Russell Simmons on Creating Def Jam with Rick Rubin

Russell Simmons delves into the history of how he met Rick Rubin and how their partnership became responsible for building Def Jam. "[Jazzy Jay] brought me Rick Rubin. He said, 'This the n---a who made the record.' 'Him?!' You know he didn't look like the n---a who made the record. Rick had all these drum beats, and Rick was a part of the group The Beastie Boys. I was starting a record company and I was interested in the Beastie Boys." From there Rush says the both of them went in 50/50 to start Def Jam and how Rick's production was a phenomenal aspect to the industry - as Rubin is "the most talented producer in the history of the world."

Listen above to hear the story of Def Jam's beginnings as Rush tells it, what led to them splitting, and the prospect of the Def Jam movie.