Russell Simmons
Russell Simmons
Russell Wendell Simmons is an American entrepreneur, producer and author. The Chairman and CEO of Rush Communications, he cofounded the hip-hop music label Def Jam Recordings and created the clothing fashion lines Phat Farm, Argyleculture, and Tantris. Simmons had a net-worth estimate of $340 million in 2011...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionEntrepreneur
Date of Birth4 October 1957
CityQueens, NY
CountryUnited States of America
people smarter
Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you. Pick people who are interested in what you're interested in.
committed continue god music speaking street sure talk telling truth
We are committed to speaking the truth, ... We must continue to tell the truth about the street if that is what we know, and we must tell the truth about God if that is who we have found. Part of telling the truth is making sure that you know and talk more about what you know then speak or do music to appease those who are in power.
appealing financial fulfill high literacy subjects talk youth
We have high aspirations, but we know to fulfill the aspirations of the hip-hop generation. We have to take the subjects of financial literacy and empowerment seriously, and talk with your youth in a way that is appealing to them.
imagine themselves whatever
Whatever they can imagine for themselves they can accomplish.
excellent guilty wife
My wife is an excellent driver, and she's not guilty of any crime.
college kids school twisted
College kids go off to school and they get twisted with credit.
uplifting dream opportunity
Being materialistic is part of the hip-hop community's nature, because jazz and blues and rock 'n' roll, when they started out in the urban communities, were about the American Dream, and the lack of opportunity in that structure. So they talked about everything - uplifting and getting what is perceived as success in America.
country inspiration kids
Black actors on the road, flying around the country working as poets. Those people are inspirations for millions of kids who write.
believe men speak-english
I just said let's get some poets on tv. And when they said that sounded unlikely, I made it worse. I said, no man, I want to put a bunch of black poets on stage, too. Some Latino poets who barely speak English and Asian poets who can't believe how discriminated against they are. It was luck nad being in the right place. I wasn't saying nothing somebody else wasn't saying but they wouldn't hear it from them.
people looks insight
I look for people who have insight in places where I don't.
vegan hell knows
I know a lot of angry liberals right now. Hell, I know a lot of angry vegans.
hip-hop hips culture
Hip-hop is such a wide statement of culture that everyone is not the same, and it's impossible to put it into one box.
rocks hip-hop lessons
Hip-hop took some lessons from rock 'n' roll, and rock 'n' roll took some lessons from hip-hop.
rap white people
There are poor white people who hear rap music and feel it is about them, because it is. That's why you have an Eminem and a Bubba Sparxxx and rappers like that.