10 Reasons Why Rick Rubin Is So Legendary

It's #DefJam30, and this co-founder is still a go-to guy.

Rick Rubin - Def Jam co-founder Rick Rubin reminded everyone of his influence this year. The hip hop/rock icon assisted Eminem on the lead single to his return as Marshall Mathers, "Berzerk," executive produced Kanye West's controversial album, Yeezus, and appeared as a spiritual guide of sorts in the game-changing commercials for Jay Z's Magna Carta Holy Grail.(Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

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10 Reasons Why Rick Rubin Is So Legendary - He's the co-founder of Def Jam Records and the co-author of the hip hop industry. Rick Rubin's ears are two of the most important in American music history, hearing and crafting the future of some of hip hop's biggest music acts. And some 30 years after the founding of the label, he's still in the mix. Most recently, he assisted Eminem with The Marshall Mathers LP 2, offered a consulting ear to Jay Z's Magna Carta Holy Grail and to Kanye's Yeezus. Check out 10 more reasons why the bearded one is such a legend.  (Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

T La Rock and Jazzy Jeff, 'It's Yours' - The first song released by Def Jam (though it was technically distributed by Partytime Records, it featured the Def Jam logo) and the first song produced by icon Rick Rubin, 1984's "It's Yours" was a hugely impactful rap landmark. The song's big vocabulary arguably paved the way for Rakim, and countless MCs have sampled it from Nas' "The World Is Yours" to Public Enemy's "Louder Than a Bomb." (Photo: Def Jam)

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Co-Produced One of the Most Sampled Records in Hip Hop - Rick Rubin unofficially began Def Jam Recordings (then distributed via Arthur Baker's Streetwise Records) with the classic 1984 hip hop record "It's Yours," by T La Rock, whose use of large, complex words within his rhymes heavily influenced LL Cool J. Rubin co-produced the cut with DJ Jazzy Jay.  (Photo: Def Jam)

LL Cool J - Back in the day, 1987 to be exact, Uncle L flexed on the SNL stage with "Go Cut Creator Go," an ode to the hip hop DJ. (Photo: Ebet Roberts/Redferns)

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Co-Produced LL Cool J's Radio - LL Cool J became the first rap artist signed to Def Jam after the Beastie Boys' Ad Rock convinced Rick Rubin to listen to the teenager's demo tape. LL's 1984 classic "I Need a Beat" became the first song released on the new label. And Rubin helped produce LL's platinum debut LP, Radio. The rest is history. (Photo: Ebet Roberts/Redferns)

Public Enemy Shuts 'Em Down - Public Enemy boycotted the Grammys back in 1991, accusing the awards of racism toward black hip hop artists.(Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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Fights the Power - After hearing Chuck D's booming, radio-ready voice, Rick Rubin signed the Long Island rhymer and his politically minded hip hop music crew, Public Enemy.  (Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Licensed to Ill - After convincing the Beastie Boys to give up their dreams of being a punk rock band to become a hip hop music group, Rick signed the trio, who'd become pop music's first big white rap act.   (Photo: Ron Wolfson /Landov)

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Licensed to Ill - After convincing the Beastie Boys to give up their dreams of being a punk rock band to become a hip hop music group, Rick signed the trio, who'd become pop music's first big white rap act.   (Photo: Ron Wolfson /Landov)

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Run DMC and Rick Rubin - Producer Rick Rubin's groundbreaking mash-up of rap and rock on classics like "Walk This Way" and "It's Tricky" helped Run DMC become the first hip hop act to break through to mainstream audiences.  (Photo: Redferns/ Getty Images)

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Krush Groove and Tougher Than Leather - As co-architect of the hip hop industry, Rick Rubin was also a part of the early hip hop film movement. He made his acting debut playing himself in the 1985 classic movie Krush Groove, which was based on the story of Def Jam. He also directed Run-DMC's 1988 cinematic vehicle Tougher Than Leather.  (Photo: Redferns)

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Krush Groove (1985) - Based on the beginnings of Def Jam Recordings, this hit hip hop film not only became an instant classic but a launch pad for the pop careers of rap music icons Run-DMC and LL Cool J. Blair Underwood made his film debut playing Russell Simmons. The who's who cast also included Rick Rubin, Kurtis Blow and Sheila E. (Photo: Crystalite Productions)

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He's All About Raising Hell - Even though Run-DMC weren't signed to Def Jam, Rick Rubin contributed greatly to the pioneering rap group's pop success. He produced their biggest-selling LP, Raising Hell, and he masterminded the pairing of Run-DMC with Aerosmith for the hip hop/rock classic "Walk This Way."  (Photo: Crystalite Productions)

Texas Forever - Rick Rubin parted ways with business partner Russell Simmons and Def Jam in 1988 and started his own label, Def American Recordings. Though he moved on to produce primarily rock acts, he still kept a hand in hip hop, signing Houston rap pioneers Geto Boys, who would go on to break ground for Southern hip hop's future with the classic 1991 hit "Mind's Playing Tricks on Me." (Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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Texas Forever - Rick Rubin parted ways with business partner Russell Simmons and Def Jam in 1988 and started his own label, Def American Recordings. Though he moved on to produce primarily rock acts, he still kept a hand in hip hop, signing Houston rap pioneers Geto Boys, who would go on to break ground for Southern hip hop's future with the classic 1991 hit "Mind's Playing Tricks on Me." (Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Magna Carta Holy Grail Features God Himself - The best of the rumors to hit Twitter after Jay's announcement was about who the "old white guy" in the commercial is. Some said it was Santa Claus. One thought he was Jay's "life coach." And one tweeted that it was God who showed up in the studio (and a Samsung commercial) with Hov. It's actually Rick Rubin, but in a way (in a lower case "g" way), Rubin is all those things — to hip hop heads, at least.(Photos: Stefan Jeremiah/WENN.com; Charley Gallay/Getty Images)

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99 Problems, But a Beat Ain't One - Before he kicked back on the couch to lend an ear to Magna Carta Holy Grail, Rick Rubin cranked out a hip hop classic for Jay Z, producing the smash hit "99 Problems." (Photos from left: Stefan Jeremiah/WENN.com, Charley Gallay/Getty Images for VF)

He's Rock, Pop and Soul - And it's not just hip hop that makes Rubin so legendary. Firmly rooted in his rock background, he's produced for Metallica and Mick Jagger. He's also produced multilingual singer Shakira's two-album project, Fijacion Oral Vol. 1 and Oral Fixation Vol. 2, and has worked with soul-singing powerhouse Adele among many others.(Photos from left: Kevin Winter/Getty Images, Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images,Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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He's Rock, Pop and Soul - And it's not just hip hop that makes Rubin so legendary. Firmly rooted in his rock background, he's produced for Metallica and Mick Jagger. He's also produced multilingual singer Shakira's two-album project, Fijacion Oral Vol. 1 and Oral Fixation Vol. 2, and has worked with soul-singing powerhouse Adele among many others.(Photos from left: Kevin Winter/Getty Images, Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images,Kevin Winter/Getty Images)