1 / 26

It's Yours! - It’s hard to believe that it’s been three decades since Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin formed music label Def Jam Recordings. Since 1984, the label has evolved into a premiere hip hop and urban music home, backing some of the most matriculated artists in the game from LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys to Jay Z and Rihanna. In honor of Def Jam 30, a celebration of their 30th anniversary, take a look at 25 of Def Jam’s most influential artists.(Photos from left: Sutton/Corbis, Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images, Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Turner)

2 / 26

Jay Z - Along with Dame Dash and Kareem Biggs Burke, Jay Z founded Roc-A-Fella Records and merged with Def Jam in 1997 for the release of In My Lifetime, Vol. 1. Jay's influence in pop culture quickly became a force to be reckoned with, and after he dropped Vol. 2…Hard Knock Life in 1998, he earned his first Grammy nod, further immersing hip hop into mainstream culture. He was appointed president and CEO of Def Jam in 2004, where he cultivated the careers of Kanye West, Rihanna and Ne-Yo.(Photo: Sutton/Corbis)

3 / 26

LL Cool J - Ladies Love Cool James stepped on the scene at the ripe age of 16, emerging from his grandparents’ basement to become one of the first solo acts signed to the label. He is considered a hip hop pioneer as one of the first rappers to acquire mainstream success with the Def Jam release of his first album, Radio, in 1985. Led by the single “I Need a Beat,” which sold more than 100,000 copies, LL catapulted the label into the limelight. He dominated the charts with Def Jam well into the ‘90’s and early 2000’s, releasing 12 albums including his finale with the label, Exit, in 2008.(Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Turner)

4 / 26

The Beastie Boys - The Beastie Boys earned their hip hop stripes after the release of “Cooky Puss,” transforming themselves into the first rap band. Musicians Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass) and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar) signed to Def Jam and linked with Rick Rubin to produce Rock Hard in 1985. The following year the Boys dropped their critically acclaimed masterpiece Licensed to Ill. It became the first No. 1 rap album on the Billboard charts in addition to earning the status of one of the best hip hop albums of the decade.(Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images)

5 / 26

Kanye West - Under the leadership of then Def Jam president and CEO Jay Z, Kanye West evolved from a producer to one of the greatest rappers of his time. He got his break under the Def Jam/Roc-A-Fella umbrella with production creds on Hov’s The Blueprint, but his 2004 debut, The College Dropout, led by "Through the Wire," would change the way hip hop is heard. With 21 Grammy awards and all seven of his albums reaching No. 1, Yeezus has more than a decade of hits under his belt, and speaking of, he's designing a fashion takeover, too.(Photo: Ben Rose/WireImage) 

6 / 26

Slick Rick - Already making noise as a member of the Kangol Crew with Dana Dane and for his rhymes over Doug E. Fresh’s “La Di Da Di,” Slick Rick made his solo debut on Def Jam in 1988. Led by game-changing singles "Children's Story," "Hey Young World" and "Teenage Love,” his hip hop narrative The Great Adventures of Slick Rick peaked at No. 1 on the charts. The British-American rapper laid the foundation for story-telling rap, his style influenced by the likes of Nas, Biggie and Jay Z ,and his tracks a staple for samples and remakes.(Photo: Ethan Miller/BET/Getty Images for BET)

7 / 26

Ja Rule - When Ja Rule released his first album, Venni Vetti Vecci, in 1999 via Murda Inc. and Def Jam, it marked the beginning of the new millennium of "thug love" rap. For its raw lyrics and carefully woven in melodic hooks, which earned Ja credit for combining his hard-core image with a softer R&B side, the album peaked at No. 3 on the charts. He would drop his first No. 1 album, Rule 3:36, the following year featuring the smash hit “Between Me and You" with Christina Milian. In total, Ja and the Def Jam family have delivered five Top 10 albums from the Queens-born MC.(Photo: Bennett Raglin/BET/Getty Images for BET)

8 / 26

Ludacris - Without Ludacris, rap would be a lot different. After he founded the Def Jam imprint Disturbing Tha Peace, the former DJ hit the ground running with catchy club bangers like "Southern Hospitality" and "What's Your Fantasy," off his 2000 debut album, Back for the First Time. He kept the momentum going, adding film to his repertoire and earning nine BET Awards, three Grammys and a Screen Actors Guild Award.(Photo: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

9 / 26

Rick Ross - The Bawse is currently one of Def Jam’s greatest. Co-signed by Jay Z and Slip-N-Slide’s Trick Daddy, Rick Ross put Miami back on the map with his debut album, Port of Miami, which is saturated in hustler-speak and his signature Southern roar (Uuuuugh!). Streets hooked and mainstream tuned in, Ross has continued to dominate the top of the Billboard charts since, and has even established his own crew under the Def Jam umbrella, Maybach Music Group.(Photo: Gilbert Carrasquillo/Splash News)

10 / 26

Jeezy - While Ludacris had the Atlanta club scene on smash, Jeezy was the face of the streets, known for his snow-riddled verses and candid from-something-to-nothing story. The MC from “the bottom of the map” has consistently dropped jewels since his 2005 Def Jam debut, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101, with all five of his solo efforts peaking at No. 1 on the R&B/Hip Hop charts.(Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)

11 / 26

DMX - Just when hip hop was transitioning to the “bling bling” era following the deaths of Big and Pac, a dark breath of air emerged with DMX’s 1998 debut, It's Dark and Hell Is Hot, via Ruff Ryders Entertainment and Def Jam Recordings. The album debuted at No. 1 with an unapologetic aggressiveness, mesmerizing rhetoric, and his barking, growling ad-libs, and today with more than 30 million records sold worldwide, he's one of hip hop's best-selling ever.(Photo: WENN.com)

12 / 26

Rihanna - In less than a decade, Rihanna has established herself as an international powerhouse with as many Grammys as she has solo studio albums. She was signed to a six-album deal by none other than Jay Z in 2005 and has consistently dominated the charts worldwide one hit at a time, or on some occasions, multiple. She's delivered consecutive multi-platinum albums and nabbed her first No. 1 with 2012's Unapologetic.(Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

13 / 26

Onyx - In the early '90s Onyx was the life of the party. The hard-core hip hop quartet, comprised of Sticky Fingaz, Fredro Starr, Sonny Seeza and the late Big DS, attained crossover success with their smash rowdy hit “Slam” off their 1993 Def Jam debut album, Bacdafucup. Their follow up, All We Got Iz Us, was critically acclaimed, recognized by Vibe as one of 1995's best-produced and a "must own" hip hop album. In 1998, the group dropped their last Def Jam album, Shut 'Em Down, with features from the likes of DMX, Raekwon, 50 Cent and the Lost Boyz.(Photo: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

14 / 26

The Roots - The Roots, hip hop’s first neo-soul rap band, made their Def Jam debut after persuading Jay Z to co-sign for the 2006 release of their sixth album, Game Theory. It marked a change in pace from the traditional Def Jam hip hop and was well received, selling more than 200,000 copies worldwide. After a brief departure from the label, America's Hip Hop Band returned to drop their 10th, Undun.(Photo: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for Rolling Stone's Volkswagen Rock & Roll Tailgate)

15 / 26

Method Man and Redman - Their respectable solo careers already catapulted them to the top of the rap tier, but when Wu-Tang and Def Squad’s own Method Man and Redman joined forces in 1999, it seemed to be the union hip hop had been waiting for. Their debut joint album, Blackout, provided the right mix of euphoric metaphors and high energy, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard charts. The vibe was so good, they returned a decade later with Blackout 2.(Photo: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images) 

16 / 26

Redman - Riding the wave of his lyrical debut on EPMD’s Business as Usual, Funk Doctor Spock signed to Def Jam and released Whut? Thee Album, which garnered Red the title of "Rap Artist of the Year" from Source magazine. His third album, Muddy Waters, earned him commercial success generated by the album’s two Billboard Hot 100 singles, "Whateva Man" and "It's Like That (My Big Brother.)” His fourth and best-selling release, the Eric Sermon-produced Doc's da Name 2000, gave the game a sense of humor at a time when a serious tone reigned supreme.(Photo: Travis P Ball/Getty Images for SXSW)

17 / 26

T La Rock - T La Rock's Rick Rubin-produced 1984 classic single, “It’s Yours,” was the first release on Def Jam (even prior to him Rubin teaming up with Russell Simmons). "It’s Yours” has since served as the foundation for future legendary tracks such as Nas’s “The World Is Yours” off his historic 1994 debut, Illmatic.(Photo: Def Jam Recordings)

18 / 26

Foxy Brown - At a time when the game was saturated with testosterone, Brooklyn's Foxy Brown emerged with her 1996 debut, Ill Na Na, a female answer to machismo, which garnered mixed reviews but stood strong on sales with more than 100,000 copies sold in the first week. Her slick-tongued lyricism led her to collaborate with some of the top MC’s in the game from Nas to AZ and Jay Z.(Photo: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images) 

19 / 26

Public Enemy - In the early Def Jam days, Chuck D linked with Rick Rubin, who had heard the rapper’s single “Public Enemy Number One.” D then banded together with Flavor Flav, DJ Lord, the S1W group, Khari Wynn and Professor Griff and formed Public Enemy in 1982. The group dropped their ground-breaking, thought-provoking album, Yo! Bum Rush the Show, two years later. While the album didn’t chart well, peaking at No. 125, it established the group’s anti-suppression message and helped define hip hop's political presence.(Photo: Scott Legato/Getty Images)

20 / 26

Dipset - Led by Cam'ron, the Diplomats, including Juelz Santana, Jim Jones and Freekey Zekey, signed to Def Jam in 2001. With hit singles such as "Dipset Anthem," "I Really Mean It" and "Ground Zero," the crew instantaneously became a movement following the release of their 2003 debut album, Diplomatic Immunity. Dipset, with their humorous yet gully-laced bars, held it down for both Uptown and the label.(Photo: Taylor Hill/Getty Images)

21 / 26

DJ Clue - DJ Clue, known for creating some of the best compilation’s New York City has to offer, was one of the first radio DJ’s to transition from spinning on the airwaves to topping the charts. He released his debut album, The Professional, in 1998, under his Desert Storm imprint, which reached platinum status. His 2000 follow-up, The Professional 2, debuted at No. 3, and he helped break Fabolous's career in 2001, producing the rapper's first album, Ghetto Fabulous, which peaked at the No. 4 spot.(Photo: Theo Wargo/WireImage)

22 / 26

Ne-Yo - Another product of Jay Z’s rule at Def Jam, singer/songwriter Ne-Yo changed the game in 2006 with his breakout No. 1 single, “So Sick,” from his first solo effort, In My Own Words. The album went certified platinum, and as his sophomore album did even better than the first, Ne-Yo became Def Jam’s double threat, not only penning hits for himself but for label mates.(Photo: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

23 / 26

Jadakiss - After numerous collabos with the Roc-A-Fella artists and an infamous rap beef with Beanie Sigel, Jadakiss signed to Jay Z’s Roc-A-Fella records in 2007 as a solo artist. As one-third of the L.O.X. he was already known for delivering raspy street tales (or as he says, “top five, dead or alive”), and once he released his Def Jam debut, The Last Kiss, in 2009, he single-handedly took No. 3 on the Billboard charts' opening week.(Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

24 / 26

Warren G - Warren G surprised fans with his debut album, 1994's Regulate... G Funk Era, led by the cult classic “Regulate,” featuring Nate Dogg. His signing to Def Jam, as opposed to Death Row, gave the East Coast-based label a stake in the West, where he reps. Smooth move. His LP went on to a multi-platinum certification.(Photo: Maury Phillips/BET/Getty Images for BET)

25 / 26

EPMD - Eric Sermon and Parrish Smith of EPMD found a home in Def Jam after the label acquired their Sleeping Bag record deal and dropped their third album, 1990's Business as Usual. Led by the singles "Gold Digger" and "Rampage (Slow Down, Baby,)" featuring LL Cool J, the album went gold and landed a spot on Source magazine's 100 Best Rap Albums list. While on Def Jam, EPMD also introduced Redman to the label, and Sermon re-formed their Hit Squad crew into Def Squad with Red, Keith Murray and honorary member Mally G. The group dropped their top-charting album El Niño, featuring their take on “Rappers Delight,” in 1998.(Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images for Vh1)

Photo By Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images for Vh1

26 / 26

Beanie Sigel - With the underground success of his Def Jam/Roc-A-Fella Records debut, 2000's The Truth, Beanie Sigel helped to usher in the sounds of Philly to the mainstream, and alongside Freeway, paved the way for the formation of State Property (Peedi Crack, Young Gunz, Oschino and Omilio Sparks) and eventually the likes of Meek Mill. He survived the splintering of Roc-A-Fella despite his own public part in the controversy, and maintained his tenure on the label until 2007's The Solution, featuring R. Kelly, Jay Z, Ghostface Killah and yes, Ozzy Osbourne.(Photo: Steve Mack/WireImage)