Rick Rubin

Rick Rubin is an American record producer and label founder who started Def Jam Recordings with Russell Simmons and later set up American Recordings. He grew up in Lido Beach, New York, and formed the punk band Hose before turning to hip-hop, producing early records for Run-DMC, the Beastie Boys and LL Cool J that helped popularize the genre. He went on to produce Slayer's Reign in Blood, the Cult's Electric, and Johnny Cash's American Recordings, which revived Cash's career. He also had a screen presence, playing a version of himself in the 1985 hip-hop film Krush Groove and directing and co-writing Tougher Than Leather in 1988, and he worked as music supervisor for Less than Zero. MTV named him the most important producer of the previous 20 years, and he won Grammys for Producer of the Year and Album of the Year. He entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2026.