Adam “MCA” Yauch, who succumbed to cancer in 2012, eerily raps about immortality in a previously unreleased Beastie Boys video that surfaced online Monday on film editor Neal Usatin’s website. The Roman Coppola-directed video featuring Nas is for the track for “Too Many Rappers” off the Beasties’ final album, 2011’s Hot Sauce Committee Part Two.
In two instances, Yauch rhymes about living a long life. The first cade is his opening lyric: “Yo, I been in the game since before you was born / I might still be emceein’ even after you’re gone.” During his second verse, he adds: “Stay up all night, and I emcee and never die / ‘Cause death is the cousin of sleep.”
Like much of the Beastie Boys’ work, the tone of the “Too Many Rappers” song and video is fun and lighthearted. The clip captures the jokesters rapping in a tree, drinking beer, grocery shopping, and Ad-Rock eating out of an Arby’s dumpster. It’s a nice reminder of the Beasties in happier times.
The Hot Sauce Committee Part Two album also included the hilarious video for “Make Some Noise” that featured Seth Rogen, Danny McBride, and Elijah Wood impersonating Mike D, MCA, and Ad-Rock.
In 2009, Yauch was diagnosed with cancer of the salivary parotid glad. He died at 47 years old.