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Later in the decade, a power struggle at the label’s top began brewing. (The band just recently announced a farewell tour, according to Stereogum.) Rubin then signed the politically charged Public Enemy, which consisted of Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff, Khari Wynn, DJ Lord, and the S1W group, who went on to experience huge success. Def Jam didn’t want to be boxed into hip-hop, as they were proven right by signing metal band Slayer. The label made some risky moves to close out the decade. With Columbia Records lending their support, the first project to receive a major push was LL Cool J‘s debut album, Radio. The classic LP saw Rubin’s masterful production on every track. Def Jam was now officially on the map.ġ987: Def Jam Branches Out With Controversial Signings That eventually paved a way towards a distribution deal with Columbia Records.ġ985: LL Cool J’s Debut Project Marks Def Jam’s First Full-Length Album The duo quickly became business partners, as Russell brought Rubin into the business world of hip-hop due to his experience already managing Run-D.M.C.ġ984: Def Jam’s First Releases Include LL Cool J and the Beastie Boysĭef Jam made their first splash by releasing LL Cool J‘s “I Need a Beat,” which only cost the label $400 to make, according to Complex. The crossover appeal of the Beastie Boys‘ “Rock Hard” single the next year had the label on the right track. Those records proved to be the first to don a Def Jam logo and register a catalog number. There are conflicting stories on who connected Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons, but according to The Balance, DJ Jazzy Jay introduced the pair. The Long Island native took a loan from his parents, and Def Jam Recordings began to take form. Rubin’s first act of business was to release a single from his punk-rock band, Hose.ġ984: DJ Jazzy Jay Introduces Rubin to Russell Simmons The 20-year-old came up with the idea for a label while sitting in his Weinstein New York University dorm room. Let’s take a look at the timeline of major events that cemented Def Jam’s legacy in music over the course of the past four decades.ġ983: Rick Rubin Creates Def Jam Recordings Throughout their run, Def Jam acquired such legendary talent to their roster as rappers Kanye West and Nas, with their talent pool also ranging to emerging youthful stars of today like Logic, Alessia Cara and Vince Staples. Tha Carter III ended selling over a million units in the first week, earning triple platinum status and cementing Lil Wayne’s position at the top of the rap game with major hit singles like “Lollipop” and “A Milli.Eminem and New Def Jam CEO Paul Rosenberg on Early 'Broke Days,' Courting Controversy and Hip-Hop's… Lil Wayne would go on to release highly successful mixtapes, Dedication 2 and Da Drought 3, as well as making high-profile feature appearances for the lead up to Tha Carter III dropping in 2008. But I did the right thing and I’m cool with that decision. I would rather lose that situation and do the right thing than the opposite ’cause I think I could have signed him and then told them after. I’m just letting you know, boom-boom-boom.’ So after that, I think we received a letter at our office for like torturous interference from a lawyer and I was like, ‘Whoa.’ It was like, ‘Whoa,’ and it all went from there. I called him out of respect like, ‘Yo, I was talking to Wayne. Jay-Z:The truth is, this is the first time I’ve ever told this truth - I had a meeting with Wayne, I had a relationship with Baby, so, when I used to go to New Orleans, I would hang out with him. Recently Jay-Z revealed to Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club why Lil Wayne didn’t end up signing to Def Jam: He was also given the position of President of Cash Money and later on founded his Young Money Entertainment imprint, which he would later sign superstars like Drake and Nicki Minaj. Ultimately the deal fell through with Lil Wayne staying on with Cash Money.
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This was around 2006 when Jay-Z, who was reigning as the President of the legendary hip-hop label, started to reach out to Weezy to sign with Def Jam. Hip-hop heads, did you know that when Lil Wayne’s contract with Cash Money Records was nearing its end, the Young Money boss was actually thinking about signing to Def Jam?