Russell Simmons Says Beastie Boys Would Have Eclipsed Eminem If They Had Not Left Def Jam
DETROIT (CBS Detroit) Oh no, he didn't! Or did he? Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons said Detroit superstar Eminem could have been overshadowed by the classic 1980s band Beastie Boys if not for the group's early departure from Simmons' Def Jam label.
Simmons told VLAD-TV the Beasties bailed on Def Jam in the mid-80s because they couldn't get along with producer Rick Rubin.
He thinks that if the rap trio had stuck around--they would've topped Eminem in terms of popularity.
"I'm sure if Rick had stayed with the Beastie Boys they would have been Eminem -- greater, greater -- I don't know what they would have been," Simmons said.
Simmons added the Beastie Boys' were damaged because their first radio release was the hit, "Fight For Your Right to Party." He feels the pop-leaning tune strayed too far from the trio's hardcore fan base and didn't represent them well.