Rick Rubin is the guy who helped build Def Jam out of an NYU dorm and then spent decades bouncing between hip-hop, rock, and heavy metal without losing the plot. Before the producer legend, he was literally onstage: 1981–1984 he played guitar in his DIY punk band Hose, gigging around the NYC scene and sharing bills with hardcore staples like Minor Threat and Hüsker Dü. I hear that punk minimalism in his later work—from LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys to Metallica, Slayer, and Johnny Cash—always chasing the cleanest possible version of the song.

Rick Rubin Wiki