Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch’s Death Causes Beastie Boys Albums Sales Surge

In the week of Adam “MCA” Yauch’s untimely death, Beatie Boys album sales surged to meet industry rankings on the Billboard Hot 200.

The group’s climactic history set standards high when “Licensed to Ill” became the first rap album to top the Billboard charts. Now it’s back in the top 20 at No. 18.

Other Boys albums on the charts this week: “Solid Gold Hits” at No. 51, “Paul’s Boutique” at No. 56, “Hot Sauce Committee Part Two” at No. 107, “Ill Communication” at No. 109, “Check Your Head” at No. 124 and “Beastie Boys Anthology: The Sounds of Science” No. 141.

As is the phenomenon, after singers’ deaths, fans flock to stores and iTunes to purchase their favorite musical memories of their fallen artists.

After the death of Whitney Houston, 101,000 copies of her records were sold, along with nearly 200,000 of “I Will Always Love You.”