Beastie Boy Yauch Has Cancer; Group Cancels Dates

(NEWSER) - Beastie Boy Adam Yauch has had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his salivary gland and is recovering at home, Rolling Stone reports. The rapper says he had the procedure a week and a half ago, and spent just one night in the hospital. Though his recovery is going well, Yauch dreads the “torture” of upcoming radiation treatment. More»

Rapper known as MCA had been fighting cancer

(NEWSER) - One of the Beastie Boys has died: Adam "MCA" Yauch, who had been fighting cancer, is dead at age 47, report TMZ and GlobalGrind . Yauch and fellow Beasties Adam "Ad-rock" Horovitz and "Mike D" Diamond were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month, notes AP , though Yauch himself couldn't make the ceremony. Critics initially dismissed the group as "beer-drinking frat boys" because of songs like "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)!" wrote the AP's Tom Withers around the time of the induction. "But the Beasties eventually won over critics and fans with their sharp lyrics, samples, and beats." More»

Keith Elam of Gang Starr was also celebrated solo artist

(NEWSER) - Keith Elam, who performed as Guru with the high-profile hip-hop duo Gang Starr, died yesterday. He was 43 and had been battling cancer. Although Guru was from Boston and partner DJ Premier from Houston, Gang Starr played a high-profile role on the New York underground rap scene of the '90s. Guru recorded with Gang Starr from its founding in 1987 into the 2000s even as he established a solo career with his Jazzmatazz series of albums, MTV reports. More»

But the Beastie Boys should get in soon; Alice Cooper not so much

(NEWSER) - Five artists enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tonight—the Hollies, the Stooges, Jimmy Cliff, Genesis, and, no kidding, ABBA—but as always "it seems like whoever gets anointed, or shunned, generates more controversy than the abortion debate and the death penalty combined," writes Jim Farber in the New York Daily News . He looks at the top 40 "bridesmaids at the HOF wedding" and predicts their induction likelihood on a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 meaning "should be ushered in relatively soon":

• Beastie Boys, 1: "Voters love" the "innovative hip-hop act."

Big-name acts, up-and-comers see modest rise in attendance

(NEWSER) - Concert tours remained surprisingly strong this year despite the weak economy, with slightly more people heading out to see their favorite acts than in 2008. Gross revenue held steady at $1 billion for the period from May 1 to Sept. 1, matching earnings a year earlier. Big-name acts like Kenny Chesney, the Dave Matthews Band, Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, and Coldplay all enjoyed strong tours. More»