'm glad to know that all the love that Yauch has put out into the world is coming right back at him."
They, along with Michael "Mike D" Diamond, were supposed to receive a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honor together in an induction ceremony last month, but MCA was too ill to come. Due to his absent, he sent a letter of gratitude that read, "I'd like to dedicate this award to my brothers, Adam and Mike, who've walked the globe with me. To anyone who's been touched by our band, who our music has meant something to, this induction is as much ours as it is yours."
