Yauch, better known as MCA, made the announcement Monday that he has a cancerous tumor in his preaortic gland and lymph node, forcing him to cancel the band's upcoming concerts and postpone the release of their new album.
Yauch’s condition is ‘treatable'
In the video message, featuring Yauch and bandmate Adam 'Ad-Rock' Horowitz, the 44-year-old musician said he is suffering from the cancer of the salivary gland with spread to a local lymph node. The rap star said his cancer was a "very treatable," and he would soon undergo treatment for his condition.
"About two months ago I started feeling a lump in my throat, like you feel if you have swollen glands or if you have a cold," the rapper recalled in the video. "I didn’t think it was anything. Then when we were in Europe recently doing promotion I started to think I should talk to my doctor. So I called my doctor when I got back, about two weeks ago.
"He sent a specialist, they did tests and I have a form of cancer in a gland that's over here (points to his left cheek). It's in a gland called the parotid gland and it's also in the lymph node in that area.
"I'm going to have to have surgery, probably next week (beginning July 27), and then after that have some radiation done in that localized area."
Hope for speedy recovery
While the cancer was caught early and is localized in one area, Yauch is expected to make a full recovery. "The good news is that they did scans of my whole body and it's only localized in this one area," he said. "It's not in a place that affects my voice, so that's nice. That's convenient.”
He continued: "It's a bit of a setback, it's a pain in the ass, but it's treatable, in most cases they're able to completely get rid of it, people don't have continuing problems with it… if they've caught it early. That's the good news.”
Concerts and album release cancelled
The cancer-stricken hip-hop artist’s condition has forced the Beastie Boys to cancel their upcoming live commitments and postpone the release of their latest album, "Hot Sauce Committee Part 1," which otherwise was scheduled for release on September 15 in the United States.
"I apologize for anyone who's made plans or was psyched to come to these shows," he said. "I just need to take a little time to get this in check, and then we'll release the record and play some shows. It's a pain in the neck (sorry had to say it) because I was really looking forward to playing these shows, but the doctors have made it clear that this is not the kind of thing that can be put aside to deal with later."
"Hot Sauce Committee Part 1" is the hip hop trio’s eighth album, which will include 17 tracks, including "Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win" featuring Santigold and "Too Many Rappers" featuring Nas. The new release date for the album has yet to be revealed.
Meanwhile, the Beastie Boys’ record label EMI has issued a statement, wishing him rapid recovery. "Our thoughts, love and prayers are with Adam Yauch, his family and the Beastie Boys. The most important thing is to allow Adam to focus on staying healthy. We wish him all the best and a speedy recovery," the statement from EMI says.
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