As one of the more influential men in rock and rap history, Rick Rubin’s name is splashed across so many landmark albums, it’s almost difficult to believe. After founding Def Jam with Russell Simmons, Rubin would assist greatly in jump-starting the careers of Run DMC, The Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Slayer, and The Cult…and that’s just in the 1980’s. Eventually, Rubin would part ways with Def Jam, founding his own label, American Recordings, and was pivotal in the revitalization of the career of Johnny Cash during his twilight years by producing the series of records by Cash of the same name, yielding Cash’s ubiquitous cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt”. Even though his massive beard is now largely gray, he’s still turning out huge releases, as he’s got a production credit on LCD Soundsystem’s This Is Happening, which comes out today (and you should pick up, by the way). With the exception of a clunker here and there, his career discography is truly as staggering and epic as his beard. Let’s hope the Hawks continue to crank out the hits with such longevity and consistency.