The name says it all. In 1983, when a young Rick Rubin and a pre-yoga Russell Simmons started a record company in an NYU dorm room, “Def Jam” was current street slang. Over the next 39 years, Def Jam Recordings assembled arguably the greatest roster in hip-hop history. On the label's 30th year of operation, we assess who had the best run at Def Jam.
Written by Rob Marriott (@tafari)
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