Sunday marked 12 years without Adam Nathaniel Yauch, better known as MCA.

On May 4th, 2012, at 47 years old, Adam passed away after a 3 year battle with parotid cancer. The hip-hop world was shaken.

Adam was a rapper, bassist, filmmaker, and most importantly a founding member of the Beastie Boys. Yauch was the humblest man who ever lived, and dedicated his life to helping others, including when he founded the Tibetan Freedom Concert, including acts like Smashing Pumpkins, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine, Sonic Youth, Foo Fighters, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Fugees, and many more.

Adam was a practicing Buddhist, and in 1998, during the MTV Video Music Awards, when receiving the Video Vanguard Award, Yauch condemned America's wars in Muslim countries and prejudice against Muslims and Arabs.

Needless to say, Adam was a master at his work, and changed the music world forever.

R.I.P. MCA 1964 - 2012