Rick Rubin & 99 Problems
Rick Rubin, an early pioneer of hip hop, co-founded Def Jam Records in his dorm room at New York University along with Russell Simmons in 1984. In the early days of hip hop, Rubin and others were instrumental in bringing rap acts such as the Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, and Run-D.M.C. to the mainstream. Over the course of his career, Rubin has worked with artists such as Kanye West, Sheryl Crow, Lady Gaga, Johnny Cash, Mick Jagger, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Frank Ocean, Adele and others.
The song “99 Problems” is one of the most memorable and critically acclaimed songs in Jay-Z’s entire body of music, released on what was supposed to be his retirement record, The Black Album. Jay-Z enlisted legendary producer Rick Rubin to capture the early New York, Hip Hop sentiments he fondly remembered from his childhood. Given Rubin's work during the early years of hip hop, Jay-Z thought the producer could infuse the track with characteristics from his coming of age experiences during the 1980s.
The song samples the drums from Mountain’s “Long Red” and multiple elements from Billy Squier’s “The Big Beat” and Wilson Pickett’s “Get Me Back on Time, Engine #9." Jay-Z remixes lines from songs UGK’s “Touched,” LL Cool J’s “To Da Break of Dawn,” and the title and lyrics from Ice T’s 1993 song “99 Problems.”
In Jay-Z's version, the rapper tackles the issue of police profiling. He recalls being stopped by a police officer who then accuses the rapper of having drugs in his car. Ironically, Jay-Z does have drugs in his trunk, but he is arguing for the unfair treatment and profiling of black men in comparison to other drivers. Jay-Z is essentially arguing for reasonable doubt and exposing the unfair bias of police and their tendency to stop black drivers more frequently than white ones. The song transcends rap music and has become a cultural statement repeated often times in popular culture.
Jay-Z and Rick Rubin produced one of the most legendary tracks in hip hop history and certainly a career-defining song for the Brooklyn rapper.
