Rick Rubin: The Invisibility of Hip Hop's Greatest Producer

Fade

The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
I mean really, stuff like this should be taught in school to show the kids how music has changed. There's people like Rick Rubin that have been HUGE in the industry yet you rarely hear his name in Hip Hop circles, even for old heads.

The same can be said for the Beastie Boys. Those guys made a huge impact on Rap music.
 

TWU

The.Widely.Unknown
Beastie Boys are the greatest hip hop group of all time. Change my mind.
Nah... One of the early greats I would say. Hip Hop has so many 'greats' that you just can't pick one.


And never seen this before:




I really like the oldskool NY flavor, (for example the documentary Wild Style)...
Worth watching or is it more some kind of high school kiddie scripted thing?
 

Iron Keys

ILLIEN MBAPPÉ
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 695
Oh my god.

How many of the things he was saying is things I've been saying. o_O

Man, i really need to just start working with artists.

It's like what one of my industry mentors told me, when I wanted to get into A&R, saying he saw me ahead of the first step, like i couldn't be putting someone elses musical direction because I had my own, so he couldn't see me as a junior but moreof a head, so was saying I should/would have to probably started my own label or such.

Man, great share on this video, brother. For me seeing top people mirroring things i think or feel always offers a big boost.

1
 

OGBama

Big Clit Energy
Who @Iron Keys was your mentor? About labels I would have killed to have been able to start one in the 90s had I been at least in my late 20s or the age I am now :)

Truth @Armani is there are no one GOATs and also the term genius is overrated. I sometimes wonder how many people who didn't win music awards, etc were victims of wrong place, wrong time as far as "talent" as when it comes to all artists and people period my absolute fave quote is "these just people with ideas, they just like me and you when the smoke and camera disappear."
 
Who @Iron Keys was your mentor? About labels I would have killed to have been able to start one in the 90s had I been at least in my late 20s or the age I am now :)

Truth @Armani is there are no one GOATs and also the term genius is overrated. I sometimes wonder how many people who didn't win music awards, etc were victims of wrong place, wrong time as far as "talent" as when it comes to all artists and people period my absolute fave quote is "these just people with ideas, they just like me and you when the smoke and camera disappear."
Actually, I would normally disagree, but there's this new pseudophilosophical (shoutout @Memento Beats) problem I've been dealing with and it takes pretty much most of my headspace whenever I'm tryna chill and do nothing. yk, those hours in the day you dedicate to just not doing anything.

the issue is the word "Value". I don't know what to value, and the more I think about it, the more significant it seems because well, your values pretty much define you. I know I adore certain things, some songs are guilty pleasure, some are genuinely and objectively Good, etc. but idk what I SHOULD value. I have a definition for Art for myself, and most of the music that has ever came out doesn't really fall into the category of "Art" in my head, and idk if Art is what I value, because most times the music I really enjoy isn't really Art. it's just music.

Example:


it just captures a feeling, no meaning attached to it. I love it, I adore it and I wish I could melt and get poured into it, but I'm not sure if it's really valuable. I know it seems like I'm overthinking, but it's a pretty tough identical problem tbh.
 

Iron Keys

ILLIEN MBAPPÉ
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 695
the issue is the word "Value". I don't know what to value, and the more I think about it, the more significant it seems because well, your values pretty much define you. I know I adore certain things, some songs are guilty pleasure, some are genuinely and objectively Good, etc. but idk what I SHOULD value. I have a definition for Art for myself, and most of the music that has ever came out doesn't really fall into the category of "Art" in my head, and idk if Art is what I value, because most times the music I really enjoy isn't really Art. it's just music.
too much thinking; not enough feeling.
 

Iron Keys

ILLIEN MBAPPÉ
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 695
Who @Iron Keys was your mentor? About labels I would have killed to have been able to start one in the 90s had I been at least in my late 20s or the age I am now :)
Same.

Various professionals. I've had a few. House/soul Artists. DJs. Artist Managers. People played in (successful) bands, people who have mentored and/or worked with successful acts. That's just my mentors too. The people i've met/know and got real quality advice from just add to that list even more.
 
too much thinking; not enough feeling.
there's no such thing on "too much thinking" when there's setting ur life's philosophy involved. I have 1 life, I'm not gonne let my stupid ass and his everchanging feelings set the rules for it.

ps. philosophy is literally the overthought version of overthinking.
 
Actually, I would normally disagree, but there's this new pseudophilosophical (shoutout @Memento Beats) problem I've been dealing with and it takes pretty much most of my headspace whenever I'm tryna chill and do nothing. yk, those hours in the day you dedicate to just not doing anything.

the issue is the word "Value". I don't know what to value, and the more I think about it, the more significant it seems because well, your values pretty much define you. I know I adore certain things, some songs are guilty pleasure, some are genuinely and objectively Good, etc. but idk what I SHOULD value. I have a definition for Art for myself, and most of the music that has ever came out doesn't really fall into the category of "Art" in my head, and idk if Art is what I value, because most times the music I really enjoy isn't really Art. it's just music.

Example:


it just captures a feeling, no meaning attached to it. I love it, I adore it and I wish I could melt and get poured into it, but I'm not sure if it's really valuable. I know it seems like I'm overthinking, but it's a pretty tough identical problem tbh.

Thanks for the shoutout. However, I have to agree with @Iron Keys there's too much overthinking involved from your side @Armani .

I realise it might be important to you to have a clear view on this kind of topics but truthfully "art" is the most vague term I have every come across in my life. Art means different things for many people and it's rather meant to evoke emotions rather than thinking. In my opinion if you enjoy listening to certain things then keep on doing it. If you find value in them, you spend good time listening to them, thinking about them or making them, then it means that they resonate with you and this is what's important.

Personally, I don't understand why some genres or some musicians are claimed to be making "art" where others are classified as commercial shit or something.

This kind of thinking may lead to very dangerous thing which I used to support back in a day but nowadays I absolutely hate it - the elitism. Some people like to feed their egos claiming and thinking that the music they listen to, films they watch or books they read are "better" or "more valuable" than those that are read by others. It's very stupid and childish way of thinking. Just as @Iron Keys said, too much thinking, not enough feeling. That's all.

Honestly speaking, I came to a point in my life where I absolutely don't give a single fuck about what others think of my tastes, decisions or thoughts. If I like something and someone claims that it's stupid or "not valuable", it's their problem not mine.

I can enjoy music by Chopin, Wes Montgomery or Pat Metheny in the same way as I like listening to some cheap dance music or trap. Everything depends on my mood and the context I find myself in.
Shoulder Shrug GIFs | Tenor
 
Thanks for the shoutout. However, I have to agree with @Iron Keys there's too much overthinking involved from your side @Armani .

I realise it might be important to you to have a clear view on this kind of topics but truthfully "art" is the most vague term I have every come across in my life. Art means different things for many people and it's rather meant to evoke emotions rather than thinking. In my opinion if you enjoy listening to certain things then keep on doing it. If you find value in them, you spend good time listening to them, thinking about them or making them, then it means that they resonate with you and this is what's important.

Personally, I don't understand why some genres or some musicians are claimed to be making "art" where others are classified as commercial shit or something.

This kind of thinking may lead to very dangerous thing which I used to support back in a day but nowadays I absolutely hate it - the elitism. Some people like to feed their egos claiming and thinking that the music they listen to, films they watch or books they read are "better" or "more valuable" than those that are read by others. It's very stupid and childish way of thinking. Just as @Iron Keys said, too much thinking, not enough feeling. That's all.

Honestly speaking, I came to a point in my life where I absolutely don't give a single fuck about what others think of my tastes, decisions or thoughts. If I like something and someone claims that it's stupid or "not valuable", it's their problem not mine.

I can enjoy music by Chopin, Wes Montgomery or Pat Metheny in the same way as I like listening to some cheap dance music or trap. Everything depends on my mood and the context I find myself in.
Shoulder Shrug GIFs | Tenor
Well firstly I appreciate ur time and input, and I don't mean to "argue", just tryna write down my take on it so that maybe that'll remind me of what's the right way to see this.

I completely agree with almost everything you just said, and honestly life seems to be too short to try and figure out things that don't really make sense or a difference in your choices & feelings, since you end up doing what ur guts tell u all the time anyway. if anything, "figuring a song out" sucks the life out of songs for me. but Thing is as you kinda mentioned, I feel lost and that kind of scares me. I've never been the type of person to Not know why exactly he's doing or saying something, like what do y'all expect me to do, say "aight, I got this question tickling the shit outta my head but imma just not answer it, like ever"? lol I didn't even do that about the whole god shit, I just had a crisis until I figured it out, or at least I got to a point of understanding what exactly is it that I don't and can't know. yk? it seems impossible not to answer questions tbh. and then on top of that, if I don't know the values in not only my field of work, but what I dedicate all my time on earth to, then I don't really have a certain identity, or at least I don't know what it is, yk? it's not about what you enjoy, but it's about what you define your standards with.

btw the thing with "Art" is that in my current theory, art is a combo of beauty and meaning. remove meaning and you get just music, remove beauty and you get old school hip hop, remove both and you get whatever the fuck drake is tryna do (Or as a wiser example, you get modern art).

with what you said about the feeling of superiority, I wouldn't call myself an elitist, that'd be too nice. a Cocky cock would be a more appropriate term in my case. nevertheless, I do believe some music is objectively better than others, which doesn't Really matter a lot, but it's a reality. why it doesn't matter is that well in my opinion, music is 50% subjective and 50% objective, if someone likes some dumb shit that lil baby put out, so be it, they grew up on that repetitiveness or they have good memories with the song or whatever and that's their 50%, none of my business. I mean My own favorite songs (like the one I just linked up there) aren't really objectively good most times anyway so who tf am I to judge. but then it's like common knowledge that some shit like george michael's careless whisper is just better. it just is.

Now I'm not saying one who contains self-respect shalt not listen to lil baby, but objectively speaking, some artworks are richer than others. therefore, some Artists are more valuable as well and that's the reason that when I'm watching the grammies, I don't want to see steven tyler perform along 21 savage. What the Fuck is that??? that's when you realize having Values is valuable. values are what could've kept us from sinking into all these "shitty new music" that everyone here seems to be mad about. along those lines, you can find one of the reasons I've been deepthroating storch for so long. the man is a musician, he CREATES. that's valuable. IK, IK Sampling is great, it's an art, whatever, I love sampling too (if u remember, I simp for kanye more than I do for Storch, right?), u don't need to turn this into a sample vs original thing, I'm just tryna show u my viewpoint. on a side note, the Art that I seem to be finding value in is along the lines of an artwork that contains something that I can't think of or execute. not sure tho, just an idea that hit me while writing this.

to have a dope ending, there was this awesome dialogue in La La Land that went "so The jokes on... History? Idk, That's LA. They worship everything and they value nothing", see where I'm going with this?

anyway thanks again.
 

Iron Keys

ILLIEN MBAPPÉ
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 695
@Armani

I think the thing is, you're trying to impose thinking onto things. Like, trying to 'think' what your values should be, rather than reflecting on what your values are.

One way to find your values is reflect on;
- what do you spend your time on
- what stirs you emotionally

for example.

If you were never able to create, again, as in anything. Would that bother you? If so, then you value creativity.

You seemed to be questioning whether you value music etc, but it's clear you do from how you 'simp' Kanye and Storch for example. That appreciation of their styles is an appreciation of Art/Music.

Listen, me and I'm assuming memento and others all went through that over-thinking stage. I guess we all gotta go through it, but what we're doing ... is trying to drop that wisdom on you now so you can maybe reflect on that and get through that stage sooner rather than later. 'cause like I said, it's probably a necessary stage, but it's also a hindrance.

Try and steer towards reflective thinking, as opposed to a kind of controlling thinking.
 
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