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"It's like the universe had this incredible power to affect my ear and make me stay in one place": How an ear infection birthed Licensed to Ill's groundbreaking production and drove the Beastie Boys and Rick Rubin apart

Beastie boys.

Rick Rubin is one of modern music's biggest producers, and while he claims he has no technical ability and can't even operate a mixing desk, his contributions to pop, rock and hip-hop have given us some of the most memorable albums of the past 50 years.

One of Rubin's earliest collaborations was with Beastie Boys on their groundbreaking debut Licensed To Ill, a brash, cocksure combination of rap, metal and punk rock that was the first hip-hop album to top the Billboard charts and the second to go platinum in the US.

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