Famed Def Jam CEO and now owner of the Shangri-La studio where Kanye West finished up 'Yeezus' talks about colloborating with some of the world's top musical acts, including Kanye West, Jay-Z and Black Sabbath.

Rubin was on-hand when Kanye unveiled his supposedly finished album to him just three weeks ago, but as he told the Wall Street Journal, Kanye's heralded new studio album was far from finished.

It needed the Rubin touch.

When asked when and why Rubin was brought in to executive produce "Yeezus," Rubin said:

"Kanye came over to play me what I assumed was going to be the finished album at three weeks before the last possible delivery date. We ended up listening to three hours of partially finished pieces. The raw material was very strong but hadn’t yet come into focus.

"Many of the vocals hadn’t been recorded yet, and many of those still didn’t have lyrics. From what he played me, it sounded like several months more work had to be done.

"I joined the project because after discussing what he had played for me, he asked if I would be open to taking all of the raw material on and help him finish it."

So Kanye West's "Yeezus" almost didn't finish in time to ship for it's release tomorrow.

West was literally recording lyrics up until the last day it had to be completed, in between Kanye's trips to Milan for a fashion show and his new baby-mama Kim Kardashian's baby shower.

So how did Kanye West--a notorious stickler for perfection--get everything finished in time for release?

Said Rick Rubin about the closer-than-expected finishing flourishes to the album:

"We were working on a Sunday [the same day West attended a baby shower for girlfriend Kim Kardashian] and the album was to be turned in two days later.

"Kanye was planning to go to Milan that night. Five songs still needed vocals and two or three of them still needed lyrics. He said, 'Don't worry, I will score 40 points for you in the fourth quarter.'

"In the two hours before had to run out to catch the plane, he did exactly that: finished all lyrics and performed them with gusto. A remarkable feat. He had total confidence in his ability to get the job done when push came to shove."

Rubin also mentioned the zen way Kanye works and the minimalist ethos he hoped to inspire with the album, which would place it outside the purview of an exclusively hip hop audience.

Rubin goes on to discuss the bizarre way that Kanye has marketed the new release by failing to film a traditional music video and basically relying on a "no strategy" method:

Said Rick:

"He is pure in his art and in a form where so many choices artists make are often the result of business consideration. Kanye chooses to let his art lead.

"He didn't want a premeditated commercial (single) for his album as he looks at it as a body of work. I like it anytime an artist follows his own vision of a project and doesn't use the cookie cutter template expected of most artists.

"Kanye proceeds on the road less traveled and I applaud him for it."

Bonus points for the Frost reference that Rick Rubin slyly implemented during the interview with the Journal.

Rubin was also featured in the debut of Jay-Z's announcement that he's returned to the studio to make a new album, called grandiloquently, "Magna Carter Holy Grail."

Here is the debut video from Jay-Z featuring Rick Rubin, Pharrel and Timbaland--all in the studio together.

Rubin also helped produce the newest Black Sabbath album, featuring Ozzy Osbourne, "13," again at his Shangri-La studios.

Is there any critically praised new music Rick Rubin doesn't play a part in putting together?

Rick Rubin is "God," as Kanye West said on Monday.