Beastie Boys were an American hip-hop trio from New York City, United States: Brooklyn and Manhattan. Originally formed as a four-piece hardcore punk band, The Young Aborigines, in 1978 by Michael Diamond (vocals), John Berry (guitar; died May 2016), Adam Yauch (bass) and Kate Schellenbach (drums), for the majority of its career the group consisted of Mike D (real name Michael Diamond), Ad-Rock (Adam Horovitz) and, until his death in May 2012, MCA (Adam Yauch).