Rick Rubin

Infobox Musical artist


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Name = Rick Rubin


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Background = non_performing_personnel
Birth_name = Frederick Jay Rubin
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1963|3|10
Long Island, New York, United States
Occupation = Record producer
Years_active = 1982–present
Label = Def Jam/Columbia, American Recordings, Warner Bros., Epic
Associated_acts = Hose, Beastie Boys, Metallica
URL =
Notable_instruments =

Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin (born March 10 1963 in Lido Beach, New York) is an American record producer and is currently the co-head of Columbia Records. He is given credit for merging rap and heavy metal as well as producing the "American series" albums with Johnny Cash. MTV called him "the most important producer of the last 20 years." [http://www.mtv.com/bands/r/rubin_rick/news_feature_040503/ What's Up With That Bearded Guy From The '99 Problems' Video?] – MTV.com]

Rubin 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. In 2007, Rubin was listed among Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World.

Career

Def Jam years

Rubin has Jewish roots and grew up in Lido Beach, New York. His father was a shoe wholesaler and his mother a housewife.Lynn Hirschberg, [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/02/magazine/02rubin.t.html "The Music Man"] , "The New York Times Magazine", September 2, 2007.] While a student at Long Beach High School he befriended the school's AV Director Steve Freeman who gave him a few lessons in guitar playing and songwriting and helped him create a punk band called "The Pricks". At school, Rubin was unpopular among the other musicians. 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 an 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 1986, a production credited with both introducing rap-hard rock to mainstream ears and revitalizing Aerosmith. In 1986 he worked with Aerosmith again on demos for their forthcoming album, but their collaboration ended early and resulted in only rough studio jams.

Rubin is credited as "Music Supervisor" in the movie "Less Than Zero" and is the producer of its soundtrack.

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 alternative rock group 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.

American Recordings years

Rubin originally had given his label the name "Def Jam". 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. Nine 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". Def American became American Recordings.

The first major project on the renamed label was Johnny Cash's "American Recordings" (1994), a record including six cover versions. The album helped revive Cash's career following a fallow period. The formula was repeated for four more Cash albums: "Unchained", ', ' (the last album released before Cash's death), and "". "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".

Columbia Years

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, Green Day, and Johnny Cash released in 2006.cite web
title= Rick Rubin: Hit Man
author= TYRANGIEL, Josh
publisher= Time Magazine
date= 2007-02-08
url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1587248,00.html
accessdate= 2007-02-25]

Production trademarks

Rubin's biggest trademark as a producer has been a "stripped-down" sound, that involves eliminating production elements such as string sections, backup vocals, and reverb, and instead having naked vocals and bare instrumentation. However, by the 2000s, Rubin's 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". [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/13/AR2006011300414_pf.html The 'Song Doctor' Is In] – Washington Post] Another form of stripping down the sound of an album would be Rick Rubin's suggestions to have 'Gapless Albums' which are albums with songs that segue into each other, such as "Minutes To Midnight" by Linkin Park, "South of Heaven" by Slayer, and "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

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 and Neil Diamond (on "12 Songs") also on Metallica's Death Magnetic 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."

Rubin pioneered the fusion of rap and rock in his work with Run-D.M.C., the Beastie Boys, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Later examples of his rap-rock fusion were Jay-Z's 2003 song "99 Problems" and Lil' Jon's 2004 song "Stop Fuckin Wit Me". The latter sampled Slayer's "Mandatory Suicide" and "Raining Blood", both originally produced by Rubin. He also co-produced Linkin Park's latest album "Minutes to Midnight".In 2008, he produced Metallica's album Death Magnetic, which was released on September 12.

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", and produced Rage Against the Machine's 2000 covers album, "Renegades". He presented the song "Hurt" to Johnny Cash originally recorded by Nine Inch Nails.

Awards

Rubin has won 7 Grammy Awards

1998:
*Best Country Album - Unchained, Johnny Cash

2006:
* Latin Album of the Year Rock/Alternative - Fijacion Oral Vol. 1, Shakira

2007:
*Record of the Year - Not Ready to Make Nice, Dixie Chicks
*Album of the Year - Taking the Long Way, Dixie Chicks
*Best Rock Album - Stadium Arcadium, Red Hot Chili Peppers
*Best Country Album - Taking the Long Way, Dixie Chicks
*Producer of the Year, Non-Classical

List of albums produced

*1985: "Radio" – LL Cool J
*1986: "Licensed to Ill" – Beastie Boys
*1986: "Raising Hell" – Run-DMC
*1986: "Reign in Blood" – Slayer
*1987: "Electric" – The Cult
*1987: "Yo! Bum Rush the Show" - Public Enemy
*1988: "Danzig" – Danzig
*1988: "Tougher Than Leather" – Run-DMC
*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
*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
*1992: "King King" – The Red Devils
*1993: "" – 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" [EP] – 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: "Don't Call me Barry" – Hermann and the Hermits
*1996: "Sutras" – Donovan
*1998: "Let Me Give the World to You" – The Smashing Pumpkins (an unreleased song)
*1998: "" – Johnny Cash & Willie Nelson
*1998: "Diabolus in Musica" – Slayer
*1998: "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" – Lucinda Williams (mix only)
*1998: "System of a Down" – System of a Down
*1998: "Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts " – Kula Shaker ("Sound of Drums")
*1998: "" – South Park
*1999: "Northern Star" – Melanie C ("Suddenly Monday" and "Ga Ga")
*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: "" – 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: "" – 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' With 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: "Stadium Arcadium" – Red Hot Chili Peppers
*2006: "Taking the Long Way" – Dixie Chicks
*2006: "" – Johnny Cash
*2006: "FutureSex/LoveSounds" – Justin Timberlake ("(Another Song) All Over Again")
*2006: "The Saints are Coming" – U2 and Green Day (single)
*2006: "Window in the Skies" – U2 (single)
*2007: "Heroes and Thieves" – Vanessa Carlton (with Irv Gotti, 7 Aurelius and Stephan Jenkins)
*2007: "Luna Halo" – Luna Halo
*2007: "Better Than I've Ever Been" – Kanye West, Nas, KRS-One (single)
*2007: "Minutes to Midnight" – Linkin Park
*2007: "Free Life" – Dan Wilson
*2008: "The Cross Of My Calling" – The (International) Noise Conspiracy
*2008: "Live from Liverpool" - The Gossip
*2008: "Weezer" – Weezer
*2008: "Home Before Dark" – Neil Diamond
*2008: "Dancing for the Death of an Imaginary Enemy" - Ours
*2008: "Seeing Things" – Jakob Dylan
*2008: "Death Magnetic" – Metallica
*2008: untitled – Slayer
*2008/2009: untitled – ZZTop
*2009: untitled – The Avett Brothers [http://www.theavettbrothers.com/site.php?em387=191185_-1__0_~0_-1_7_2008_0_0 The Avett Brothers announce to release under American Records] ]

ee also

*Def Jam Records
*American Recordings
*Ian Mc Records

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0005391|name=Rick Rubin
* [http://www.digitalprosound.com/Features/Interviews-Discuss/RickRubin.htm Originally from Mix Magazine]
* [http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2006-07-06-rubin-main_x.htm USA Today article on Rubin]
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A06E5D6123FF936A35751C0A9619C8B63 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=