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Adam "MCA" Yauch (8/5/64 – 5/4/12) - It seems like just yesterday that founding Beastie Boys member Adam “MCA” Yauch enticed us all to fight for our rights to party, or pledged that there would be no sleep till Brooklyn. After succumbing to his battle with cancer on May 5, 2012, the iconic MC was honored at the 2012 BET Awards. Here’s a look back at a few highlights from the pioneering rapper/producer/director’s career.(Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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Devout Humanitarian - As a Buddhist, the veteran rapper was heavily involved in the Tibetan Independence Movement. To support their freedom from China, he helped organize the Tibetan Freedom Concert, a series of rock performances that were held in Europe, Asia and North America from 1996 to 2001.

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Conquering the World of Film - A luminary in the music world, the multi-talented star was also influential in the film industry. MCA wore the director’s cap in a few independent movies and documentaries and co-founded the film production/distribution company Oscilloscope Laboratories. 

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Successful Video Director - Besides his skills on the mic, MCA was also nice behind the camera. Under the pseudonym Nathanial Hornblower, he directed many of the Beastie Boys’ music videos, including “Body Movin’,” “So What’cha Want,” “Shadrach” and “Alive.”(Photo: Mick Hutson/Redferns)

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Beastie Boys - Making their debut on the legendary hip hop label Def Jam Records, the Beastie Boys released their first album LicenseTo Ill which went on to sell over five million copies. It was also the first rap album to hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts(Photo: Ron Wolfson /Landov)

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Record Breaking Emcee - With 40 million records sold worldwide, the funky emcee aided the Beastie Boys in becoming the biggest-selling rap group since Nielsen Soundscan began tracking record sales.

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Versatile Musician - Not only did he rap and direct, but Yauch was also a record producer and self-taught bassist. He was the mastermind behind hardcore/punk band Bad Brains’ 2007 album Build a Nation

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Grammy Fam - After two previous nominations the group won their first Grammy Award in 1998 for the hit single “Intergalactic” off their Hello Nasty album. The rap trio eventually went on the win two more Grammys throughout their career.  (Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)

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Material Boys - Before dropping their debut album, the three MC's got their feet wet opening up for material girl Madonna on her 1985 Virgin Tour. (Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

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Hall-of-Famer - In April 2012, the Beastie Boys made history as the third rap group to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (Photo: KMazur/WireImage)