IN 1999, I was given a dream commission and sent to New York for a week to write a story on Def Jam Records, the hip-hop goliath that constituted a good portion of my record collection and one which had changed the fabric of pop industry in its lifespan.
It was one of my favourite working weeks, ever. I met the label boss, Lyor Cohen, co-founder Russell Simmons and a bevvy of hungry young rappers. I looked at platinum discs for LL Cool J, Beastie Boys and EPMD lining the walls.