Undoubtably one of the most important music producers of the last 30 years‚— Rick Rubin’s career is no short of legendary.
Founding Def Jam Recordings in his NYU dorm room, he would later thrust hip-hop into the mainstream in the late 80s, with a staple of iconic artists like the Beastie Boys and Run-DMC. Today, Rick is a multi–Grammy Award–winning producer for a strew of artists, as diverse as you could probably imagine. Think anywhere from Johnny Cash, to Slayer, Adele, beabadoobee— I could go on.
His means of producing aren’t traditional, in fact they’re unconventional. He doesn’t play any instruments, and he can’t operate a mixing board or use Pro Tools. In fact, during an interview with Esquire Magazine back in 2007, Rick said “I don’t know anything about music. My job has very little to do with music. It has more to do with taste and culture and balance.” What he does do well is listen; perhaps that’s his greatest skill. A keen ear, and the innate ability to know what the listener wants, providing notes on how artists can improve their songs, as well as providing a safe space for them to be creative without the worries of commercial or external pressure.
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Rick Rubin grew up in Long Island, New York in a household where music was always prevalent. While he was initially a fan of bands like AC-DC and Aerosmith, he became infatuated with rap as a teen. The black students at his school were always waiting for the latest scratch record to come out. The way they accepted new music was fascinating to him; how people could be so progressive, that they’d want the newest thing and forget everything that came before. He described it as raw, stating that it felt more personal. “It wasn’t shiny, it wasn’t polished… no one got into hip-hop at that time thinking it was going to be a road to success.”
DJ Jazzy J
While attending NYU, Rick frequented several hip-hop clubs, where he would eventually befriend DJ Jazzy J. The pair made their first track together, with vocals from Jay’s brother T La Rock, titled “It’s Yours” which really took off during the spring of ‘84. Rick would eventually meet Russell Simmons on a night out, who was notable in the scene, at the time managing artists like Curtis Blow and Run-DMC. The two hit it off, bonding over their shared love for many records, and eventually Rick would pitch his idea for Def Jam to Simmons, asking him to be his partner. Hesitant at first, he eventually agreed, Rick borrowed $5000 from his parents and off they went. Their first release under Def Jam was a 12” single of LL Cool J’s “I Need a Beat” at the end of 1984, which went on to sell over 120,000 copies. This along with their second a year later (The Beastie Boys’ “Rock Hard”) did well enough to garner attention and eventually secure the pair a seven-figure distribution deal with Columbia Records, Rick breaking the news to his parents that he was ditching his law degree to pursue music by sending them a photo of his first cheque from Columbia- $600,000.
Having the name Rick Rubin on a record would essentially become a mark of guaranteed quality. He stated that Def Jam were in the music business, as opposed to other labels, he believed were in the banking business. In the case of the Beastie Boys, Rick combined three of his favourite genres, punk, hip-hop and heavy metal, and what resulted was Licensed to Ill becoming the first rap album to go number 1 on the Billboard 200. In 1986, he produced Slayer’s Reign in Blood which is today touted as one of the greatest heavy metal records ever- which Colombia Records refused to release because it was too outrageous. In 1988, Rick had a falling out with then Def Jam president Lyor Cohen, and decided to leave, departing for LA to start Def American Records, while Simmons remained at Def Jam in New York. Though his focus was mainly on rock and metal acts, he’d go on to sign the Geto Boys and continued to work with Public Enemy, LL Cool J, and Run-DMC. In the years that followed, Rick would work with artists like Johnny Cash, Kanye West, Mac Miller and many more.
Run-DMC
His productions encouraged working instinctively, pushing artists to find the inner them- look for what they didn’t know they might be and let it all flow out from there. He reportedly meditated with band members before studio sessions, siting that meditation wipes away the bullshit that comes with making music. He went on to produce six albums with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, bassist Flea has had plenty of praise for Rick over the years. He said that while the Chilis were a great live band, they’d always struggled to channel their energy and on-stage freedom in the studio. But working with Rick, the weird stiffness of recording all went away- it was simple, they just played.
His style has been met with its fair share of criticism though, and since the late 90s, listeners have bashed him for his contribution to a phenomenon known as the loudness war. What’s that you may ask? Essentially a phenomenon siting that music over time has become louder and louder. Obviously, there is a max volume a signal can reach- dynamic range of recorded music is compressed and even clipped to increase loudness during the mastering process. If you want to judge for yourself, check out the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Californication (1999), or even Death Magnetic by Metallica (2008)- both were scrutinised for their digital clipping and over the top compression respectively.
Perhaps his biggest trademark as a producer is his stripped-down approach, which involves the elimination of certain production elements, incorporating things like naked vocals and bare instrumentation. Despite having never worked with Rick, British rock band Muse praised him for his “hands off” approach and credited him as an influence on their first album, The Resistance. “Uprising” from that album was named UK Single of the Year at the Music Producers Guild Awards in 2010, with frontman Matt Bellamy saying “I’d like to thank John Leckie for teaching us how to produce and Rick Rubin for teaching us how not to produce” while accepting the award. Rick often refers to himself as a reducer, instead of a producer.
To get a true sense of his subtractive process, look no further than his own studio: Shangri-La. Now one of the most iconic recording studios in the world, Shangri-La sits in the California hills, surrounded by lush gardens and ocean views. It’s praised for its minimalistic nature, allowing artists to stay connected to the natural world- a stark contrast to other studios. It was built in the mid 70s for Bob Dylan but has since been transformed it into somewhat of an oasis. All the walls are painted white, there are no clocks, no pictures on the wall. No distractions, no clutter- a blank canvas.
Check out the 2019 miniseries Shangri-La, about Rick Rubin’s Shangri-La, here.
