Rick Rubin candidly shares his reflection on him being white in the early days of hip-hop, when things were so much different back then in terms of racial barriers.

During a recent interview with satellite radio station Shade 45, the founder of Def Jam Records shares how his skin color caught many by surprise. For instance, Rubin recalls his first time meeting LL Cool J. "Both LL and Russell [Simmons] couldn't believe that I was white when I met them," Rubin speaks about LL Cool J's first reaction in person.

Rick Rubin also mentions that Russell Simmons reacted in somewhat similar way as LL Cool J did. "I told [Simmons] I'd made this record," says the renowned producer. "He couldn't believe it. He was like, 'You made that? That's the blackest record I've ever heard in my life.' This was at a time when there was nobody white, at the time, in this world. It was interesting."

Back in the 80s with Russell Simmons, Rubin helped create Def Jam Records and developed now-legendary hip-hop acts including Run-D.M.C., LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys among others.

This year, Rick Rubin returned to the music scene to work on albums with some of the hottest rappers in current days, including Kanye West, Jay-Z and of course, Eminem.

Earlier this year, Rubin spoke regarding his work on "The Marshall Mathers LP 2" with Slim Shady.

"I would say that he is probably the most obsessive artist, maybe, that I have met in any genre," he said. "He is very, very dedicated to his craft. To the point to where it seems like there is nothing else in his life. It truly is a 24-7 thing for him. One of the reasons that many artists make good records when they're young and then as they grow up, maybe they're not doing their best work anymore, is because - especially if you're successful - other things in life take over. Whether it's family life or just other interests. It just happens."