This is a tough one. Now, neither MCA nor the other two Beasties were the types to get very emotional or personal in a lot of their lyrics, so there is less for fans to identify with. I don’t feel like I really knew the guy. On the other hand, their music has always meant a lot to me, from the early days when they presented a cartoonish picture of bad boy excess, to their sonic adventurism that led listeners to seek out their funky roots (even if they didn’t have the sample rights), and then onto their later albums, as they showed more political and spiritual interests, largely spearheaded by funky monk MCA. They’ve always been worth a listen, and I always admired how MCA developed from a callow, Bud-and-weed-addled, sexist youth into a mature, worldly, philosophical and committed man. He will be missed.
