Historic label Def Jam, current home to artists such as Kanye West, Rihanna and Rick Ross, is celebrating its 30th year in business this year.
Label co-founders Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin, along with past and present label artists will take part in events throughout the year to commemorate the label’s anniversary.
“It’s hard to believe it was 30 years ago when we first put the Def Jam logo on a hip-hop recording at an NYU dormitory,” Simmons and Rubin said in a joint statement. “Since that time we have seen this homegrown American music grow from a local underground scene to a worldwide phenomenon. Today Def Jam remains the gold standard for taste, culture, and revolutionary thought. To quote the Chuck D line: ‘Def Jam tells you who I am…’”
To kick off the year long celebration, Def Jam recently unveiled it’s new commemorative logo.
Def Jam famously began in co-founder Rick Rubin’s NYU dorm room in 1984. The label hit it big with releases from LL Cool J, The Beastie Boys and Public Enemy among others in 1980’s. The 1990’s brought along superstars such as Jay Z, DMX, Ja Rule and Foxy Brown to the storied label. In addition to the aforementioned West, Ross and Rihanna, Def Jam currently has a well-balanced roster that includes stars such as 2 Chainz, Fobolous and Frank Ocean.
