65 Quotes by Rick Rubin

I never really think so much about commercial success; I usually just think about records that move me, and 'Baby Got Back' was one that moved me.

I always feel like there's something magic in recording studios. There's a reason good music continues to be made in them. It's just some mojo element.

I don't know what makes someone hip. The goal is artist achievement and the best work we can do with no limitation.

My taste changes radically all the time, and I listen to whatever feels good. Another thing is that I'm in the studio so much of the time, and I listen to so much loud, aggressive music for work, that for pleasure, I'll listen to something else.

For me the Beatles are proof of the existence of God.

There's just a natural human element to a great song that feels immediately satisfying. I like the song to create a mood.

Usually when I start a new project there's a fear of the unknown; maybe it's a band I've never been in the studio with before. People are so different. It's almost like you need to go through the process, discover and unlock what it is that makes that band that band. And a lot of times they don't know it.

I played more of an advisory role with Public Enemy. I really trusted them to make the music that they wanted to make, and the way The Bomb Squad worked with the... they created their whole own world of music.

I've always been an outsider. When I did magic, I was the only kid. When I worked with Johnny Cash, I was completely out of place in Nashville. And when I started Def Jam, I was the only white guy in the hip-hop world.