Chronicling record producer Rick Rubin's meteoric rise in the music industry, this authoritative book posits that he has taken greater risks than any other producer of the past 25 years. Tracing his career from Def Jam Records--founded with Russell Simmons in a New York University dorm room--to his recent years as a top independent record executive, the book also goes behind the scenes to show how Rubin created hit albums with such diverse legends as the Beastie Boys, the Dixie Chicks, Johnny Cash, LL Cool J, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Rage Against the Machine--as well as the great rock and metal supergroups, Audioslave, Linkin Park, and Metallica.