Rick Rubin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rick Rubin
Background information
Birth name	Frederick Jay Rubin
Born	March 10, 1963 (age 44) Long Island, New York, USA
Occupation(s)	Record producer
Years active	1982 - Present

Frederick Jay Rubin (born March 10, 1963 in Lido Beach, New York) is a multiple Grammy Award-winning American record producer best known for his work with rap and heavy metal, as well as the "American series" albums with Johnny Cash. Rubin was a major figure in the fusion of rap and hard rock, having brought together Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith for the hit song "Walk This Way". Rubin was a major figure in the fusion of rap and heavy metal into alternative metal, nu metal and other forms. MTV called him "the most important producer of the last 20 years."^[1]

In addition to being a producer, he is a musician serving as the original DJ of the Beastie Boys, and a head of a record label, co-founding Def Jam Records with Russell Simmons, and later founding American Recordings.

Contents 1 Def Jam years 2 Def American years 3 American Recordings years 4 Production trademarks 5 List of albums produced 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Def Jam years

While a student at Long Beach High School he befriended the school's AV Director Steve Freeman. Mr. Freeman gave him a few lessons in guitar playing and songwriting and helped him create a punk band called "The Pricks". During his senior year Rubin founded Def Jam records using the school's four track recorder. Moving on to New York University he played guitar in a New York University art-punk band called "Hose", influenced by San Francisco's Flipper. In 1982, Hose became Def Jam release #1, a 45-rpm 7" vinyl single in a brown paper bag, and no label. The band played in and around the NYC punk scene, toured the Midwest and California, and played with seminal punk bands like the Meat Puppets, Hüsker Dü, the Circle Jerks and the Butthole Surfers. The band broke up in 1986 as Rubin's passion moved towards the NYC Hip Hop scene.

Having befriended Zulu Nation's DJ Jazzy Jay, Rubin began to learn about hip hop production. By 1983, the two men produced "It's Yours" for rapper T La Rock, and released it on their independent label, Def Jam Records. Producer Arthur Baker helped to distribute the record worldwide on Baker's Streetwise Records in 1984.

Jazzy Jay introduced Rubin to concert promoter/artist manager Russell Simmons in a club, and Rubin explained he needed help getting Def Jam off the ground. Simmons and Rubin edged out Jazzy Jay and the official Def Jam record label was founded while Rubin was still attending New York University in 1984. Their first record released was LL Cool J's "I Need a Beat". Rubin went on to find more hip-hop acts outside The Bronx, Brooklyn and Harlem including rappers from Queens, Staten Island and Long Island, which eventually led to Def Jam's signing of Public Enemy. "Rock Hard"/"Party's Gettin' Rough"/"Beastie Groove" EP by the Beastie Boys came out on the success of Rubin's production work with breakthrough act Run-D.M.C.. His productions were characterized by occasionally fusing rap with heavy rock.

It was Rubin's idea to have Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith collaborate on a cover of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" in 1985, a production credited with both introducing rap-hard rock (sometimes called rapcore) to mainstream ears and revitalizing Aerosmith's career.

[edit] Def American years

In 1988, Simmons and Rubin went their separate ways, partly due to a power struggle that Rubin lost with Def Jam president Lyor Cohen. Simmons stayed in New York with Def Jam, and Rubin left for Los Angeles, California, where he created Def American Records. In Los Angeles, he signed a number of heavy rock acts, including Slayer, Danzig, Masters of Reality, and Wolfsbane, as well as the indie rockers The Jesus and Mary Chain and controversial stand up comedian Andrew Dice Clay. Rubin also produced the Red Hot Chili Peppers' breakthrough album Blood Sugar Sex Magik. He retained a close association with rap, signing the Geto Boys and continuing to work with Public Enemy, LL Cool J and Run-DMC among others.

[edit] American Recordings years

Rubin originally had given his label the name "Def Jam". The term "def" in African American Vernacular English was a term used in the hip hop community at the time to mean "great". The word "Jam" in urban culture is slang for a song or musical composition that is well liked for its attractive rhythm and dance appeal. By 10 years later, Rubin found that the word "def" had been accepted into the standardized dictionary; in 1993, Rubin held an actual funeral, complete with a casket and a grave, for the word "def".^{[citation needed]} Def American became American Recordings.

The first major project on the renamed label was Johnny Cash's American Recordings (1994), a record including nine cover versions. The album helped revive Cash's career following a fallow period. The formula was repeated for four more Cash albums: Unchained, Solitary Man, The Man Comes Around (the last album released before Cash's death), and A Hundred Highways. The Man Comes Around earned a 2003 Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance ("Give My Love to Rose") and a nomination for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals ("Bridge Over Troubled Water" with Fiona Apple). Rubin introduced Cash to Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt", and the resulting cover of it on The Man Comes Around would become the defining song of Cash's later years.

Rubin produced a number of records with other older artists, including Mick Jagger's 1993 Wandering Spirit album, Tom Petty's 1994 Wildflowers, and Donovan's 1996 Sutras.

In 2007, Rubin won the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical for his work with The Dixie Chicks, Justin Timberlake, Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, and Johnny Cash released in 2006.^[2]

Rick Rubin, a devout Buddhist who was born Jewish, was asked to be co-chairman of Columbia Records.

[edit] Production trademarks

Rubin's biggest trademark as a producer has been a "stripped-down" sound, that involves eliminating cliché production elements such as string sections, backup vocals, reverb, and instead having naked vocals and bare instrumentation. However, by the 2000s, Rubin style had been known to include such elements, as noted in the Washington Post: "As the track reaches a crescendo and Diamond's portentous baritone soars over a swelling string arrangement, Rubin leans back, as though floored by the emotional power of the song".^[3]

His previous style began with his very first production effort, LL Cool J's Radio, which consisted of little more than rapping and percussive beats (the liner notes credit for the album read "Reduced by Rick Rubin" rather than the usual "Produced by Rick Rubin"). He later gained a reputation for being able to restore the careers of veteran singers and bands, as somebody who could help them break out of the commercial rut they were currently in. He did this most notably with Johnny Cash, achieving this with Tom Petty, AC/DC (on the album Ballbreaker) and Neil Diamond (on 12 Songs) as well.

On the subject of his production methods; Dan Charnas, a music journalist who worked as vice president of A&R and marketing at Rubin's American Recordings label in the 1990s, said "He's fantastic with sound and arrangements, and he's tremendous with artists. They love him. He shows them how to make it better, and he gets more honest and exciting performances out of people than anyone."^[3]

Rubin pioneered the fusion of rap and hard rock/heavy metal in his work with Run-D.M.C. and the Beastie Boys. Later examples of his rap-rock fusion were Jay-Z's 2003 song "99 Problems" and Lil' Jon's 2004 song "Don't Fuck With Me". The latter sampled Slayer's "Mandatory Suicide" and "Reign in Blood", both originally produced by Rubin.

Another trademark has been having artists cover songs where the covering band's style is different from the original version of the song. Rubin produced Slayer's cover of Iron Butterfly's "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", executive-produced the Black Crowes' career-launching cover of Otis Redding's "Hard To Handle", and produced Rage Against the Machine's 2000 covers album, Renegades. He also united the members of the band Audioslave and produced their first two albums, Audioslave and Out Of Exile.

[edit] List of albums produced

• 1985: Radio - LL Cool J
• 1986: Licensed to Ill - Beastie Boys
• 1986: Raising Hell - Run-D.M.C.
• 1986: Reign in Blood - Slayer
• 1987: Electric - The Cult
• 1988: Danzig - Danzig
• 1988: Tougher Than Leather - Run-D.M.C.
• 1988: South of Heaven - Slayer
• 1988: Masters of Reality - Masters of Reality
• 1989: Dice - Andrew Dice Clay
• 1989: Live Fast, Die Fast - Wolfsbane
• 1990: Trouble - Trouble
• 1990: Danzig II: Lucifuge - Danzig
• 1990: Seasons in the Abyss - Slayer
• 1991: Nobody Said It Was Easy - The Four Horsemen
• 1991: Manic Frustration - Trouble
• 1991: Decade of Aggression - Slayer
• 1991: Blood Sugar Sex Magik - Red Hot Chili Peppers
• 1992: Danzig III: How the Gods Kill - Danzig
• 1992: King King - Red Devils
• 1993: Thrall: Demonsweatlive - Danzig
• 1993: Wandering Spirit - Mick Jagger
• 1993: 21st Century Jesus - Messiah
• 1994: Danzig 4 - Danzig
• 1994: American Recordings - Johnny Cash
• 1994: Divine Intervention - Slayer
• 1994: Wildflowers - Tom Petty
• 1995: One Hot Minute - Red Hot Chili Peppers
• 1995: Ballbreaker - AC/DC
• 1995: God Lives Underwater - God Lives Underwater
• 1995: Empty - God Lives Underwater
• 1996: Songs and Music from "She's the One" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
• 1996: Unchained - Johnny Cash
• 1996: Undisputed Attitude - Slayer
• 1996: Sutras - Donovan
• 1998: "Let Me Give the World to You" - The Smashing Pumpkins (an unreleased song)
• 1998: Northern Star - Melanie C ("Suddenly Monday" and "Ga Ga")
• 1998: VH1 Storytellers - Johnny Cash & Willie Nelson
• 1998: Diabolus in Musica - Slayer
• 1998: System of a Down - System of a Down
• 1998: Chef Aid: The South Park Album - South Park
• 1999: Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers
• 1999: Echo - Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
• 1999: Loud Rocks - V/A ("Shame" by System of a Down and Wu-Tang Clan, "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nothing Ta Fuck Wit" Tom Morello, Chad Smith and Wu-Tang Clan)
• 1999: The Globe Sessions - Sheryl Crow ("Sweet Child O'Mine")
• 2000: American III: Solitary Man - Johnny Cash
• 2000: Paloalto - Paloalto
• 2000: Renegades - Rage Against the Machine
• 2001: Amethyst Rock Star - Saul Williams
• 2001: The War of Art - American Head Charge
• 2001: Breath of the Heart - Krishna Das
• 2001: The Final Studio Recordings - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
• 2001: Toxicity - System of a Down
• 2002: American IV: The Man Comes Around - Johnny Cash
• 2002: By The Way - Red Hot Chili Peppers
• 2002: Audioslave - Audioslave
• 2002: Steal This Album! - System of a Down
• 2003: Results May Vary - Limp Bizkit (with Terry Date and Jordan Schur)
• 2003: Unearthed - Johnny Cash
• 2003: Door of Faith - Krishna Das
• 2003: De-Loused in the Comatorium - The Mars Volta (with Omar Rodriguez-Lopez)
• 2003: The Black Album - Jay-Z ("99 Problems")
• 2003: Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium - Rage Against the Machine
• 2003: Heroes and Villains - Paloalto
• 2004: Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses) - Slipknot
• 2004: Armed Love - The (International) Noise Conspiracy
• 2004: Crunk Juice - Lil' Jon and the East Side Boyz ("Stop Fuckin' Wit Me")
• 2005: Make Believe - Weezer
• 2005: Fijación Oral Vol. 1 - Shakira
• 2005: Oral Fixation Vol. 2 - Shakira
• 2005: Out of Exile - Audioslave
• 2005: Mezmerize - System of a Down
• 2005: Hypnotize - System of a Down
• 2005: 12 Songs - Neil Diamond
• 2006: Christ Illusion - Slayer
• 2006: Stadium Arcadium - Red Hot Chili Peppers
• 2006: Taking the Long Way - Dixie Chicks
• 2006: American V: A Hundred Highways - Johnny Cash
• 2006: FutureSex/LoveSounds - Justin Timberlake ("(Another Song) All Over Again")
• 2006: The Saints are Coming - U2 and Green Day
• 2007: Untitled new album - The (International) Noise Conspiracy
• 2007: Minutes To Midnight - Linkin Park
• 2007: Metallica's ninth studio album - Metallica
• 2007: Untitled - U2
• 2007: American VI - Johnny Cash
• 2007: Heroes and Thieves - Vanessa Carlton (with Irv Gotti, 7 Aurelius and Stephan Jenkins)
• 2007: Dancing for the Death of an Imaginary Enemy" - Ours
• 2007: Untitled - Weezer
• 2007: "Better Than I've Ever Been" - Kanye West, Nas, KRS-One
• 2007: "Untitled" - Kid Rock

[edit] See also

• Def Jam Records
• American Recordings

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Rick Rubin at the Internet Movie Database
• Originally from Mix Magazine
• USA Today article on Rubin
• LA Times article on Rubin
• NY Times article on Rubin

Persondata
NAME	Rubin, Frederick Jay
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Rubin, Rick
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Producer for American Recordings
DATE OF BIRTH	March 10, 1963
PLACE OF BIRTH	Long Island, New York, USA
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH