Bill Adler was among the first folks hired at fledgling early 1980s label Def Jam Records. The house that Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin built, in its earliest days, would include T. La Rock, LL Cool J, and the management of Rap superstars Run-DMC. Adler directed the label’s Publicity department through the ’80s, where he would later work with The Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Slick Rick, and 3rd Bass.

“Ill Badler” has collected and archived many touchstones from his years with Def Jam. He was instrumental in the recent (and amazing) coffee table book on the label’s history. The Heads over at Elite Daily sat down with Adler and looked at his mementos and picked his brain on the label that released the LP everybody’s remembering this week, as well as countless gems including names like Kanye West, Scarface, Warren G, and EPMD.

Related: Def Jam’s Bill Adler Remembers Slick Rick’s The Great Adventures… 25 Years Later