Rick Rubin on Finding Your Life’s Work
Video Overview & Insights
Rick Rubin grew up on Long Island obsessed with music — arena rock at 13, punk by high school, then hip-hop when it was still a street movement you could only hear at one club in New York City. The records coming out didn't sound like the club. They were made by professionals who didn't go to the club. So at 18, while a freshman at NYU, he made one himself — "It's Yours" with T La Rock. It sold 100,000 copies in 18 months. He put his dorm room address on the sleeve.
Need to rewatch this.
This launched Def Jam Recordings. LL Cool J's first record came next. The Beastie Boys after that.
His credit on those records didn't say "produced by." It said "reduced by" — a theological statement as much as a job title. His method has never changed: strip everything down until what remains has no place to hide, then protect whatever magic appears. He's applied it to Jay-Z, Johnny Cash, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eminem, The Strokes, Metallica, Kanye West, Tom Petty, and many other top artists.
Oh look, the Polymarket CIA handler fake guru.
He describes himself as a lazy workaholic. The Zen exterior is real. So is the guy who spent the first 25 years of his career in a dark room 16 hours a day, seven days a week, waiting for a miracle to show up.
Show notes: https://www.davidsenra.com/episode/rick-rubin
For years, manifesting felt like something just out of my reach. One day I decided to try Vera Hart's archetype quiz, and it changed everything. My result matched exactly who I am, and only then did I understand how it really works. If you're struggling with it too, give it a chance. It only takes a few minutes. ❤️
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I feel like I struggled most of my life with how to manifest. Sometimes it felt so out of reach that I decided to give that archetype quiz by Vera Hart a try, and it really did wonders. It matched my personal archetype exactly, and that’s how I finally figured out how to do it properly. I highly recommend anyone who struggled like me to try it as well! It only takes a couple of minutes anyway ❤️
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the ruthless edit topic, is gonna help me so much with my music omfg
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Dude turned into a grifter pos. Also. Never touched a board. Just sat around and said yes or no.
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You have zero clout since polymarket, Rick. You've erased every positive contribution you have made.
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Man, its like you wait your whole life to be around people that finally speak your language. And you're like, ok now its on! Because feeling like nobody really gets you is a real thing until you get around people that get you. If that makes sense. Like I understood what you two were talking about to the core and its so satisfying.
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Birge Harrison, a tonalist painter, mentions that in composition you have to remove everything from the composition that is not critical to it or the story you’re trying to tell. I feel this very much aligns with Ricks view.
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beautiful talk
Rick Rubin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rickrubin
This isn’t a new concept.
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Tetragrammaton: https://www.tetragrammaton.com
enjoyed listening to rick 🎧
1:12:50 e.g. silverchair 🎶age 16 playing stadiums 🏟️ opening up for RHCP in 🇺🇸 to start with.
awesome 🇦🇺 band and happy to have witnessed the genius as it was all happening; but it took its toll on their lead singer and guitarist!
🎶☀️🏄♂️💦🦘🦘🇦🇺
Adderall 🤔??!
Slow down David; and maybe ease up on the name dropping. Aside from that; not bad.
The Creative Act: https://a.co/d/05FKl59a
Substack: https://rickrubin.substack.com
Holy fuck … the ads!! Dude … lose that shit … totally kills the authenticity vibe
Chapters
00:00:00 Less Is More But Harder
i've loved him since LP's MtM days.
00:02:00 Def Jam From The Dorm Room
00:04:00 Capturing Club Energy On Record
You should add a little bit of outdoor ambience audio to a video like this. Just a bit of the wind through the trees, distant bird, whatever was in the natural environment. The voices are perfectly clear and they sound great, but they don't go with the video. Open a second tab and play an outdoor ambience audio track, turn it down so you just notice it.
00:06:00 Going Deep On Influences
00:12:30 Why Reduced By Rick Rubin
42:49 😅 concordo totalmente
🎯 46:13
1:10:09 esse é realmente o ponto alto da entrevista, que já é excelente por si só, mas isso é totalmente real e difícil de enxergar, a próxima grande obra não necessariamente deve estar vinculada a algo feito anteriormente. Conversa sensacional, eu até ontem não conhecia o Rick... a ignorância é uma benção nesse sentido, sempre teremos algo novo e relevante para descobrir!
00:14:00 Beatles Structure Meets Rap
00:16:00 The Ruthless Edit
Buscar conselhos sobre criatividade é matar a criatividade, se você busca esse tipo de conselho está partindo do lugar errado, pois a criatividade não é uma fórmula, é uma descoberta pessoal e intransferível!
00:19:30 Eminem: The Most Obsessive Artist
00:22:00 Lazy Workaholic
Find your life’s work! And then bet all of your savings on Polymarket. Great World Cup commercial Rick!
00:25:30 Protecting The Moment Of Magic
00:29:00 Dana White And Becoming A Podcaster
Rick is a absolute genius
00:32:30 Professional Listener
00:44:00 Fishing And Showing Up
Loved it
00:47:00 Johnny Cash And Constraints
00:55:30 Church Business vs. Banking Business
Wish Mr Rubin would reach out to me, a nobody who lives on the other side of the planet, with no connections for an interview 😂😢😮😊😆 he's so super cool!!!🙏 It would feel like the first time the world notices me.
His 'the' Poseidon of the ocean with his trident.🌊
00:58:50 Run On Intuition Alone
01:01:00 Jay-Z vs. Eminem Process
Is this Rick Rubin, the Polymarket guy? So called champion for authenticity and humanity in art promoting a company whose foundation is built upon profiting off of suffering, corruption, and violation of federal and state laws across the country? Cool, just checking
01:04:30 In Service Of The Artist
01:09:00 Work As Diary Entries
I appreciate the Guru flex but the reality is probably as simple as Rick had access to a drum machine, his privilege in the early 80s might have even allowed him the access to vinyl cutters, distribution outlets etc. He was just at the right place at the right time - He is a lottery winner. in my opinion. He saying to much of nothing - Less is more :)
01:13:30 Four Ways Success Destroys You
01:16:00 How To Sustain Success
The interview went well but the guy interviewing sometimes seemed to miss deeper layers of what Rick was saying because he was thinking of his next line. He was leading so much that we only got the level of wisdom that the interviewer had with confirmation and correction but their wasn’t any magic that happens when someone like Rick has the space to get inspired. I’m so happy that I watched this but saw my own flaws very obviously shown in David. He needs to say less, lead the question less so the interviewee can interpret it from his personal wisdom and stop trying so much to prove that he is passionate and studies so much. We don’t need to be convinced with words, just showing up and getting these people on the channel shows us David’s value before he speaks a word. This was gold because we can get lessons in many ways.
01:21:00 The House On The Mountain
#davidsenra #rickrubin
I love rick, he fascinates me, I could listen to him endlessly
More User Perspectives
28:00 it's not a performance. It's something else.
@idothewiggleWhat blows my mind is that you don't have to know a thing about music to gain great wisdom from Rubin.
As a visual artist, Rick's words translate beautifully. My personal bible, The Creative Act: A Way of Being. By Rick Rubin.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
@donhoffaregimeBIG fan of this conversation
@Bobby_sprinklesI love this
@GoldbunnyMediaIn 2019 I was introduced to Naval from a JRE episode, it completely shaped how I view everything today. It wasnt so much new information but just affirmative of ways of thinking I used but not fully thought out the why of it. I have listened to dozens of Davids conversations, ALL of them are worthwhile...very rare. I believe this one will have a lot of personal significance when I look back on it in many years just as the Naval one did back then. I've been a fan of Rick for many years but this conversation was absolutely amazing. Thanks David and Rick.
@alexNGMIyes because companies headed by the worlds first imaginary trillionaire that wanted to be on the island parties so badly but couldnt should be the bench mark for success.
@iamcolinclarkBecome who you are...that´s it!
@fabiogeraldo473🙏💙🎨
@iamloveiamI fkn love you guys cw to meet you one day
@jake4sakenI'm 30 and honestly still trying to figure out what my life's work is. This conversation reminded me that maybe I don't need all the answers right now. I just need to keep taking the next step.
@StevenV29My first time listening to a David Sentra podcast and of all the interviews I’ve listened to, this is my favourite Rick Rubin interview. Big up 👌
@jaiserobb4425Less is enough ...
@oloriarewa8013Wow I heard the same thing yesterday from Tim ferris . He said being too busy is a form of laziness 😂😂😂❤❤❤❤
@canaldeautoayuda6089Rick Rubin is just a typical Music Producer from a Type IV civilization on the Kardashev scale
@DNGR369David should take a cue from Rick and speak a little less and more clearly so when he does.
@hyperspacepilotDavid you're a huge inspiration for us as we build our channel reviewing classic self-help & motivational books. Thank you for your tireless work.
@the_classics_booksWhat a man ❤
@Siobhan-mhairiDelaneyGreat interview but a commercial every 30 seconds is overkill dude! Surely you can’t be that hard up for cash with celebs as your guests?! 🤦♂️
@DumpsterFireDadHow is the audio so great on this?
@unsupervised-learningRick Rubin is one of my favorite creators/producers of all time! Hope to meet him someday!
@WaliGThank you so much I really loved his book. Phenomenal interview. Kindred spirits.
@MrTobi4Only reason I watched this on your channel was because Rick. However with the amount of advertising you do, uggghhhh...unfortunately I won't be back ever again.
@technomonkey