NYU, Listen to This!

Russell Simmons Speaking about his time at NYU

In 1984 while attending NYU, Russell Simmons met another NYU student, Rick Rubin, at a club in New York City where hardcore rockers and rappers intermixed. They quickly became close friends. Rubin had a vision of fusing the two genres, rap and rock together. The two decided to go into business together, and Def Jam Records was born. They each put in $4,000 of their own money as startup capital, and the company began operating out of Rubin’s NYU dorm room. 


The first single Def Jam released was L.L. Cool Jay’s “I Need a Beat,” which sold over 100,000 copies. They followed that up with The Beastie Boys’ “Rock Hard.” Within its first year, Def Jam had released seven singles and had negotiated a distribution deal with Columbia Records. 


Def Jam is most famous for launching the career of Jay-Z who at one point became the label's president. Today Def Jam's list of famous artists include: Jennifer Lopez, Ludacris, Ne-Yo, Rihanna and Kanye West. 

Lady Gaga - New York's Top Talent

Lady Gaga (Stefani Germanotta) performing at NYU Talent Show

Lady Gaga's real name is Stefani Germanotta.She gained early admission to the New York University's Tisch School of the Arts at the age of 17. She lived in a the 3rd North NYU dorm building which is on 11th Street. She studied music and wrote essays and papers focusing on topics such as art, religion, and politics.


Gaga was not challenged enough at NYU. She explained that "once you learn how to think about art, you can teach yourself." She dropped out of NYU during the second semester of her sophomore year to focus on her musical career. Her father said that he would keep on supporting her only is she would re-enroll in Tisch if she was unsuccessful. That uncertainty about whether she would succeed or fail is long gone. Lady Gaga was recently  named one of TIME Magazine's most influential people of 2010. She has become a hugely successful musician and a cultural icon.