When the Beastie Boys’ MCA (born Adam Yauch) announced that he had cancer back in 2009, I and… When the Beastie Boys’ MCA (born Adam Yauch) announced that he had cancer back in 2009, I and many other fans seriously worried that the pioneering hip-hop trio had seen its last days. Now, with MCA’s hopeful medical prognosis and a series of singles from the group to back it up, the Beastie Boys might be on the verge of another revolution.

Along with Mike D (Michael Diamond) and Ad-Rock (Adam Horovitz), MCA has released a new video that serves to remind the world that the Beastie Boys are three of the greatest entertainers to carry the hip-hop banner.

Officially a video for the single “Make Some Noise” and also a trailer for a 22-minute short film entitled “Fight for Your Right Revisited,” the footage is an impressive expression of the trio’s attitude.

Featuring actors Seth Rogen, Danny McBride and Elijah Wood as the “Fight for Your Right to Party”-era Beastie Boys, the three raise hell throughout New York to the annoyance of everyone from Ted Danson to Kirsten Dunst and Orlando Bloom.

While miming the real Beastie Boys’ lyrics to the camera, Rogen, Wood and McBride go beyond the attitude of those early videos to harness the power of the group as a whole while maintaining their own unique charms.

When the video ends, the three younger Beastie Boys aren’t taking on the real Beasties, but rather a more contemporary version of the group, played by John C. Reilly, Will Ferrell and Jack Black.

“Make Some Noise,” the song in the background, is one of the Beasties’ best, replete with a pulsing bass line, catchy verses and a hook that sizzles with its minor-key flavor.

It’s not hard to forget that the Beastie Boys started out as a hardcore punk group, but in their constant subversion of culture they’ve extended that punk ethos with one or two tracks always hinting toward that past.

One of the first musical releases from Hot Sauce Committee, Part 2 — which they jokingly named due to the continued postponement of part 1 —  was “Lee Majors Come Again,” a track that reminds us of those punk roots just as much as “Tough Guy” from Ill Communication, as it fuses the diverse elements and genres that are the Beastie Boys’ trademark.

This diversity in sound was also present in the album’s first single, a collaboration with Queens’ MC Nas titled “Too Many Rappers.” Over a heavy drum beat, the lyricists reflect upon both themselves, Nas and the history of the genre, inverting the classic Nas lyric, “I never sleep / ’cause sleep is the cousin of death,” with the line “I never die / cause death is the cousin of sleep.”

The Beastie Boys have always done things a little differently when it comes to hip-hop — just look at the classic rock samples on “Rhymin’ & Stealin’” from License to Ill — but despite their distinctive style and delivery, they’ve always existed in very much the same world as other New York DJs. Although it’s strange to hear someone perform in such a different style on a Beastie Boys track, it’s refreshing to know that any two greats can exist in the same universe.

Hot Sauce Committee, Part 2 is set to go on sale May 3, but until then there’s plenty of Beastie Boys material to whet your palate. From 1986’s party-crashing License to Ill — an early Rick Rubin production — to 2005’s Grammy Award-winning instrumental LP The Mix-Up, the group’s seven albums represent not just the musical evolution of 20 years in hip-hop, but a cultural evolution as well. The Boys grew into men while everyone was watching.