Earlier this week, Beastie Boy "MCA” Adam Yauch announced (in the clip above) the very sad news of his diagnosis with a cancerous tumor in his salivary gland. Both the Beastie Boys’ summer concert dates have been canceled, and their upcoming album release, Hot Sauce, has been pushed to a later date so Adam can tend to treatment and surgery. The canceled dates left openings at several concerts, including New York’s biggest festival, All Points West -- the Beasties were set to perform on July 31. Yesterday, APW revealed that Jay-Z is stepping up to the plate and filling in for his buddies for the Friday-night headlining slot.

When Adam Yauch walks into the room, he’s demure. Graying, meek, and quiet, it’s hard to imagine him the delinquent who, 22 years ago, coaxed us into fighting for our right to party. He’s a man who shook stadiums, starred in classic videos, forefronted New York rap for over two decades, and is now establishing himself as a filmmaker to be reckoned with. Yauch is here to discuss his first major Beastie Boys-less project—the precise yet goofy documentary Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot, about eight elite high school basketball players and the lead-up to an all-star game in Harlem’s hallowed playground, Rucker Park.

Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys has taken time off from saving Tibet to direct a movie. His documentary Gunnin' For That #1 Spot follows eight of the nation's top high school basketball players as they dribble in the "Elite 24" all-star game in Harlem's Rucker Park. It was chosen earlier this week to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival as a spotlight film. Yauch's past credits have included the concert documentary Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That! as well as numerous Beastie music videos under the moniker "Nathaniel Hörnblowér."