Def Jam, Inc. : Russell Simmons, Rick Rubin, and the Extraordinary Story of the World's Most Influential Hip-Hop Label (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Brett Ratner (Introduction) "When New York University freshman Adam Dubin arrived on campus in September of 1982 to move into his new home-Weinstein Hall, at 5 University Place,..." (more)
Key Phrases: jam artists, promo tour, sophomore album, New York, Public Enemy, Beastie Boys (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hip-hop devotee and expert Gueraseva writes about one of the genre's most important labels with an insightful combination of doting love and cold, hard reality. Her chronicle of Def Jam, which was started in 1984 by NYU roommates Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons with $5,000 and became a multibillion-dollar phenomenon, covers the art and personalities of the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Jay Z and others. Gueraseva portrays Rubin as a rebel and Simmons (whose brother was in RUN-DMC) as a skillful deal maker. Early on, the label signed such talent as LL Cool J and Slick Rick. Along with a gallery of triumphs—the Beastie Boys' "Brass Monkey," Nice & Smooth's "Sometimes I Rhyme Slow"—came occasional failures, such as the 1988 film Tougher Than Leather, which critics called "vile, vicious, despicable, stupid, sexist, racist and horrendously made." The story builds forcefully after a Village Voice article pronounces Rubin "the king of rap," a title widely seen as underrating Simmons, and the first major crack appears in a partnership that eventually collapses. Though often grim, this is an inspiring study of visionaries who found success beyond their wildest dreams. Photos.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–In the early '80s, unconventional NYU student Rubin had a dream and a logo. A friend introduced him to Simmons, a Queens-based promoter only slightly older than himself. With more passion than business acumen, they started Def Jam, a company that outgrew Rubin's dorm and moved to increasingly more glamorous offices, eventually becoming part of the Universal media conglomerate, making its founders multimillionaires in the process. When Rubin began to feel trapped in the rap only formula, he left the company to form his own, more varied label, Def American. In the mid-'90s, Def Jam became part of Island records, and at that point Rubin was long gone and Simmons was no longer in the day-to-day operations. The final third of the book is less a human story than a business tale of mergers and acquisitions. Though the discography shows several releases in the late '90s, much less is written about them than Def Jam's original performers LL Cool J, Run DMC, and the Beastie Boys. Some of the details are ragged, there are some misspellings, and the cover has a stock picture of a DJ and a turntable. But for those who want to know how to succeed in the music business, this title really shows how it was done in the beginning.–Jamie Watson, Harford County Public Library, MD
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: One World/Ballantine (July 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 034546804X
• ISBN-13: 978-0345468048
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #480,717 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for any avid fan or musician in the industry..., May 9, 2006

By	Mr. Weed "Chad" (Ohizzle) - See all my reviews

Rarely do you find a book about the history of the music industry that actually works to make you feel as if you are a part of what is going on. DEF JAM INC. by Stacy Gueraseva is an inspirational take on the creation of not only a new breed of record label, but the ushering in of a completely mindblowing era of music, musicians and moguls. Being a musician I was utterly inspired by this insiders perspective on the rise, fall and subsequent resurrection of the legendary DEF JAM label. The reader is immediately drawn into the lives of this incredible cast of "real-life" characters... You will feel as if you're in that cramped NYU dorm room with Rick and his crew while he's cooking up his scheme for releasing music for and by the local hip-hop DJ. You'll be there in the clubs with Mr. Russell Simmons, hard working and smooth-talking his way to the top. DEF JAM INC. gives you never before seen insight into the heart of the label during it's tough starts and shows the industry from the artist's perspective in ways I've yet to experience elsewhere. Without ruining the read, I just have to say, if you love great music and want to know where hip-hop came from, DEF JAM INC. is an invaluable tool on the path to hip-hop enlightenment... A musician's must have.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must for any hip hop head, April 20, 2006

By	Braden Radtke - See all my reviews

You may claim to have a fairly good knowledge and progression of hip-hop, but until you read this book, you are just kidding yourself. Lots of people can tell ya that Def Jam started in an NYU dorm room by Simmons and Rubin. This book isn't just the dull historical tale of how that came to be the dominant hip-hop label we know today. It really delves into the personalities surrounding Def Jam, the environment, and the great stories. The stories are what made the book for me. Hearing the crazy stunts the Beasties pulled on tour, the bizarre things DMX would say to any certain situation, and more, make this a fun, yet productive read. Def Jam was really a centerpiece for hip-hop and this book helps put a lot of things in perspective.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Story but Poorly Written, May 8, 2006

By	Adam J. Loewy (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The story of the rise of Def Jam is a fascinating part of hip hop history because, in many respects, it laid the groundwork for hip hop as we know it. Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin are arguably the Wright Brothers of hip hop because they took an artistic genre (rap) and contrary to popular corporate opinion - which did not believe rap would be anything more than a passing fad - made it fly. This book details the rise of Def Jam from its beginning in Rick Rubin's NYU dorm room to the present.

Even though the story is very interesting, the book is poorly written on a number of levels. First, Stacy Gueraseva worked as the Editor-in-Chief for one of Simmons' magazines and her bias to her former employer clearly shows through. There is very little critical analysis of the negative side of this company (e.g. its glorification of violence, guns and the objectification of women).

Second, Gueraseva often fails to tell the entire story of specific characters in the book. For example, the most compelling figure in Def Jam's history is Lyor Cohen, who was with the company for over 20 years and figures prominently throughout the entire story. Unfortunately, the author does not fully explain his personal history (like she does with Rubin and Simmons). We get only tidbits of his personal bio - e.g. he is Israeli, he went to the University of Miami, he is a "family man" now. He is obviosuly different than most people in the Def Jam story but for some unknown reason, the author does not elaborate on his personal story. You get to the point where you want to yell at her "ok, tell us more about him!" but she never does.

Additionally, the author spends a lot of time detailing Def Jam's rise in the 1980s but only gives the post-1995 era a short look. I feel the rise of Jay-Z to President of Def Jam is one of the most interesting developments of Def Jam Era but we only get about 3 paragraphs discussing this part.

Finally, the writing is extremely average. The sentence structure was repetitive and there were several grammatical errors. It was quite noticeable and took away from the flow of the story.

In all, even though this is an interesting story, it deserved a better researched and written history.