In he co-starred in the six-part documentary miniseries McCartney 3,2,1 which explores the career of Paul McCartney. In , Rubin was called "the most important producer of the last 20 years" by MTV [ 2 ] and was named on Time 's list of the " Most Influential People in the World ". While a student at Long Beach High School , Rubin befriended the school's audiovisual department director, who gave him a few lessons in guitar playing and songwriting.
Their biggest claim to fame was being thrown off the stage at CBGB after performing two songs due to brawling with hecklers, which had actually been instigated by friends of the band who had been instructed to do so to get the show shut down and create a buzz.
In , a Hose track became Def Jam's first release, a 45 rpm 7" vinyl single in a brown paper bag, and no label. The band broke up in as Rubin's passion moved toward the NYC hip hop scene. Producer Arthur Baker helped to distribute the record worldwide on Baker's Streetwise Records in Rubin was instrumental in pointing the members of the Beastie Boys away from their punk roots and into rap, resulting in Kate Schellenbach 's departure from the group.
His productions were characterized by occasionally fusing rap with heavy rock. This production is often credited with both introducing rap hard rock to mainstream ears and revitalizing Aerosmith's career. In the same year, Rubin began his long musical partnership with Slayer , producing Reign in Blood , considered a classic of the heavy metal genre.
This was his first work with a metal band. In , the Cult released its pivotal third album, Electric. Produced by Rubin, the album remains one of the Cult's trademark and classic works. Rubin worked with the Cult again on the single "The Witch". He is credited as music supervisor for the film Less than Zero and as the producer of its soundtrack. Rubin portrayed a character based on himself in the hip-hop motion picture Krush Groove , which was inspired by the early days of Simmons's career as an artist manager and music producer.
