Def Jam, Inc. : Russell Simmons, Rick Rubin, and the Extraordinary Story of the World's Most Influential Hip-Hop Label

by Stacy Gueraseva, Brett Ratner (Introduction)

In the early ‘80s, the music industry wrote off hip-hop as a passing fad. Few could or would have predicted that the improvised raps and raw beats busting out of New York City’s urban underclass would one day become a multimillion-dollar business and one of music’s most lucrative genres.

Among those few were two Russell Simmons, a young black man from Hollis, Queens, and Rick Rubin, a Jewish kid from Long Island. Though the two came from different backgrounds, their all-consuming passion for hip-hop brought them together. Soon they would revolutionize the music industry with their groundbreaking label, Def Jam Records.

Def Jam, Inc. traces the company’s incredible rise from the NYU dorm room of nineteen-year-old Rubin (where LL Cool J was discovered on a demo tape) to the powerhouse it is today; from financial struggles and scandals–including The Beastie Boys’s departure from the label and Rubin’s and Simmons’s eventual parting–to revealing anecdotes about artists like Slick Rick, Public Enemy, Foxy Brown, Jay-Z, and DMX.

Stacy Gueraseva, former editor in chief of Russell Simmons’s magazine, Oneworld, had access to the biggest players on the scene, and brings you real conversations and a behind-the-scenes look from a decade–and a company–that turned the music world upside down. She takes you back to New York in the ‘80s, when late-night spots such as Danceteria and Nell’s were burning with young, fresh rappers, and Simmons and Rubin had nothing but a hunch that they were on to something huge.

Far more than just a biography of the two men who made it happen, Def Jam, Inc. is a journey into the world of rap itself. Both an intriguing business history as well as a gritty narrative, here is the definitive book on Def Jam–a must read for any fan of hip-hop as well as all popular-culture junkies.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History, Business, Audiobook, Hip Hop

352 pages, Hardcover

First published July 26, 2005

Reviews

[Che · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this collection of stories and perspectives that helped to form the big Def Jam picture. I'd heard about how Rick Rubin started the company in his dorm room, but this book helps you feel like his roommate.

The last few years of the book seemed to just rush by in comparison to the extensive details shared about the company's creation. I learned a lot about Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons -- including details about Russell's not-always-hidden-drug use. Rick Rubin falls out of the story, but, that falls in harmony with how he "fell" out of the company. I feel this book was very thorough and I'm glad I got an opportunity to enjoy it.

Specific to the audiobook: I'll add that the reader/performer, Kevin R. Free, was animated and entertaining. However, there were times when it became very obvious that he was not a fan. The way he mentioned artist names, or song titles, I could immediately tell that he wasn't a fan of that music/artist. It was never enough to turn you off. But, you can tell when someone extends a joy, personally, and when a person extends a perceived joy professionally. I always heard that shift in his voice. But overall, I enjoyed his reading.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining and insightful book about something that used to mean so much to me--I mean, just remember how you'd snatch up anything that had that famous Def Jam label? And finally, someone gives Rick Rubin his due!

[melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

i loved this book as I worked with Russell and Lyor in the late 80's early 90's...and exciting time in the development of hip hop and the business its become

[William J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first third of this story is compelling, and incredibly interesting to fans of hip-hop, rap or music culture in general. Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons are visionaries. They were able to cultivate hip-hop into the worldwide presence it is today - no easy feat considering that much of radio refused to play the music through the start of the 1990's.

The problem with Gueraseva's book is the middle third, and more importantly, the final third. Rubin and Simmons, being the artists and trendsetters that they are, eventually lose interest in Def Jam and its music. They move on to become some of the most influential music producers (Rubin)and entertainment moguls (Simmons) of their time.

And Def Jam, and we, the readers, are left with gifted businessman Lyor Cohen. While I respect Cohen's accomplishments and contributions to artist management and cultivation, I did not read this book to learn about him. I was drawn by the mystique of a record label that began in an NYU dorm room. A label that brought hip-hop to the masses, with a (mostly) uncompromising attitude and vision. I understand that Rubin and Simmons would not have kept Def Jam afloat without a savvy, aggressive fighter like Cohen. But when the focus of the book narrows to him, and it becomes apparent that by the mid 1990's hip-hop has ALREADY dropped onto the whole of planet earth, the story loses its fervent excitement and sense of "newness."

When reading about Rubin and Simmons, it almost didn't matter to me if they would have failed in the end. They are just so damn cool. You know - one of those "journey but not the destination" kind of tales.

[Shannon Mitrovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved learning all about Def Jams start and the artists who came up with them. If you even like Hip Hop a tad you should check this out. I do wish they would have spoken about the Biggie/Tupac war though. Simmons and Rubin completely earned their millions and my love for LL continues. I laughed so loudly when I heard Beastie Boys first tour was opening up for Madonna's Virgin Tour.

[RK Byers · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's funny how much of this you remember as an outsider if you're a Hip Hop fan.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-researched history of Def Jam and its founders. The audio recording was ok, I was hoping for some audio tracks or, at the very least, a performer who didn't sound like he was talking about hip-hop for the first time in his life. It may not sound like much, but it's distracting to hear someone continuously pronouncing Rza "Are-Zee-Aye". And then take that same guy and have hime read quotes from hip-hop artists. It just doesn't fit.

But, as I said, the book itself is wonderful.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never thought I'd been interested in such a story but it really was an interesting story.

[Tye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book. Enjoyed hearing about the behind the scenes of how Russel Simmons built his business and how he impacted a lot of other groups success.

[Matthew Gibb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a chronology of DefJam since it's inception up until the 90's.As a fan of both the label and it's 4 initial groups:RUNDMC,LLKoolJ, The Beastie Boys and Public Enemy in the 80's this was very entertaining and informative. For a time both Rick Rubin and Russel Simmons married rock and hip hop. Later this dynamic duo split up and the label was transferred to Jay Z. I hadnt realized the role of Lyor Cohen as a kind of enforcer of discipline after Rubin left. They managed to poach Warren G from the east coast and such 90's acts like Redman and Boss are said to have revived the label,but this wasnt as original as the raw 80's vibe. DMX for sure was hype,but sadly like Biggie and Tupac, he died far too young. While this was interesting, I felt this book wasnt as good as a title with nearly the same name and both Rick and Russell's photos on the cover. These guys built Hip Hop and Diddy simply made it more pop by plagierizing other pop hits. Even Biggie's best came from a song called Juicy Fruit by Mtume.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, warts and all, gossipy look at the history of the Def Jam label, and it's especially fun to read when the subject is the early days and the Rick Rubin/Russell Simmons days. There are so many great behind the scenes stories about RUN-DMC, The Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Slick Rick, Redman, and Method Man to name but a few, and those golden days of rap shine through these pages. This one is strictly for the heads, and probably the old heads at that, but anyone who wants to know what building a stable of artists was like in an era before our current shitty algorithm ruined everything will learn a great deal reading this book.

[Chris Foley · Rating 3 out of 5]

6.8/10

Good start, okay middle, but the story sort of trailed off towards the end.

What I liked most of this book was how Rick Rubin and Russel Simmons came to be, how they met, how they formed Def Jam.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was great, once I got going I could not put it down. I consider myself a hip-hop head but I learned a lot of facts and anecdotes about the early Def Jam years that I never knew.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Def Jam is a fascinating one, but I'm not sure that this is a great telling of it. The book focuses mostly on the business side of things, and maybe that's how the story of a record label needs to unfold, but I would have liked to read more about the culture and, above all, the music. There is a lot of good stuff here, to be sure-- especially about the early, Rick Rubin days-- and I do recommend it to hip-hop enthusiasts, but, for the straight dope, you might just get the terrific Def Jam 10th Anniversary Box set and hear the story unfold for yourself.