Biography
Rick Rubin, who helped launch the storied Def Jam imprint, ranked among the central architects of hip-hop’s mainstream breakthrough and creative ascent, applying his characteristic rap-metal approach to numerous standout releases from the pre-gangsta period. Frederick Jay Rubin entered the world in 1963 on Long Island, New York; while enrolled at New York University he joined Russell Simmons in 1984 to establish Def Jam. Running operations from Rubin’s dormitory, the pair debuted with the T La Rock and Jazzy Jay single “It’s Yours,” released via Partytime/Streetwise. Columbia signed a distribution agreement with Def Jam in 1985, the same year the label produced its own feature Krush Groove, yet Rubin’s ambitions already reached past rap, as evidenced by his work that year on Reign in Blood for the thrash outfit Slayer.
Two landmark albums that Rubin produced—the Beastie Boys’ Licensed to Ill and Run-D.M.C.’s Raising Hell—helped drive rap’s global explosion in 1986. He also guided Yo! Bum Rush the Show, the first full-length from Public Enemy, widely viewed as one of the genre’s most influential groups, and scored a sizable success with Electric by the British rock band the Cult. Friction soon dissolved the Rubin-Simmons alliance, prompting Rubin to depart and create Def American. Early roster choices reflected his wide-ranging interests, encompassing Slayer, shock comedian Andrew Dice Clay, and the contentious gangsta act the Geto Boys; he stayed connected to his origins by serving as executive producer on Public Enemy’s landmark It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, producing LL Cool J’s Walking with a Panther, and directing the Run-D.M.C. film Tougher Than Leather.
Def American notched one of its strongest commercial successes in 1991 with Sir Mix-A-Lot’s Mack Daddy, propelled by the massive single “Baby Got Back.” Rubin also oversaw the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ breakthrough album Blood Sugar Sex Magik that year. Subsequent credits included Mick Jagger’s Wandering Spirit in 1993; on August 27 of that year he formally removed the “Def” prefix from the label name, staging a traditional New Orleans funeral to mark the retirement of the now-dated term. Rubin produced Johnny Cash’s 1994 comeback record American Recordings and Tom Petty’s Wildflowers, moves that prompted questions about his continued relevance to younger audiences. Those doubts intensified with his next major undertaking, Donovan’s Sutras. By decade’s end American’s prospects looked uncertain: longtime artist Danzig departed, while newer signings such as the Jayhawks and Crown Heights fell short of sales expectations.
Two landmark albums that Rubin produced—the Beastie Boys’ Licensed to Ill and Run-D.M.C.’s Raising Hell—helped drive rap’s global explosion in 1986. He also guided Yo! Bum Rush the Show, the first full-length from Public Enemy, widely viewed as one of the genre’s most influential groups, and scored a sizable success with Electric by the British rock band the Cult. Friction soon dissolved the Rubin-Simmons alliance, prompting Rubin to depart and create Def American. Early roster choices reflected his wide-ranging interests, encompassing Slayer, shock comedian Andrew Dice Clay, and the contentious gangsta act the Geto Boys; he stayed connected to his origins by serving as executive producer on Public Enemy’s landmark It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, producing LL Cool J’s Walking with a Panther, and directing the Run-D.M.C. film Tougher Than Leather.
Def American notched one of its strongest commercial successes in 1991 with Sir Mix-A-Lot’s Mack Daddy, propelled by the massive single “Baby Got Back.” Rubin also oversaw the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ breakthrough album Blood Sugar Sex Magik that year. Subsequent credits included Mick Jagger’s Wandering Spirit in 1993; on August 27 of that year he formally removed the “Def” prefix from the label name, staging a traditional New Orleans funeral to mark the retirement of the now-dated term. Rubin produced Johnny Cash’s 1994 comeback record American Recordings and Tom Petty’s Wildflowers, moves that prompted questions about his continued relevance to younger audiences. Those doubts intensified with his next major undertaking, Donovan’s Sutras. By decade’s end American’s prospects looked uncertain: longtime artist Danzig departed, while newer signings such as the Jayhawks and Crown Heights fell short of sales expectations.
Singles
