Rapper Yauch makes transition into film

NEW YORK, June 22 (UPI) -- U.S. rapper Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys says his new documentary is based on his interest in the world of basketball.

Yauch, who has enjoyed great musical success with fellow Beastie stars Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz, says his movie, "Gunnin' for That #1 Spot," revolves around a basketball game for high-school all-stars, the New York Daily News reported Sunday.

"My friend Chris Stone was organizing the game, the Elite 24. He was psyched to bring them to New York. A lot of them never had been to a big city. I started offering up ideas about how to document it," he said of the film, which is to be released Friday. "The more we talked, the more I felt like it could be a documentary."

Yauch said the movie, which played at this year's Sundance Film Festival, shows the motivations that drive young basketball players in the United States.

The music star told the Daily News creating the documentary, the second on his resume, was a nice change of pace.

"I've been playing music a long time," he said. "It's interesting to try door No. 2."