Just when you thought the Beastie Boys couldn’t get any more culturally relevant, Adam Yauch, aka MCA, goes and creates his own indie film company. Oscilloscope Pictures, an arm of the Beastie’s recording and production studio Oscilloscope Laboratories, will release independently produced films and documentaries, and provide a home for innovative filmmakers to finish their movies and have them released.

Already an experienced filmmaker credited with numerous award-winning videos and the movie Awesome; I Fuckin’ Shot That! Yauch is now releasing his second feature-length documentary: Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot, on June 27. This time however, Yauch is finally taking credit as director and producer, stepping out from behind the alias of his “good uncle,” Nathanial Hörnblowér.

Gunnin’ features eight of the 24 high school basketball players chosen to participate in the first annual Elite 24 Hoops Classic, which took place in September 2006 at Harlem’s historic Rucker Park. Five of the players have since become national celebs playing for top NCAA programs, most notably Michael Beasley and Kevin Love. The other three are still in high school. When they’re multi-millionaire celebrity athletes, they’ll all have this film to look back on—like a page in time—to remember what life was like before everything changed.

More than just a basketball documentary, the film offers a refreshingly non-cynical look at the world of high school athletes being groomed for NBA superstardom. It’s a fast-paced, feel-good film that can be appreciated even by non-sports fans like myself. The slo-mo replays and kinetic action seen in Yauch’s previous work, combined with the high-energy soundtrack, make this movie explode with emotion, life and just plain fun. You’d expect the soundtrack to be stellar, and with a mix of songs from artists such as Jay-Z, Ludacris, Nas and even the Beach Boys, Yauch doesn’t disappoint.

I caught up with Adam Yauch at Oscilloscope Laboratories in NYC, and in a recent phone interview.

G: Having risen to fame at a young age yourself, what did you think about all the press and recognition the boys received?
A: I didn’t necessarily think it was bad. I suppose if it starts in junior high school, that’s pretty insane, but I think if it starts in high school, especially in their last couple of years in high school, I think it’s not that crazy, you know? I don’t know if I really have the answer, but in my own opinion, it’s not necessarily bad for these guys to be getting recognition and attention. I don’t know that their lives would be happier or easier if they didn’t get any attention.

G: They’re definitely different than any of the guys I went to high school with. They’re sort of adult-like in their focus.

A: Yeah, it’s almost like they’re media-savvy, like they’re aware of the possible consequences of talking shit in an interview—which I didn’t expect. It was like we were interviewing seasoned NBA veterans. You would ask them a question and they would say something like, “Well, both teams played hard.” I kind of expected a lot more just off-the-cuff, trash talking, you know? They weren’t like, “Oh that dude’s a dick! I’m gonna take him out!” (laughs) They definitely were not talking like that!

G: Did you see anything in these guys that would indicate why some would make it and some won’t?
A: I saw things in all of them—there was this drive, like they’re gonna will it to happen somehow, that they’re gonna find a way to just make it work, you know? I don’t know quite how to explain it… (dramatic voice:) “The Eye of the Tiger!” (laughs)

G: Some fans of Nathanial Hörnblowér are a little worried because there’s no mention of him, or his role in your new company. Have you two parted ways?
A: No, no he’s just… he’s been… institutionalized. I don’t know if you’ve heard. He had a bit of a…a drug problem and a drinking problem.

G: Wow. (laughs) Well you covered that up nicely—you always spoke so highly of him.
A: Well, at heart he’s a good guy, even though he does lash out sometimes.

G: Yeah, and he did come up with the ideas for “Star Wars.”
A: Well, he claims that. I may have to ask George Lucas if there’s any truth to that, I don’t know. There’s a lot of wild claims coming from Hörnblowér. (laughs)

G: Any ideas about what your next film will be? Or are you concentrating on the Beastie Boys’ new album?
A: Yeah, we’re recording now, so I’ve got a little time before I can jump into a film project, but there’s a few things I’d like to do. I’d probably be more interested in working on a narrative with a screenplay than jumping into another documentary. I kind of feel I’ve been involved in a bunch of documentaries, and I’m excited about working more on the pre-production and that side. With documentaries, you’ve got to figure it all out in post, but I’m definitely interested in planning it out a little more ahead of time.

G: Has your new film company been inundated with amateurs sending you their ideas?
A: We’re getting some films sent to us to check out, and that’s cool—I like taking a look at movies and trying to figure out what would make sense for us to distribute.

G: That’s pretty great, considering most people in the movie industry are just interested in marketability.
A: That’s what I’ve found. I had talked to a couple of people a while ago about a script I wrote with a friend about graffiti writers in New York, and I kept getting told there was no funding for it because it’s not marketable. What’s the point of putting something out if everyone else is doing it too? I’m interested in movies with creative integrity, just trying to find interesting movies.

Gunnin’ for That #1 Spot hits theaters Friday, June 27th, a day after the NBA Draft. New Yorkers can ch-ch-check it out (come on, I had to!) at:
AMC Empire 25, AMC Magic Johnson Harlem 9, and Loews Village East.

For additional national theaters, visit www.gunninmovie.com