In 1981, a long-haired philosophy major named Frederick Jay Rubin enrolled at NYU. Rick had started making recordings under the moniker Def Jam Records while in high school at Lido Beach, NY. He continued to produce recordings while in his dorm room (#802) on the eighth floor of Weinstein Hall.

In 1983, Rubin had befriended Zulu Nation's Jazzy Jay, who taught Rubin about hip hop production. Later that year, the Beastie Boys had an unexpected hit with their pseudo-hip hop song "Cooky Puss" off their Pollywog Stew EP. They hired Rubin to DJ for them as they made the transition from a hardcore punk band to a hip hop act.

Def Jam Records put out their first hip hop track, "It's Yours" by T La Rock, in 1983. The single was produced by Rubin and Jazzy Jay and distributed by Streetwise Records. Rubin was introduced to promoter/manager Russell Simmons by Jazzy Jay, and Jazzy was edged out of Def Jam shortly after.

In 1984, Def Jam put out the debut single by Queens rapper LL Cool J called "I Need a Beat." The song was written by James Todd Smith (LL Cool J), Adam Horovitz (King Ad-Rock), and Rick Rubin.

Along with the Beastie Boys Rock Hard EP, "I Need a Beat" features the earliest logo artwork and catalog numbers for Def Jam Recordings. Rock Hard is the first rap attempt by the Beastie Boys, but is not available in the US because it features an unlicensed sample from AC/DC. The song is essentially a prototype of the hard-rock/hip hop fusion that would make Licensed to Ill enormously successful.

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Bob Stinson used to live at this house in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis with his younger brother, Tommy. Around 1978, Bob bought Tommy a bass guitar to help keep him out of trouble, and the two started to practice with drummer Chris Mars.

Paul Westerberg was a janitor at a senator's office downtown, and he would walk by the house daily and hear them practicing. After auditioning a number of other singers, Westerberg was hired as lead vocals/second guitarist in 1979.

The group was initially called Dogbreath. They played one drunken show as The Impediments, and the promoter of the show threatened to have them banned from every venue in town. So they changed their name to The Replacements...

The cover of The Replacment's Let It Be was shot at this location.

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According to Minneapolis musician and City Pages writer Jim Walsh, the Replacements played a high school dance at this building back in the day. He is fairly certain that the line "we are the sons of no one" from "Bastards of Young" comes from that experience. Also according to Walsh, the 'Mats refused to help carry other band's equipment.


The Sons of Norway is a Norwegian fraternal benefit society that now houses a Wells Fargo branch.

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The American writer Stephen Crane (1871-1900), author of The Red Badge of Courage and numerous short stories, lived in this modest home with his thirteen siblings as a youth.

Although Crane lived to be only 28 years old, he was a prolific essayist, poet, short story writer, novelist, and war correspondent. After he died in Germany in 1900, Crane was buried in Hillside, NJ.

Today, the Stephen Crane House is a cultural hub for Asbury Park, hosting readings, film screenings, theatrical performances, and more.

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The Stone Pony, located in the Jersey seaside town of Asbury Park, is one of the most recognized small venues in the world. Many artists have honed their skills here, including Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen.

The Boss has played here nearly 90 times, but except for the occasional children's school fund-raiser, he usually just sits in with another band. Despite public perception to the contrary, Springsteen already had two albums completed when The Stone Pony opened in 1974.

Professional wrestler Bam Bam Bigelow used to work as a bouncer at the Stone Pony before he toured the wrestling circuit.

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