Rappers stunned by press

Jewish Telegraph, April 2006

RAP group The Beastie Boys were stunned at the discussion surrounding their religious backgrounds when they first toured the UK.
The trio — Adam Yauch (MCA), Adam Horovitz (Adrock) and Mike Diamond (Mike D) — stormed the UK in the late 1980s with debut album License to Ill.
But Yaunch has now said: “The second we went over to England to tour, our religion definitely became the focus. When we read stuff like, ‘Three Jews Do This,’ we were completely shocked.
“We didn’t even notice that all three of us were Jewish because generally New Yorkers don’t seem to marry themselves to their backgrounds too much. When you get a couple of generations away from the old country, it is easy to lose track of your heritage.”
Yaunch, who is now a Buddhist, was the only member of the group who was raised in a Jewish household.
The 41-year-old has directed the live concert film, Awesome: I F****** Shot That, under the pseudonym, Nathaniel Hörnblowér.