Music would not be where it is now without the legendary Rick Rubin. He has influenced everyone from the Beastie Boys and Tom Petty, to LL Cool J. He’s behind Aerosmith and Run-D.M.C. playing “Walk This Way,” the 1986 gem which you may have heard on the radio. Rick is widely known for his production of numerous musical genres and his ability to hear certain musical patterns and rhythms. He was also one of the first producers to introduce rap music into the recording scene. Overall, he has had an extremely prominent impact on music history.

Rick Rubin was born in 1963 in Lido Island, New York where his interest in music started at a young age and he soon developed a very keen ear. According to Wikimedia Foundation, when he was attending Long Beach High School, he and his friends started a band called “The Pricks,” and together they played at garage concerts and school gigs. Rubin later attended New York University where he studied philosophy and lived in Weinstein Hall Dormitory. It was in this very dorm that he made his first big musical impact when he founded Def Jam Recordings with his new business partner, Russel Simmons. The two met when Simmons was already at work gaining popularity through his brother’s rap group, Run DMC. They soon began work running their recording company. Simmons was five years older than Rubin and also had a large interest in hip hop. Also according to Wikimedia Foundation, with all of his work done out of his dorm room, he produced his first piece, “T La Rock/ Jazzy Jay’s IT’S YOURS.” Overall, his interest in various musical genres led to the diverse producer of music Rubin is popular as today.

As Def Jam Recordings was taking form and gaining popularity, they began to produce more and more music. Some of their earlier, more famous productions came from the legendary band, The Beastie Boys, who are one of the most well known bands from the 80’s era. Def Jam Recordings also produced songs by the band Public Enemy and the American rapper LL Cool J, who were other popular bands of the time. With his success in producing such a diverse assortment of music, Rubin made a name for himself and musicians across the country soon wanted his musical advice. According to Britannica, In 1988, Rubin left Def Jam Recordings and moved to California where he soon started Def American Recordings. He then signed on members of heavy metal acts; bands such as Slayer and Danzig. In 1991, he led the band, Red Hot Chili Peppers to great success with the album “Blood Sugar Sex Magik,” which became an extremely popular album.

Although a lot of us didn’t grow up during the time when some of Rubin’s most influential music was produced and first hit the scene, he has had an importantly lasting impact on the music world. He has influenced music that is popular today by combining unique musical pieces to make popular classics. Throughout the course of his career, Rubin earned eight Grammy Awards including the Grammy Album of the Year Award that he won with the Dixie Chicks as well as Adele. On top of all that, he has won multiple Producer of the Year Awards throughout his career. It’s amazing how he went from producing early hip hop and rap music in his dorm room to becoming a widely known musical producer, producing music from famous growing bands of the time. In conclusion, Rubin has had an extremely successful career as a producer and ultimately has earned the title of a music guru.