LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 11: Record Producer Rick Rubin arrives at the Recording Academy Producers and Engineers Wing Presents 9th Annual GRAMMY Week Event Honoring Rick Rubin at The Village Recording Studios on February 11, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Joshua Blanchard/Getty Images)
Rick Rubin is a funny old cat, isn’t he?😁😁😁
Yet Rubin, the greedy little tyke, has at least three if you want to be really spartan about what constitutes a genre and nMost music industry moguls would kill for his level of influence and respect in one genre. early ten if you don’t. This is all despite his having all the star power and charisma of a gas station attendant in rural Iowa, and I wouldn’t put it past him to try to cultivate that persona for himself.
Despite that, the worlds of hip-hop, heavy metal and country music were all forever changed due to his involvement. None of these were the worlds he started out in, either, as Rubin had his own life changed by punk rock. He began his music career by playing guitar for the hardcore punk band Hose, but when that came to an end, he found that the music truly grabbing his attention was coming out of the nascent New York hip-hop scene.
He immersed himself in the culture and decided that somehow, he was going to find a place for himself in this soundscape. Somewhat understandably, he felt like he’d be better off behind the scenes, so, rather than taking up a mic himself, he instead developed his chops as a DJ and producer, with one eye on eventually releasing records by hip-hop artists from the scene. He’d already started Def Jam as a label to release Hose’s records, but it was a far cry from what it would become.
From punk guitarist to hip-hop trailblazer: Rick Rubin’s unlikely beginnings
The first record to make Rubin’s name was ‘It’s Yours’, a collaboration with rapper T La Rock and DJ Jazzy Jay. The latter of whom is reported to have introduced Rubin to a friend of his, Russel Simmons. Simmons’ connections within the music industry allowed them to upgrade Def Jam Records from little more than a vanity label to a genuine, bona fide business. All they needed to certify it as such was a hit.
‘It’s Yours’ was a great ice breaker, one that led to Def Jam getting a number of demo tapes through their door. In a piece he wrote for Variety, Rubin himself details the process of finding the label’s first star signing via their second star signing, who was working for them at the time. “Adam Horovitz from the Beastie Boys would listen to all the tapes that came in, and if he heard anything he liked, he would play it for me”. That’s right, the Beastie Boys began life as Rick Rubin’s interns.
About The Author
