3 ms·

Or the need to get hip hop understood by the masses through a familiar lens - ergo the Toys in the Attic hook into Walk this Way with Run DMC who he had to conv

• throwaway1004 3y ago
  I think this is truly is Rubin's defining contribution and achievement: the industry leaders had an appetite to expand the hip-hop market to the mainstream and, judging by the general low-effort nature of the "Walk this Way" mashup, I can only assume almost any ol' crap would have gotten the airtime and juice to get over the top. But Rick himself was the guy who could broker these deals with the artists', not some older label suit, but a guy who presented himself more as an artist and collaborator. A guy like that is huge value for stakeholders looking to steer the consumer towards a new product or a cultural trend.