LL Cool J and Rick Rubin.Photo:Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagicBefore there was social media, producer Rick Rubin had potential Def Jam artists shocked when they found out he was white.In thesecond episodeofWill Smith’s new Wondery and Audible podcastClass of ‘88, the Def Jam Recordings co-founder made an appearance and recalled what it was like when he first metLL Cool J.“LL was 16 at the time that I met him and he came to the dorm room because Def Jam was in my dorm room at NYU,” Rubin, 60, said of LL Cool J, who went on to be the first artist signed to Def Jam Recordings in 1984. He released his debut albumRadiothe following year — and released his final album with Def Jam in 2008 titledExit 13.He continued, “I opened the door and he said ‘Rick?… I thought you were Black.'“After LL Cool J, Rubin and co-founder Russell Simmons quickly expanded their roster and signed Beastie Boys, Slick Rick and Public Enemy.Rubin also opened up about the making of Def Jam, which started out as an idea to expand hip-hop.“Russell was the one who saw the hip-hop album. I loved hip-hop so much and all they were were 12-inch singles. I thought of it as a 12-inch single forever and I thought that’s what it was going to be. He said, ‘No, no. We can do albums.'“In Smith’s podcast, he dives into hip-hop history, including his own days performing in the duoDJ Jazzy Jeff& the Fresh Prince before transitioning into acting. In thefirst episodeof the podcast that was released on Friday, the Oscar winner opened up about when he realized early on in his music career that he had a knack for being in front of the camera.Smith explained that he got the acting bug on the set of themusic videofor “Parents Just Don’t Understand,” the second single off their 1988 sophomore studio albumHe’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper.Several years later, Smith earned his own star vehicle, the beloved sitcomThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which ran from 1990 to 1996 and earned him two Golden Globe nominations for best actor in a comedy/musical series. Amid the show’s success, he also crossed over into film with starring roles in films like 1993’sSix Degrees of Separationand 1995’sBad Boys.Class of ‘88debuted on Friday and features conversations between Smith and his peers in the late ’80s hip-hop world.Salt-N-Pepa,Queen Latifah, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Rakim and Chuck D also appear as guests on the podcast.
LL Cool J and Rick Rubin.Photo:Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Before there was social media, producer Rick Rubin had potential Def Jam artists shocked when they found out he was white.In thesecond episodeofWill Smith’s new Wondery and Audible podcastClass of ‘88, the Def Jam Recordings co-founder made an appearance and recalled what it was like when he first metLL Cool J.“LL was 16 at the time that I met him and he came to the dorm room because Def Jam was in my dorm room at NYU,” Rubin, 60, said of LL Cool J, who went on to be the first artist signed to Def Jam Recordings in 1984. He released his debut albumRadiothe following year — and released his final album with Def Jam in 2008 titledExit 13.He continued, “I opened the door and he said ‘Rick?… I thought you were Black.'“After LL Cool J, Rubin and co-founder Russell Simmons quickly expanded their roster and signed Beastie Boys, Slick Rick and Public Enemy.Rubin also opened up about the making of Def Jam, which started out as an idea to expand hip-hop.“Russell was the one who saw the hip-hop album. I loved hip-hop so much and all they were were 12-inch singles. I thought of it as a 12-inch single forever and I thought that’s what it was going to be. He said, ‘No, no. We can do albums.'“In Smith’s podcast, he dives into hip-hop history, including his own days performing in the duoDJ Jazzy Jeff& the Fresh Prince before transitioning into acting. In thefirst episodeof the podcast that was released on Friday, the Oscar winner opened up about when he realized early on in his music career that he had a knack for being in front of the camera.Smith explained that he got the acting bug on the set of themusic videofor “Parents Just Don’t Understand,” the second single off their 1988 sophomore studio albumHe’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper.Several years later, Smith earned his own star vehicle, the beloved sitcomThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which ran from 1990 to 1996 and earned him two Golden Globe nominations for best actor in a comedy/musical series. Amid the show’s success, he also crossed over into film with starring roles in films like 1993’sSix Degrees of Separationand 1995’sBad Boys.Class of ‘88debuted on Friday and features conversations between Smith and his peers in the late ’80s hip-hop world.Salt-N-Pepa,Queen Latifah, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Rakim and Chuck D also appear as guests on the podcast.
Before there was social media, producer Rick Rubin had potential Def Jam artists shocked when they found out he was white.
In thesecond episodeofWill Smith’s new Wondery and Audible podcastClass of ‘88, the Def Jam Recordings co-founder made an appearance and recalled what it was like when he first metLL Cool J.
“LL was 16 at the time that I met him and he came to the dorm room because Def Jam was in my dorm room at NYU,” Rubin, 60, said of LL Cool J, who went on to be the first artist signed to Def Jam Recordings in 1984. He released his debut albumRadiothe following year — and released his final album with Def Jam in 2008 titledExit 13.
He continued, “I opened the door and he said ‘Rick?… I thought you were Black.'”
After LL Cool J, Rubin and co-founder Russell Simmons quickly expanded their roster and signed Beastie Boys, Slick Rick and Public Enemy.
Rubin also opened up about the making of Def Jam, which started out as an idea to expand hip-hop.
“Russell was the one who saw the hip-hop album. I loved hip-hop so much and all they were were 12-inch singles. I thought of it as a 12-inch single forever and I thought that’s what it was going to be. He said, ‘No, no. We can do albums.'”
In Smith’s podcast, he dives into hip-hop history, including his own days performing in the duoDJ Jazzy Jeff& the Fresh Prince before transitioning into acting. In thefirst episodeof the podcast that was released on Friday, the Oscar winner opened up about when he realized early on in his music career that he had a knack for being in front of the camera.
Smith explained that he got the acting bug on the set of themusic videofor “Parents Just Don’t Understand,” the second single off their 1988 sophomore studio albumHe’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper.
Several years later, Smith earned his own star vehicle, the beloved sitcomThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which ran from 1990 to 1996 and earned him two Golden Globe nominations for best actor in a comedy/musical series. Amid the show’s success, he also crossed over into film with starring roles in films like 1993’sSix Degrees of Separationand 1995’sBad Boys.
Class of ‘88debuted on Friday and features conversations between Smith and his peers in the late ’80s hip-hop world.Salt-N-Pepa,Queen Latifah, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Rakim and Chuck D also appear as guests on the podcast.
source: people.com
