The song Rick Rubin made with LL Cool J: ” He came to the dorm room and was very motivated”
Hip-hop has changed a lot since the 1980s and continues to evolve at an almost uncontrollable pace. However, figures from previous eras still stand tall as pioneers. Rick Rubin, for example, has only become more intriguing since he arrived in the culture four decades ago, and his journey even more fascinating.
From psychedelic rock to heavy metal and electro, Rubin’s broad tastes are inexplicable to fans of hip-hop, especially those who have a limited interest in other genres, and his ability to connect the dots between cultures is the source of much envy.
Like the greats of any genre, his curiosity and willingness to experiment is what has distinguished him from others and given him the drive to be unafraid of shattering musical orthodoxies across the board.
The Def Jam co-founder is a risk-taker, and over the years, he has explained that creating something new is never easy, although he makes it look so. Rubin has worked with various acts, from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to the Beastie Boys and LL Cool J. However, the lack of a blueprint is a consistent theme of his work.
In a 2023 interview with the New York Times, Rubin detailed, “If you want to make something new, there’s no template to follow. You’re really going out on a limb all the time. And you crash and burn a lot. You crash and burn a lot in the process.”
Figures such as Kanye West, Pharrell and Rick Rubin think outside the box. Still, the ability to do so comes naturally to them. However, Rick has previously insisted that this mindset takes time to acquire, stating, “It takes a lot of work. It takes a lot of dedication. It takes a lot of practice. But ultimately, if you’re forcing it, it isn’t what it is.”
Rubin had this approach in 1984 when he first connected with a young and relatively unknown LL Cool J. Using a mixture of traditional and reasonably unusual techniques, together four decades ago, they created the instrumental for LL’s single, ‘I Need a Beat’.
At the time, the ingenious Rubin was operating out of his New York University (NYU) dormitory. Recalling his first impression of LL Cool J when he first began working with him, Rubin told Rolling Stone, “Back then, I would say LL was kind of a nerdy 16-year-old kid. He was really smart and well-read. He came to the dorm room and was very motivated. He’s one of the more hardworking artists I’ve worked with, even from then.”
As he continued to recall his initial perception of LL, Rubin clarified, “I felt like he really kept to himself. He was friendly with the other artists, but I felt like he was a little bit of a loner type guy. He was in his head a lot. It was different than so many artists that were much more outgoing.”
As hip-hop fans, it’s hard for us to imagine a shy LL, but from Rubin’s recollection, he was not the braggadocious, aggressive B-boy we hear on tracks such as ‘Rock The Bells’ and ‘I Can’t Live Without My Radio’.
Rubin and Jazzy Jay created ‘I Need A Beat’ in the NYU dorm room, where Def Jam was founded. Rick recalled how he programmed the drums in “the dorm room on a DX drum machine” and arranged the song later at the studio.
Although ‘I Need A Beat’ was rapped entirely by LL Cool J, who had just split from the Extravagant 3, Rubin picked out “some of the lyrics and arranged them into a song.” While speaking with Rolling Stone, he recalled the studio as “a really crummy” place “in Chinatown”.
However, the master producer didn’t just make ‘I Need A Beat’ with a “nerdy” LL Cool J. Together, they produced an entire album, Radio, which put the Queens rapper on the map, where he has remained ever since.
You can listen to LL Cool J’s ‘I Need A Beat’ in the video below.