Author(s): Frank Owen

Music

The improbable rise to the top of one of hip-hop's most influential and consistently creative groups, from their controversial early days rhyming and stealing in a burnt-out New York City, to the trio's unlikely maturation as high-profile activists for Tibetan human rights, ending with the untimely death from cancer of founding member MCA aka Adam Yauch just as the group was elevated to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A story about three nice middle-class Jewish boys who brought hip-hop to the masses, forged a template for contemporary hipster style worldwide and continue to serve as a byword for musical integrity and innovation, proof positive that even in the age of American Idol, you can still sell millions of albums by marching to your own unique beat.