Music

Early in my career, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to write for Grand Royal, also known as the Beastie Boys' magazine — and also the name of their record label. When I heard Adam Yauch had died on Friday, it felt natural to reach out to some of my old friends from the Grand Royal days — and their friends and their friends. So many of us got our start thanks to them. Here are a few of our memories of Adam:

Jason Mraz's 2008 single "I'm Yours" was a multiplatinum global hit. In fact, it set a record by staying on Billboard's Hot 100 chart for 76 weeks — more than any other song in the magazine's 51-year history.

Although Mraz's new record, Love Is a Four Letter Word, was written on the heels of a breakup, the songs are mostly sunny and positive. Mraz says he was more interested in making something relatable than in zeroing in on his own experiences.