In this Rolling Stone interview, Def Jam founder and legendary producer Rick Rubin returns to the New York University dorm room where his career began in the early 1980s and reminisces about the birth of hip hop. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin is the founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings. With the Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Public Enemy and Run–D.M.C., Rubin helped popularize hip hop music.