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Rick Rubin’s Net Worth: The Legendary Producer is Worth THAT Much?

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Last updated on August 4th, 2023 at 06:31 am

Rick Rubin is the most legendary producer of our generation. From hip-hop to metal, from country to rock, he’s shown that he can take any sort of artist to the next level. What is Rick Rubin’s net worth? How has he made his fortune? Find out all you need to know below. 

Who is Rick Rubin? 

Rick Rubin, born Frederick Jay Rubin, is the most in-demand producer today. He has worked with many of the greatest musicians of all time. 

He co-founded famous rap label Def Jam Recordings with Russell Simmons in the 1980s. After he left the label, he founded his own American Recordings.  

Johnny Cash’s right-hand man has made a lot of money in the music business, earning enough revenue to rank among the wealthiest record producers.  

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What is Rick Rubin’s Net Worth 

Rick Rubin’s net worth is $250 million.  

He has amassed considerable wealth by working with many of the most popular, well-known musicians and bands of the twenty-first century.  

Rubin first became famous for collaborating on hit songs with rap artists like the Beastie Boys, Run-DMC, Public Enemy, and LL Cool J.

He went on to work with diverse musicians such as Kanye WestMick Jagger, Tom Petty, Shakira, Metallica, and hundreds more.

Related: The 30 Best 70s Songs: Classic Rock, Punk, Disco, and Some Serious Wild Cards 

Rick Rubin’s Career 

After a young adulthood immersed in many different music scenes, Rick Rubin founded Def Jam Recordings in 1982, using the moniker to release music he produced on his 4-track recorder. 

Around the same time, he fronted Hose, a punk band that played with legends like The Circle Jerks, Minor Threat, the Meat Puppets, and more. 

Related: The 25 Best Punk Songs to Help You Stick it to the Man 

The in-demand producer’s life changed when the Zulu Nation’s DJ Jazzy Jay introduced him to hip-hop. He officially founded Def Jam with the help of Russell Simmons in 1984. 

Def Jam would go on to have an important place in the development of hip-hop, releasing seminal early releases from L.L Cool J., Public Enemy, the Beastie Boys, and many others. 

Rubin’s big break came in 1986, when he teamed up Aerosmith with Run-DMC for the first rap-rock crossover, “Walk This Way.” 

Related: The 21 Best Rap Songs of All Time  

He then went on to work with more rock and metal artists, including Slayer, The Cult, and many others. 

Following an acrimonious split with Simmons in 1988, Rubin founded Def American Recordings. Bands he produced in this era included Danzig, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and controversial comedian Andrew Dice Clay. 

In 1993, Rubin changed the name of Def American to simply American Recordings. The first big release on the label was a doozy: Johnny Cash’s big comeback American Recordings.  

Rubin would go on to produce the country legend until his death, standing behind the desk for a series of albums. 

Iconic Cash tracks from this era include his cover of Nine Inch Nail’s “Hurt” and Soundgarden’s “Rusty Cage,” in addition to originals like “The Man Comes Around.” 

Related: Johnny Cash’s Complete Story of Life and Death 

Rick Rubin’s career exploded after he worked with Cash. Other artists he’s worked with since then include Tom Petty, AC/DC, Donovan, Lil Jon, System of a Down, Black Sabbath, Neil Diamond, the Strokes, Weezer, Green Day, ZZ Top, and many, many more. 

Considering how many superstars he’s worked with, it’s no wonder that Rick Rubin’s net worth is over $250 million. 

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Rick Rubin and Kanye West 

In early 2013, Kanye West needed help completing his Yeezus album, and he asked the legendary Rick Rubin to help him do it.  

The task seemed impossible, as there was so much work to be done and so little time to do it. However, Rubin and Ye got down to work, working fifteen hours each day for sixteen days.  

The final cut of Yeezus featured ten songs, and the album debuted at #1 on Billboard #200. The album went platinum and was one of the most popular albums of 2013 

 

Rick Rubin’s Cars 

So now that you know how Rick Rubin made his wealth, let’s look into how he spends it. 

For one, he uses his ample income to accumulate many high-end automobiles.  

He owns a $59,800 BMW 3-Series Convertible, a luxury car with all-wheel drive, an 8-speed automatic transmission, and a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with up to 385 horsepower.  

His four-door, luxury A7 coupe with a hatchback is valued at $88,900. 

Rubin can also boast of having the most expensive Range Rover of all time, The SVA, which has a 4999 cc supercharged 8-cylinder engine with 557 Horsepower. He paid $135,670 for the Range Rover.  

Rick Rubin’s Houses 

Like most rich people, Rick Rubin owns some impressive estates. 

Perhaps the most notable of his residences is the Shangri-La in Malibu, California, which he purchased for $2 million in 2011.  

The house, which he uses as a recording studio, has hosted a number of well-known musicians. Rubin has worked in the studio with Adele, Kanye West, and Eminem.  

Shangri-la is equipped with four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and two recording studios. 

After losing two of his million-dollar homes to the Woolsey Fire in 2018, he bought a four-bedroom home in Point Dume, Malibu, with an ocean view.  

He transformed it into a serene minimalist retreat and rented it out for a price of $75,000 per month. 

Rubin also has other homes in Los Angeles. The mansion is a four-bedroom mansion in the Laurel Canyon area.  

He has used it as a studio and recorded many albums there.

Who Is the Richest Music Producer in America? 

So who is the richest music maker? Dr. Dre’s net worth of 500 million dollars puts him in the spot of richest music producer of all time.  

Rick Rubin isn’t far down the line. He comes in third place after Max Martin, who has a net worth of $350 million. 

Rick Rubin’s Net Worth 

Rick Rubin is a major player in the music business. He has amassed a $250 million net worth thanks to his decades of success as one of the best music producers in the world and his extensive record collection.  

Rubin has had a long and distinguished career, but he still has more to offer. 

Written by Erik Ritland

Erik Ritland is a songwriter, musician, journalist, and podcaster based in Nashville, Tennessee. He’s released over a dozen albums since 2002, most recently Old Dog Almost Gone (2021), the first-ever multimedia album, and his latest collection of all original material, A Scientific Search (2020). During his 15+ years as a music journalist, Erik has written hundreds of articles for Music in Minnesota, Something Else Reviews, his own blog Rambling On, and more. In addition to continuing his music career, Erik currently runs The Cosmic American, a music journalism website, and is the editor of Music in Minnesota.

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