Jay-Z Pays Tribute to Beastie Boys’ MCA at All Points West

A true gentleman, Jay-Z did not disappoint Beastie Boys fans when he stood in for the rap trio as the headliner at All Points West in Jersey City, NJ, after the group's Adam "MCA" Yauch was diagnosed with cancer last month. The Brooklyn-bred MC opened up his set Friday night with a tribute to the veteran rappers and launched into the group's 1986 hit 'No Sleep Till Brooklyn' as soon as he took the stage.

Jay threw in a freestyle and noted "The Beastie Boys are on vacation" as he covered Adam "MCA" Yauch's verse of the song, and changed the hook to "Beastie Boys at the Garden, cold kickin' it live" line to "Jay-Z, All Points West, kickin' it live." Jay went on to dedicate the remainder of his close to 90-minute set to Yauch while running through tracks from his highly anticipated 'Blueprint 3' album, including 'D.O.A.' and the latest single 'Run This Town,' minus Kanye West and Rihanna, who are both featured on the track.

West and the aforementioned pop/R&B diva were not on site for the festival, which was a bit soggy this year, thanks to scattered thunderstorms, but Vampire Weekend, the National and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs rocked the crowd despite the less than stellar weather. Yeah Yeah Yeahs lead singer Karen O also honored Yauch and wore an armband that said "Get well MCA" during her group's set.

The Beasties announced on July 20 that they would be forced to cancel all of their scheduled future shows and festival appearances and pushed back the release of their forthcoming album, 'Hot Sauce Committee, Part One,' so Yauch, who is battling early-stage parotid cancer, can receive treatment. In addition to APW, the Beasties canceled their upcoming appearance at Lollapalooza, a headlining slot at the Osheaga Fest in Montreal and another at the Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco.