Russell Simmons Sheds Light on Def Jam Split With Rick Rubin

Rubin left the company in 1988 after losing a power struggle with Lyor Cohen. Neither Simmons nor Rubin have had much to say about their split in the decades since, making it one of music's great mysteries.

Simmons also eventually cashed out when his attention was drawn to his other business ventures. He remembers having to be reminded who Kanye West was, even though he'd signed him. And his sum total of his involvement in DMX's career was three business meetings. 

"I build shit and then when everybody's smarter than me, I get out the way," Simmons said. "And it was perfect timing. I sold just in time. If we were seeking money, we got out at the right time. Everything crashed after that."

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The wide-ranging interview also covered the importance of Public Enemy to Def Jam's legacy – "Public Ememy made the record (It Takes a Nation of Millions …) that defined Def Jam Records, in my opinion" – and Simmons' view on rap beefs.

"I ain't never had a rap beef and I ain't scared of nobody on the planet," Simmons said. When Vlad mentioned Public Enemy MC Chuck D and the Beastie Boys, who have called out Simmons in the past, Simmons said he's gone back and worked out all his disagreements.

"People get mad," Simmons said. "I try not to hurt people. I never do anything I think is going to hurt people, if I can help it. So artists get mad, they got a right to be mad. It's their job. They're artists."