Russell Simmons

Russell Wendell Simmons, born October 4, 1957, in the Hollis neighborhood of Queens, New York City, became one of the central business figures in hip-hop as the music moved from local scenes into a national industry. He is an American entrepreneur, writer, and record executive, best known for co-founding Def Jam Recordings and for building businesses that connected rap music, fashion, comedy, poetry, and lifestyle branding. His father was a public school administrator, and his mother worked as a park administrator for the New York City Parks and Recreation Department. His brothers are painter Daniel Simmons Jr. and Joseph Simmons, better known as Rev Run of Run-DMC.

Simmons graduated from August Martin High School in 1975 and briefly attended the City College of New York in Harlem. There he met Kurt Walker, a young DJ and B-boy who influenced him to take part in the hip-hop phenomenon. A 1977 performance by Eddie Cheeba in Harlem helped fix his direction. Simmons later said, “Hearing Cheeba in ’77 made me feel like I had just witnessed the invention of the wheel.” In 1979, he met Robert Ford Jr., who brought him to industry events and taught him about the music business. Simmons later credited Ford as his “guru.”

Before Def Jam, Simmons produced or managed artists including Kurtis Blow, Run-DMC, Whodini, and Jimmy Spicer. In 1984, he co-founded Def Jam Recordings with producer Rick Rubin. Under Simmons as chairman, the label signed acts including Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Jay-Z, DMX, and Kanye West. Simmons sold his share of Def Jam to Universal Music Group for $120 million in 1998. He also co-produced and appeared in the 1985 film Krush Groove, co-produced The Nutty Professor in 1996, and co-produced Def Jam’s How to Be a Player in 1997.

His work spread well beyond records. With Stan Lathan, Simmons produced HBO’s Def Comedy Jam and Def Poetry Jam, and in 2002 he launched Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam on Broadway. In 1992, he launched Phat Fashions LLC, using the Phat Farm and Baby Phat labels. The line began in a SoHo shop in Manhattan, drew on his connections with rap artists, and grew into a lifestyle brand with clothing, jewelry, perfume, and other merchandise. In 2004, Simmons sold Phat Farm and Baby Phat to the Kellwood Company for $140 million. He also co-founded RushCard in 2003 and formed Russell Simmons Music Group in 2004.

Simmons’ public life also included philanthropy, activism, and spiritual practice. He and his brothers founded the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation in 1995 to provide arts education and support for under-serviced youth, while maintaining galleries in Manhattan and Brooklyn. He became chairman of the board of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding in 2002 and was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Slavery Memorial in 2009. A vegan since 1999, he has promoted Ahimsa, animal rights, yoga, Transcendental Meditation, and mindfulness. In 2017, Simmons was publicly accused of sexual assault by multiple women; he denied the allegations and stepped down from various business roles and charities, including his position at Def Jam.

For a quotes audience, Simmons’ words often sit at the meeting point of ambition, self-discipline, and letting go. His career was built in fast-moving rooms: clubs, studios, fashion shops, television sets, boardrooms, and public campaigns. The line “Don’t ruin a good today by thinking about a bad yesterday. Let it go” reflects a simple idea that runs through much of the public image he cultivated: focus, reset, and keep moving with intention.