Rick Rubin

Frederick Jay Rubin wasn't some rock-snob who'd thumb his nose at any sound not making the rounds at contempo hotspots like Peppermint Lounge or the Continental Divide. "Rick" to his family and sometimes "Rick Rock" to the other students of New York University's Weinstein Hall where he was fast gaining notoriety for both his off-the-cuff, break-night dorm parties and the almost-unfair gift of gab that always got him out of trouble for throwing those parties, he appreciated any music that offered no compromise or made excuses for its existence. That love of youthful defiance in its purest form was what led him to punk rock during high school and was the creative force behind his own band, Hose. If the sound was raw and real, he'd add it to his extensive record collection already taking up most of the available space in his dorm room, along with a guitar, turntables, mixer, drum machine, and a ginormous Cerwin Vega speaker that he'd prop up on the windowsill and blast into the consciousness of just about anyone within a block's radius. To Rick, purity was all that mattered. And in the New York metro circa 1983, no sound was more pure than Hip Hop.