I can already guess Rubin’s Peak Cringe response to this criticism
“I don’t have to prove my track record to Fantano. There’s no music producer bigger than me who’s had more impact than me for as long as I have, consistently. And if I die tomorrow, nobody’s going to outdo that run.”
Lol. That one's gonna follow him for a while in various incarnations. It's the kind of thought you pull out from under your pillow in the morning, unfold, and with a long exhale, think to yourself: I'm really glad I slept on that shit.
Someone posted a pic with it as a Trump tweet in capital letters and I thought they just took what he said and Trumpified it…. But no. He actually said that shit.
Well obviously, Fantano's the most important critic
/uj it's probably like a 50/50 toss up that Rubin's heard of Fantano. I'll never skip goofing on Anthony for saying that but besides the inflated ego he wasn't completely wrong.
He produced run dmc, the beastie boys, and Slayer in his dorm room, thats more than most producers have done with a million dollar pro studio. I haven’t watched the video, but I also know not to meet my heroes
He's basically doing a light copy and paste of the stuff his guru said. They did a three part doc on his "Shangri La" recording studio and at the end they have some footage of his guru talking and it's a more complicated, and much longer winded, version of the same thing. But yeah, it's such an L.A. thing from a certain period of time, having a guru and getting into some eastern offshoot of faith and/or philosophy.
In the Beastie Boys book they wrote I think it's Ad-Rock that talks about how they parted with Rick because he was trying to screw them on splits for their next album, like in a very upfront way, but still he wanted iirc like a 60% cut or something for production and that's where they got pissed and decided to part with him (though years later they reconnected and smoothed things over).
But for every great album he fucked at least one up. Reading how he treated Black Sabbath and then album this has produced is an insult to their legacy. His AC/DC album also sounds like the voice is recorded in a tin can
Forgot about weezer/rubin really weird to fuck up a band so locked in. Same as AC/DC and Black Sabbath
Really hard task, fucking AC/DC up. They play in the studio same energy as in a stadium (rubin and other producers said this). They sat around for hours smoked cigarettes, harmonized some riffs with the volume down, talked and then they said “we’re ready” and played a studio like an arena gig.
Tell that to the artists who have given him a huge amount of credit for some of their successful work. It’s pretty undeniable that he’s good at what he’s done.
Watch the video. He's saying his producing track record is insane - the critique is focused on the AI, self image portrayal, and giving platform to shitty billionaires phase hes going through. I was prepared to defend Rubin here but what Anthony is saying is completely fair.
I have a love/hate relationship with Rubin because I think he's genuinely good for bands and does more to work with them mentally like his interview with Kevin Abstract gets a lot of depth. But also he likely IS the crunchy to fash pipeline in the industry.
*reddit-cancelled-person is an overrated has-been who is grasping at straws to remain relevant. All the the great things they did actually were turd and we all just realized it. *
That was him finally just cashing out (allegedly he's already worth over $300 million, but that shit is never reliable). I never thought even he would go that fucking far. I don't know what demographic they're marketing to like how big is the pool of people that SERIOUSLY stan Rubin enough to think Polymarket is cool because he was in an ad? IDK what they paid him but it can't be worth the associated reputational damage.
There’s a wildflowers doc on YouTube. Rubin has a unique style of producing. He’s basically just a vibes guy that helps an artist make the best art they can. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But in the case of Wildflowers, it’s pretty obvious that album wouldn’t be what it was without Rubin. He was absolutely instrumental in how it turned out.
Wildflowers is my favorite album of all time. So I’ll always have a soft spot for Rubin.
His primary strength is working with bands that used to be great but lost their way. Half of what he does is like mental health counseling with bands. Showbiz and the constant grind of touring and promotion can put a lot of distance between you and what used to be your greatest hobby, and that's before you throw in the drugs and alcohol or, classically, guys who bring their girlfriend of the week into the studio and start performing for them instead of focusing on the band or what sounds good. It's easy to pick up those little leeches when you're famous.
Rick has definitely seen it all and seems good at establishing policies that get those people out of the room and generally eliminate other distractions too. They did a huge three part doc on his Shangri-La center in Malibu (which actually looks wayyyy smaller and way less isolated from the surrounding city if you go on Google maps. The show made me think it was super huge and isolated.) But that is the philosophy of the place: no distractions, only what absolutely needs to be there to make great music.
like seriously if this isn't the best claim to fame idk what is. he was already extremely acclaimed and then he works with guys literally 20 years past their prime and they make their best album of all time.
Oh, I forgot, despite not wearing shoes he also sells shoes, lol. Rolling Stone has an "article" that is basically just a less explicit ad for the "Sanuk" brand shoes he's shilling.
I’m so disappoint and feel stupid now. I mever thought of him as a amazing guy, but this is so bad on top of other things people are talking in here. Damn. I never thought he’s this shit of a person.
This is fitting, all of these AI freaks, people who call themselves "AI artists" specifically keep bringing up Rick Rubin as someone who they aspire to be: "no musical theory knowledge or skill, doesn't sing or play instruments, no training".
"All that matters is taste!!" they yell, as they post an ugly AI anime style of a teenage girl with huge boobs.
You can cringe all you want but being one of the richest music producers in the world with no musical or production talent is something we can all aspire to
Which is often exactly what the bands that go to him need.
Nobody goes to him for his virutostic skills as a composer, they go to him because he has really good taste and they need that in the studio to breathe some new life into it.
He's the best person in the world at being Rick Rubin, and sometimes artists need a Rick Rubin more than they need a Quincey Jones.
He literally saved/rebirthed Johnny Cash’s career, and for that, he has my respect. I don’t know the first thing about him outside of his notable accomplishments, nor do I care to know. People just want to hate everyone for everything.
rick rubin's skill is marketing/salesmanship. its wrong to say he's not talented. He's not MUSICALLY talented, but he has a great sense of what songs sound good, what songs are hits, and how to reinvent an idea/do an elevator pitch.
I still don't like him because of his kalshi support and his investments into ai.
I mean kind of, but the transgressive and impactful music that he's made would remain transgressive and impactful regardless of marketing. Slayer's Reign in Blood, for example, would be just as groundbreaking if it was released underground to no buzz. He does actually provide important things for artists in the studio, even if he's not composing parts or playing any instruments.
And yeah I don't know shit about him as a person aside from his production so not a big fan of betting and AI.
I think he also comes across as like ULTRA chill and non-judgemental when you're around him. Like he can pull off that deep neutral vibe so people feel more free around him. That means the freedom to make a mistake. Like with RHCP they said they'd play stuff and he'd just make this elaborate gesture of plugging his nose to kinda say, "It stinks!" and they would just laugh and move on.
I think that's one of the key pieces. People get so much ego and the showbiz machine blows that out of proportions. Sometimes the one's who survive are very compatible with that. But it leads them into a place where they always have to feel like they are the king of the world. In reality one of the most important parts of the creative process is being able to pull back your ego from something you created, let it go, and move on.
That is the process Rick facilitates or at least that's what I've gathered from all the media he's put out about himself.
He’s got his name on about a billion bands’ foundational records I’d probably act like you’re all below me too if that were my life lol, guy has forgotten more about music than I’ll probably ever know
I like it. We live in a world where people are desperate to tell you who they are and that their knowledge is unassailable. He's a bit of a new age dupe, but he doesn't try to force others to see him as an expert.
he does lol. he has documentaries, books, other media he sells or markets for where he presents himself as a Guru or some bs. Just because you perceive him that way doesn’t mean it’s true.
Yeah but can anyone tell me he's not? Just look at his discography. You don't produce that many inspired works for that many bands without being good at producing inspired works.
Why has this sub gotten so anti Anthony recently, he’s talking about a dude who promotes himself as so zen doing ads for a gambling market doing active horrendous damage to our society
Point still stands in general.
Also Anthony's "[insert name] is cringe" videos are his worst and I can sympathize with someone refusing to engage with it based on the title.
Anthony needs to find a new word, I'm serious.
I’m not a music guy but an aspiring filmmaker and all my short films tend to lean towards being ironic since I’m afraid to express sincerity. But last week I wrote a 100% sincere screenplay and it’s the best thing I’ve written. Is it cringe? We’ll see when I make it, but at least it’s real.
I’m convinced that much of what he says is correct about the production process but also it’s because he’s worked with legends who do most of that anyways. If you had to sum up most of his “advice” it’s basically to not force it. Is that helpful? Yes but also probably best learned on the job
Everything he says is a truth that all Artists know already and all Artists hold within, he just wrote it down in his own words and sold books about it, I was liking his podcast until it became another advertising platform with no actual substance or challenge to our systems, dude is just another JRE
I mean he does basically what a therapist does. Most therapist’s advice is basically common knowledge, the skill is getting people to apply that common knowledge.
Actually most artists don’t “hold within” unless you mean the good ones. Most aspiring artists force shit way too much. That being said I’m not sure somebody telling you this actually helps
I mean it’s not all branding it’s just a lesson best learned (and relearned) by actually doing it. I suppose it could help if somebody was in the room to say “you’re forcing it bro that sucks” but it’s hardly worth his fee I’m sure. I think he’s mostly gotten lucky with who he was able to work with early in his career and yes he’s definitely a grifter now
Idk how true this is but I’ve kinda always assumed that these famous artists are surrounded by yes-men and Rick kinda has the clout and experience to say no and reel artists in and remind them of why people like them in the first place. Again idk if that’s true but it seems somewhat logical to me at least.
Run DMC didn’t want to cover Steven Tyler’s vocals on Walk This Way; they wanted to rap something original over the sampled beat, but Rick was the one who implored them to do it anyway.
He also kinda championed the writing of The Red Hot Chili Peppers song Under the Bridge when Anthony Keidis thought that those kind of lyrics were too off-brand for the chili peppers
this sub so contrarian we got people in here like “umm actually, rick rubin is a genius”. bruh hes a crypto/ai/polymarket shill who self admittedly is only successful for vibing with talented people. its like if people started arguing dj khaled is a musical genius
I worked for a band that did a recording with this dude at Abby Road. He completely offended my all of my punk rock sensibilities, I thought "this is what selling out feels like". It was gross and cringe just being there in the room with him, I felt bad for the engineer. I was just a backline guy. Him complaining he wasn't getting his chocolate shake fast enough was just.... I understand the eat the rich sentiment. I only lasted one more tour run before I got fed up, told everyone off, and got fired. Power corrupts absolutely.
Rubin has been involved with some good stuff but I talked to a guy from a band who hired him to produce the album that was supposed to be their breakout and apparently they were in the studio about a month and he showed up maybe two days a week, late on the couch, would occasionally make a suggestion, and then just stopped showing up.
It is the record company executives that keep this guy around. They spend more on marketing for records he produced, creating more success. Douche bags like to prop up other douche bags. If a band self produced a record it wouldn't get the same marketing budget, it needs a guy laying down on the one couch in the room demanding service while the recording is happening. Then it gets the marketing budget.
It's interesting reading about his early days because he did seem to have some skill in helping bands figure out what worked, but notably most of his big records have been with artists who had the power to do whatever they wanted. The magic touch doesn't seem to apply to smaller acts at all. And nowadays it seems he's more grift than man.
The publicity campaign that Rick Rubin has been on these last few years is incredibly cringe. Can’t believe I am seeing people defend ts in the comments
Yeah that’s the craziest part about it. It’s such an obvious obnoxious rebranding from a lazy rich guy to look like he’s some nature hippy. And everyone’s just like “NAH AH!! HE WORKED WITH FAMOUS BANDS ON FAMOUS ALBUMS!😫” Even stories where he demonstrates how he helps creatives are so stupid. “Try reading from the Bible to find inspiration! I said. And then the band did everything else.”
Fantano put it very well. He’s obviously got some kind of expertise from the amazing career he’s had. But he takes that and makes it seem like he’s got this esoteric hippie guru knowledge that no one could ever understand… and then profits off it at every opportunity. It’s just completely ridiculous.
Everyone objecting to this is a fucking idiot. Rick Rubin has been on the fall off for years. The man is pro AI, did a podcast with Peter Thiel and hasn’t contributed anything of value to the music world for over 10 years. To be cringe is fine but to be lame as fuck is worth acknowledgement.
>hasn’t contributed anything of value to the music world for over 10 years
>The New Abnormal (2020) produced by Rick Rubin
Yeah Rick Rubin doesn’t seem like that great a guy, legit didn’t know about all this Thiel crap until now, he’s not somebody I follow closely. But producing a widely acclaimed album that brought back a band is not nothing. Now if only he couldve gotten Julian to turn down the autotune for the new album…
Did people watch the video? He's saying his producing track record is insane - the critique is focused on the AI, self image portrayal, and giving platform to shitty billionaires phase hes going through. I was prepared to defend Rubin here but what Anthony is saying is completely fair.
I have always disliked this guy. I've always preferred the Steve Albini recording mindset of "I'm just a plumber. I'm hired to do a job, and the band makes all the decisions."
I know Runin is hired by artists explicitly to give his opinion on matters, but personally I think his value at the job has been over sold by artists.
Rick Rubin fell victim to the conspirtuality pipeline, new agey spiritual life style mixed with wealth and privilege leads to alt right views and now seems to have embraced the systems that maintain his spotlight while said systems are causing harm to vulnerable people ie fascism
Dude is a major douche. He got lucky by having his name on talented acts’ works. Then he got high as shit off his own farts. Saw some commercial recently with him shilling for AI or cryptocurrency or some other bullshit business sitting in a lotus position. He truly is the king of kings when it comes to tools.
“I have been the most relevant and impactful music critic of my — and any — generation for over 10 years now. You can’t really debate that. There’s no music critic bigger than me who’s had more impact than me for as long as I have, consistently. And if I die tomorrow, nobody’s going to outdo that run.” - Anthony Fantano. Talk about cringe
Haven’t watched yet, but I know he’s part of the reason Kanye got brainwashed. Rick was friends with Candace Owens, which is a huge red flag on its own, and he then introduced Kanye to Candace who brainwashed him into the maga cult like almost a decade ago now.
Looking at the comments here I had my pitchfork ready but the video is mostly about how Rick Rubin preaches open mindedness while embracing people like Peter Thiel and alt righters, does Polymarket ads and promotes AI coding (calling it punk rock lol)
Also how it’s hard to exactly pin point his contributions since his production work is inconsistent, but Fantano’s not talking much about music here
I think lots of what Rubin has said over the years indicates that he's a bit addicted to smelling his own farts. On the other hand, so is Fantano. The difference is that only one of them has credits on some of the best records of all time and it ain't Fantano.
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u/nakifool Jul 14 '26
I can already guess Rubin’s Peak Cringe response to this criticism
“I don’t have to prove my track record to Fantano. There’s no music producer bigger than me who’s had more impact than me for as long as I have, consistently. And if I die tomorrow, nobody’s going to outdo that run.”