slateblog

Have you ever seen a film and identified with a character? Have you watched something and strangely felt that you were that character? This happens in videogames, sure, but even in movies or books, you may really connect with someone as though the tale were being told through your eyes.

Maybe that’s absurd, but hear me out. Back in ’86 when I was in elementary school, a friend lent me License To Ill. An impressionable youth, I loved the attitude and lyrical nonsense of the album. It is the soundtrack of 5th and 6th grade, really. As the years passed, the band grew stronger, and their musicianship stood out on Check Your Head and particularly on Ill Communication. Just listen to M.C.A.’s bass on Futterman’s Rule. They were no longer just rappers; Beastie Boys matured into something so much more. Their efforts outside the studio and stage reflect this. And of the three members, I felt a strange ‘camaraderie’ with MCA. That probably makes no sense, but as I listened to the Beastie Boys, I was MCA, rapping alongside Ad-Rock and Mike D. Now, this is no stalker strangeness…it’s no different than reading a book and feeling like YOU are Frodo or Lestat or Katniss. I just identified with his words more, his style more.

Just a few weeks ago I busted out those two albums and listened on the way to work. I remember every word of Get It Together even after almost 20 years. It had been a while since I listened to those discs. And after Ill Communication I lost interest. Hello Nasty didn’t feel like a progression to me, rather the opposite. Now, 15 years after that album, I haven’t followed them in quite some time. However, as they were a big part of both my elementary school years as well as my college years, it truly saddens me to lose such an instrumental member of my memories. To his family, friends, fans and supporters, you will be missed.

R.I.P. MCA…Your shit be cookin’.

This entry was posted on May 5, 2012 at 13:24 and is filed under Blog, Music, Reflection . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.