Beastie Boys’ Mike D to auction off his MTV trophies for charity

Photo Credit: Fabio Venni / CC by 2.0

Beastie Boys’ Mike D is auctioning off some of his memorabilia to benefit children’s charities.

Auction items include his MTV Video Music Award trophies and various platinum selling plaques. According to an Instagram post announcing the Sotheby’s auction, the rapper’s mother had the items, but she died last year.

“I never felt comfortable holding on to or looking at these awards / accolades that we’ve gotten over the years,” he told his fans in the post. All proceeds from the auction will benefit the Good Eats Program, which provides meals to food insecure children.

Mike D’s mother, Hester Diamond, also had an extensive art collection that was sold at auction last year.

Hester passed away last year at the age of 91. Her son David Diamond confirmed that metastatic breast cancer was the cause of death. Here’s the full Instagram post from Mike D announcing the charity auction.

“What happens? This feels a bit strange to post, but at the same time, it would feel bad not to let everyone know. I never felt comfortable holding onto or looking at these awards / accolades that we have earned over the years. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate them; it’s just not something you should look at.

“Anyway, I would give them to my mom every time they came, and she was very happy to have them. Sadly, she died last year. She was an amazing woman, but that’s another story. So we are selling some of the things that he had. I know shit is expensive and you may have little or no interest. And that’s okay, ”Mike D told his fans.

The Beastie Boys are well known for their charity work, so it comes as no surprise to fans. Mike D has supported some of the other charities in the past, including ASPCA, Food Bank for NYC, Habitat for Humanity, Live Earth, Rational Animal, The Lunchbox Fund, and Tibet House US.

The remaining Beastie Boys performed at a benefit concert in Manhattan to raise funds for both the ASPCA and Rational Animal. Tickets for the event sold for up to $ 875, with all proceeds going to charity. The group also licensed one of their songs for an ad campaign for Joe Biden’s presidential race, the second time the group broke their promise not to license their music for publicity.

That announcement focused on how the COVID-19 shutdowns have nearly destroyed the live music industry. He focused on a club in Ann Arbor, Michigan that is closed. The club’s owner blamed then-President Trump’s response to the pandemic. “Sabotage” by the Beastie Boys played in the background.

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