American record label founded by Rick Rubin in 1988 after his departure from Def Jam — which signed Slayer, the Black Crowes, Danzig, Sir Mix-A-Lot, and Johnny Cash — demonstrating Rubin's genre-agnostic approach to production and A&R.
Demonstrated Rubin's commitment to working across genres — a hip-hop producer signing a thrash metal band (Slayer) and a country legend (Johnny Cash) on the same label — which became the defining expression of his principle that authenticity matters more than genre.
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