Top 10 Incredible Facts about Russell Simmons

Russell Simmons at the world premiere of Mansome at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival. Photo by David Shankbone. Wikimedia

Top 10 Incredible Facts about Russell Simmons

Russell Simmons was the original hip-hop mogul before Jay-Z, Diddy, and Dre. Simmons, a former New York street hustler turned promoter, artist manager, record producer, and label owner, also holds the titles of business magnate and self-help guru.

He’s amassed a personal fortune of more than $300 million thanks to his diverse portfolio of interests, and he’s changed the face of hip hop many times over at Def Jam, the label he co-founded with producer Rick Rubin. With Rubin on Run-“Walk DMC’s This Way,” he pioneered the rap-rock crossover, co-produced the first gold-certified hip-hop single (for Kurtis Blow) and album (for LL Cool J), blended the worlds of hip hop and fashion with Run-DMC, and helped create a global audience for rap music. Simmons abruptly resigned from his companies after being accused of sexual assault in late 2017, but he continued to face new assault allegations.

1.  Simmons co-founded Def Jam in 1984

Def Jam Recordings South East Asia logo. Photo by Defjamsea. Wikimedia

He co-founded the record label with Rick Rubin, who sold his stake in the company to Universal Music Group for $120 million in 1996. Simmons co-produced and appeared in the film Krush Groove in 1985.

Rush Communications Inc., Simmons’ company, consists of ten businesses and three non-profits. Simmons and his partner Stan Lathan have also produced HBO’s Def Comedy Jam and Def Poetry Jam, and have a development deal with HBO. Simmons co-produced the hit film The Nutty Professor, starring Eddie Murphy, in 1996.

He also co-produced Def Jam’s How to Be a Player, starring Bill Bellamy, in 1997. Simmons co-founded RushCard, a prepaid debit card provider, in 2003.

2. He launched Phat fashions in 1992

Simmons established Phat Fashions LLC with the Phat Farm and Baby Phat labels. When Simmons first established Phat Fashions LLC, the clothing line was sold in a shop in Manhattan’s SoHo district. Simmons’ connections with well-known rap artists aided in spreading the word about the clothing line to a large audience. The clothing line has a classic look and feels, thanks to the influence of designers such as Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger.

Phat Fashions began with hip hop clothing for women, children, and men, but quickly expanded into a lifestyle brand with the addition of jewellery, perfume, and other merchandise. Phat Fashions LLC had two stores in New York and Montreal, as well as an online store at www.phatfarm.com. The clothing line was carried by some 3,000 retailers in the United States

3. Russel is a committed Vegan

I am a Vegan illustration. Photo by 0fjd125gk87. Pixabay

Russell Simmons has been a vegan since 1999 and describes himself as a Christian yogi who values all religions. He practices Jivamukti Yoga, a form of yoga that promotes vegetarianism as well as social and environmental activism.

He is also a Transcendental Meditation (T.M) practitioner and a supporter of the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace, which was founded to ensure that any child in America who wants to learn and practice TM can do so.

4. He is an animal rights activist

Simmons is an advocate of Ahimsa and veganism, citing animal rights along with the environmental and health benefits. He said he went vegan after watching the film Diet for a New America in the 1990s. He is a supporter of Farm Sanctuary, an organization dedicated to ending farm animal cruelty. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals gave him the PETA Humanitarian Award in 2001 and the Person of the Year Award in 2011.

5. His brother is part of hip-hop group Run D.M.C

Joseph Ward Simmons brother to Russell, better known as Run, Rev. Run, or DJ Run, is a rapper, producer, DJ, and television personality from the United States. Simmons is a founding member of the well-known hip hop group Run-DMC. He is also a minister, known as Reverend Run.

6. Russel is the board chairman for Foundation of Ethnic Understanding

The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding (FFEU) is a New York-based non-profit organization dedicated to improving Muslim-Jewish and Black-Jewish relations. Rabbi Marc Schneier and theatrical producer and director Joseph Papp founded FFEU in 1989. The organization’s goals are inspired in part by the historical collaboration between African Americans and Jewish Americans during the Civil Rights Movement. Russell Simmons became chairman of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding’s board in 2002.

7. Simmons is an author

Russell Simmons at Emory University. Photo by Brett Weinstein. Wikimedia

Russell Simmons is best known as a music industry entrepreneur, but he has also written and published. He is the author of several books, including “Do You! 12 Laws to Achieve Happiness and Success” and “Super Rich: A Guide to Having It All.”

Rush Communications, Simmons’ publishing imprint, has also released books by a variety of authors, including hip-hop luminaries such as LL Cool J and Jay-Z. Furthermore, Simmons was a co-founder of the hip-hop magazine “Def Jam,” which contributed to the genre’s popularity in the 1980s and 1990s.

8. Russel’s net worth is $340 million

Dollar sign. Photo by Irina Gutyryak. Unsplash

Russell Simmons amassed his fortune through a variety of businesses, including music, fashion, and media. Among the important assets that have contributed to his net worth are:

• Def Jam Recordings: Simmons co-founded Def Jam in 1984, which went on to become one of the world’s most successful and influential hip-hop record labels. Later, he reportedly sold his stake in the company for $100 million.
• Phat Farm: In 1992, Simmons launched the fashion label Phat Farm, which went on to become one of the most successful urban clothing lines of the 1990s and 2000s. He later sold the company for $140 million to Kellwood Company.
• Rush Communications: Simmons founded Rush Communications, which includes the Rush Communications media company, the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, and the GlobalGrind.com digital media company.
• Real estate: Over the years, Simmons has made several high-end real estate investments, including a $14 million dollar mansion in the Hollywood Hills and a $5.5 million dollar penthouse in New York City.
• Other Investments: Simmons has made a number of other investments over the years, including technology startups, beverage companies, and financial services firms.

9. He was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2014

Claremont Lincoln University bestowed an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Humane Letters on Simmons in 2014 in recognition of his work as chairman of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding and for promoting mindfulness, compassion, and interreligious collaboration in the public sphere.

10. Simmons was the subject of a sexual assault documentary

On the Record, a documentary film about Simmons’ sexual assault allegations, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2020, and was released on HBO Max on May 27, 2020. Oprah Winfrey withdrew as executive producer of the film, after having been pressured by Simmons to cancel the release, eventually citing there were “inconsistencies” in Drew Dixon’s story that “gave me pause”. However, Winfrey has stated that she believes the women who have accused Russell Simmons of sexual assault.