Rick Rubin

Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin (born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer and former co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin is the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings. With the Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, and Run–D.M.C., Rubin helped popularize hip hop music. Rubin has also worked with artists such as Coheed And Cambria, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kanye West, Lady Gaga, The Black Crowes, Slayer, Jay Z, Jake Bugg, James Blake, Danzig, Dixie Chicks, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Black Sabbath, Slipknot, Metallica, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Weezer, Linkin Park, The Cult, At The Drive-In, Neil Diamond, The Avett Brothers, Adele, Joe Strummer, Mick Jagger, System of a Down, The Mars Volta, Rage Against the Machine, Melanie C, Audioslave, Sheryl Crow, ZZ Top, Jakob Dylan, Lana Del Rey, Justin Timberlake, Shakira, Ed Sheeran, Damien Rice, Eminem, Frank Ocean, Gogol Bordello, Type O Negative and The Four Horsemen. In 2007, MTV called him "the most important producer of the last 20 years", and the same year Rubin appeared on Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World. He financially supported Jim Cornette's Smoky Mountain Wrestling from 1991 to 1995. 2Early life Frederick Jay Rubin was born in Long Beach, New York and grew up in Lido Beach, New York. His father, Michael (Mickey) was a shoe wholesaler and his mother, Linda, a housewife. He is of Jewish descent. While a student at Long Beach High School he befriended the school's audiovisual department director Steve Freeman who gave him a few lessons in guitar playing and songwritin