Beastie Boys album sales rocket after MCA's death

Photo: Tim Cochrane

Sales of Beastie Boys albums have rocketed since the death of Adam 'MCA' Yauch last Friday (May 4), Billboard reports.

The hip-hop trio sold 55,000 albums last week, up from 4,000 the previous week – which is a 1,235 per cent increase in sales.

This means that 'Licenced To Ill', which was the first rap album to ever enter the US Billboard 200 chart, is now at Number 18 after 19,000 copies were sold.

The band's other albums – 'Paul's Boutique', 'Hot Sauce Committee Part Two', 'Ill Communication', 'Check Your Head' and ' Beastie Boys Anthology: The Sounds of Science' are also now back in the Billboard 200.

In addition, Beastie Boys sold 151,000 downloads last week, up 949 per cent gain from the 14,000 they sold the week before.

Billboard predict that sales could be even bigger next week, after a full week's impact from Yauch's death is seen on the charts.

In total, the band released eight albums. Their last album, 'Hot Sauce Committee Part Two', was released last year. It was originally planned for released in 2009 but was delayed after Yauch was diagnosed with cancer of the preaortic gland and lymph node in July of that year.