’99 Problems’ producer Rick Rubin facing trial for violating COVID-19 mandate

'99 Problems' producer Rick Rubin facing trial for violating COVID-19 mandate
Rick Rubin (Photo credit: Shutterstock.com / Kathy Hutchins)

It appears mega-producer Rick Rubin actually has more than 99 problems. Rubin, best known for producing some music’s biggest hits like Jay-Z’s, “99 Problems,” is facing trial for violating Hawaii’s local COVID-19 restrictions.


According to the Kauai, Hawaii-based newspaper, The Garden Island, the trial date is set for Feb. 9, 2021. Rubin is being charged with violating an order that required all off-island visitors quarantine for two weeks during the month of September.


The news source reported Rubin, who lives in Los Angeles, had been seen walking on an empty part of Anini Beach near his lodging while he was filmed by a local resident after the island-wide mandate went into effect.

On Wednesday morning, Dec. 9, Rubin’s criminal defense attorney filed a request asking that the producer’s presence be waived at his trial in Hawaii’s Fifth District Court.


Rubin is considered to be one of the co-founders of record label Def Jam with Russell Simmons and helped popularize hip-hop music in the mid-1980s. He is also known for working with popular acts like Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Public Enemy and Geto Boys. Rubin was one of the first producers to introduce a combination of rap and hard rock to mainstream music with the Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith collaboration cover of “Walk This Way.”

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