Upon hearing Ridenhour's demo track " Public Enemy Number One ", fledgling producer / upcoming music-mogul Rick Rubin insisted on signing him to his Def Jam label.

After the sale of the Tommy Boy Records ' master tapes to Warner Bros. Records, Everlast signed with Island / Def Jam, and released the solo LP White Trash Beautiful in 2004.

He also appears as himself in Def Jam: Fight for NY and UFC: Tapout fighting video games.

The group then separated from Def Jam and has since been independently producing, marketing, and publishing their music.

In 1990, Russell Simmons gave Paul an imprint under his Def Jam label.

When Public Enemy was formed and signed to Def Jam, Ridenhour invited Griffin to be a sideman.

Def Jam co-founder Rick Rubin had already left the label by then ; taking his place alongside Russell Simmons was Lyor Cohen, the son of Israeli immigrants who had run Rush Artist Management since 1985.

When Public Enemy reformed, due to increasing attention from the press and pressure from Def Jam hierarchy, Griffin was no longer with the band.

were featured in the hip hop film Krush Groove, a fictionalized re-telling of Russell Simmons ' rise as a hip-hop entrepreneur and his struggles to get his own label, Def Jam Recordings, off the ground.

The film featured a young Blair Underwood as Russell, along with appearances by old-school legend Kurtis Blow, The Fat Boys, teen pop act New Edition, LL Cool J, Prince protegee Sheila E., and hip hop's first successful white rap group the Beastie Boys, who were signed to Simmons ' Def Jam label.

and the Def Jam label.

Though the group itself was never signed to the label, they were managed by Russell Simmons, produced by Rick Rubin ( who was co-founder of Def Jam, along with Simmons ), and often shared concert tour spotlight with acts on the label's roster.

finally signing with the Def Jam label, which by then was no longer held by its original founders.

The album was released in the UK on Parlophone but in US, on the Island Def Jam imprint.

The innovations of Run-D. M. C., LL Cool J, and new school producers such Larry Smith, and Rick Rubin of Def Jam, were quickly advanced on by the Beastie Boys, Marley Marl and his Juice Crew MCs, Boogie Down Productions, Public Enemy, and Eric B.

Other examples of the dozens in reverse, from other comedians, can be found in the cable TV program Def Comedy Jam, which was a production of Def Jam founder Russell Simmons's company.

Los Angeles band The Bronx briefly appeared on Island Def Jam Music Group for the release of their 2006 self-titled album, which was named one of the top 40 albums of the year by Spin magazine.

* Sterling Simms, singer on Def Jam

The group was moved to Island Def Jam Music Group, which they eventually left after conflict with the label about creative input.

During this time period, Mercury Records, the band's label, had been merged with Island Def Jam.

After a three year struggle, the brothers left Island Def Jam Records to seek more creative freedom.

They also visited colleges to showcase Strong Enough to Break, the documentary chronicling difficulties with and departure from Island Def Jam.

" Later that same year, Run became an ordained minister, and in 1995 the iconic group appeared in The Show, a Def Jam-produced documentary that featured several of hip hop's biggest acts discussing the lifestyle and sacrifices of the industry.

Hard rock, heavy metal, and glam metal became some of the most dominant music genres of the decade, peaking with the arrival of such bands as Guns N ' Roses, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Poison, Europe, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Mötley Crüe, and virtuoso guitarists such as Joe Satriani and Yngwie Malmsteen.

In October 1988, the power ballad " Love Bites " became Def Leppard's first ( and only ) number one single on the Billboard Hot 100, and in January 1989, the band scored another US Top 5 hit with " Armageddon It ".

South of Heaven was Slayer's second album to enter the Billboard 200, and its last to be released by Def Jam Recordings, although the album became an American Recordings album after Rick Rubin ended his partnership with Russell Simmons.

Def Leppard, despite discarding their earlier, heavier sound, became even more successful when they used MTV to play their promotional music videos, and thus commercializing their hard rock sound in order to help sales of their albums on strengths of singles.

In March 2011, Barry Weiss became Chairman & CEO of The Island Def Jam Music Group & Universal Republic Records.

Under PolyGram, Mercury absorbed the artists and catalogue of Casablanca Records ( also home to the 20th Century Records back catalogue ), which consisted of heavy metalers Kiss and disco stars Donna Summer and Village People, and primarily became a rock / pop label with Kiss, Scorpions, Rush, John Cougar Mellencamp, Kurtis Blow, Tears for Fears, Bon Jovi, Cinderella, Treat, Candy, and Def Leppard.

In 1982, Hose became Def Jam release # 1, a 45 rpm 7 " vinyl single in a brown paper bag, and no label.

Def American became American Recordings.

In 2009, Khaled became the president of record label Def Jam South.

Many metal artists, including Def Leppard, benefited from the exposure they received on MTV and became the inspiration for American Glam Metal.

Jordan became the main solo male artist on its Def Soul imprint until leaving the label in 2003.

Jay-Z became president of Def Jam Recordings in 2005 and resumed his rap career in 2006 with Kingdom Come.

Also that same year the Atlanta-based rapper caught his big break when he signed to Def Jam Recordings ' newly established Southern rap subsidiary, Def Jam South, and became the label's flagship Dirty South artist.

He later became a member of the Def Jam group Playa, who were most known for their hit single " Cheers 2 U. " Playa released an album of the same name in 1997.

Ruff Ryders ' founders were initially famous for managing rappers DMX, Ma $ e, Jay-Z and The Lox who became multi-platinum stars for Def Jam Recordings and Bad Boy Entertainment in the late-1990s.

He met Joe Elliott in 1977 and invited him to audition for the band, which later became Def Leppard.

Initially, they appeared as guests on Nippy Jones Freaky Fresh Friday afternoon show and after teaming up with DJ Snake for music production, they were regulars on the " All Hardy Def Party " radio show which became the metroplex's hottest radio show at the time.

Luke also became heavily active in the underground hip-hop scene, producing tracks and remixes for various artists, including Mos Def, Black Star, KRS-One, and Zack de la Rocha as well as for artists such as Arrested Development and Nappy Roots.

Lyor Cohen became president of Def Jam in 1988, after winning a power struggle with Rubin, who would shortly thereafter leave the company to form Def American Recordings ( now known as American Recordings ).