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Remember When Rick Rubin Held a Surprisingly Star-Studded Fake Funeral Connected to His Pioneering Hip Hop Label?

From Reverend Al Sharpton officiating, to a New Orleans-style procession, to a repast at a bowling alley, no one holds a fake funeral like Rick Rubin.

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On a summer day in August 1993, producer Rick Rubin presided over a public gathering of music’s best and brightest in Los Angeles. A funeral was being held that day, but not for anyone in Rubin’s circle. Not even for a person at all, but for a word. Rick Rubin was holding a funeral for the word “def,” notably as part of the record label he co-founded, Def Jam Recordings.

Rubin started Def Jam initially in his NYU dorm around 1983, at just 21 years old. But he didn’t have any real experience in the music industry. So when he was introduced to Russell Simmons, who was five years older and managing Run-DMC, Rubin wanted to bring him on. The two officially co-founded Def Jam in 1984, and LL Cool J’s “I Need a Beat” would be their first official release.

Rick Rubin and the Death of Def

From there, Def Jam became a crucial player in the New York hip-hop scene. Rubin worked to bring the Beastie Boys out of their punk shell and eventually signed Public Enemy.........

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