In 1984, Def Jam introduced a new kind of music and lifestyle–hip-hop–through aspiring record producer and punk-rocker Rick Rubin and party promoter/artist manager Russell Simmons. It has become the sound of young America, akin to Motown in the sixties. This is the first book to see the label whole: through an oral history woven from interviews (some exclusive) with its founders and artists such as LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Jay-Z, Ludacris, Ja Rule, Rihanna, Ashanti, and Kanye West, as well as through rare memorabilia from personal archives of the label’s movers and shakers: behind-the-scenes photos, flyers, advertisements, movie posters, album cover art, magazine covers, and press clips from around the world. It also showcases images from some of the best-known photographers of the era, including Albert Watson, Glen E. Friedman, Jonathan Mannion, and Annie Leibovitz. The book containts the story of Def Jam in the words of its artists and top executives, taken from interviews and seamlessly told as a narrative of no-holds barred recollections and anecdotes, made even more compelling by the fact that Def Jam is one of the last great record labels to enjoy the widespread cultural influence that it does, in light of the increasing digitization of music.

The book it out now, released by Rizzoli.

See author Bill Adler talk about the book here:

“Deliverance”, the story of four city men embarking on a rafting tour in the U.S. South and suddenly getting hunted by rednecks, is one of the best movies that New Hollywood produced and one of my favourite flicks. The most memorable scene is the opening scene, where one of the city gents clashes with one of the locals. My old mate Tim “Love” Lee used “Dueling Banjos” to open his DJ sets – creating blank confusion on all dancefloors. Make sure to grab a copy of the soundtrack of “Deliverance”, it´s full of great banjo and honky tonk music, perfect for mixtape interludes or dancefloor irritation. Even Beastie Boys used a bit out of the “Deliverance” soundtrack on “Pauls Boutique” – it´s the country track before “Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun”. Yehaa!