Life and Def: Sex, Drugs, Money, + God

Life and Def: Sex, Drugs, Money, + God

Russell Simmons

Language: English

Pages: 288

ISBN: 0609807153

Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub


Russell Simmons, the original and eternal hip-hop mogul, is one of the most innovative and influential figures in modern American business and culture. When no one outside of inner-city New York had even heard of hip-hop, Simmons saw the seeds of a global force that would change the way people talk, dress, listen to music, and choose the heroes they hang on their walls. Today, he oversees a sprawling, multimillion-dollar empire of culture-defining businesses in everything from music to fashion, advertising to film, and media to visual art. At the same time he’s broadened his interests and influence and pushed hip-hop to new plateaus of power and relevance. Life and Def is a one-of-a-kind tale that interweaves the remarkable journey of Russell Simmons with the story of the culture he’s transformed and been transformed by.

In his own brash, compelling voice, Simmons chronicles his numerous business successes and occasional failures. He tells the story of the founding of the legendary Def Jam Records, whose roster stretches from original rap icons like L.L. Cool J, Public Enemy, and the Beastie Boys to today’s top stars, including Jay-Z and DMX. He traces the launching of Def Comedy Jam, the long-running hit television series that introduced a new generation of black comedic stars to America, from Martin Lawrence and Bill Bellamy to Bernie Mac and Chris Rock. He spins hilarious tales of his adventures in Hollywood, where he’s produced hit movies like Eddie Murphy’s The Nutty Professor and worked with quirky geniuses like Abel Ferrara. He also tells the story of Phat Farm, the wildly successful pioneering urban clothing label whose origins lay in Russell’s longtime fascination with fashion (and fashion models).

Simmons’s story is also one of personal transformation, from the driven man who in the heady days of early success indulged himself with drugs, sex, and world-class decadence to the husband and father he is today, a man who has found meaning in activism, philanthropy, and spiritual practice while never losing his passion for the social, political, artistic, and commercial potential of hip-hop.

Through it all he relates telling anecdotes about the characters he’s dealt with: models and gangsters, street poets and gurus, and major players like Donald Trump, Sean Combs, Jon Peters, and Tupac Shakur. Full of advice, opinions, and behind-the-scenes scoop, Life and Def is the story of the quintessential hip-hop life.

From the Hardcover edition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the other cheek.” But as this book makes clear, I wasn’t given money. I had to find ways to make it. And that means dealing with all kinds of people to advance my agenda. Finding ways to get along with people is crucial to anything you do. A lot of the young businesspeople I meet have a lot of anger toward everyone—not just white people—and go into every business dealing as if it’s a battle. Yes, you always have to protect yourself. At the same time you also need to be open. You have to watch

there all the time buying dresses for girls, eventually we started talking about the fashion business—how it worked at retail, wholesale, marketing—and finally decided to start a company together. We called it Phat Farm. As I talked about earlier, I’d always been into clothes and style as a teen. When I got immersed in hip-hop, I dressed stylishly within the norms of hip-hop—unlaced Adidas shoes, sweat suits, etc. But the parameters of hip-hop were changing in the early ’90s, and so was I. Now, I

are thousands and thousands of slot machines and poker tables in just one of his many buildings. So that’s the magnitude of the real successful mainstream entrepreneurs versus black niche market entrepreneurs. Now, in the twenty-first century, I think there’s an opportunity, with black culture being so strong and racism somewhat relieved, that we can own some things and build our businesses beyond servicing niche markets. The energy and creativity of black art and culture has been the engine

through. Now videos have replaced concerts. Every couple of hours on television you see performances by your favorite artists for free. The videos today are often multimillion-dollar productions, carefully designed to present the look that the artist wants to sell. They present the most flattering image the artist, the director, the stylist and the record company can create. Back in the day the most dramatic image available was Kurtis Blow’s picture on a 12-inch sleeve. Busy Bee is a legendary

getting his hair cut, eating pancakes, smoking a joint, and waiting for a ho to call. He says, “The syrup was falling into the tub, ashes were falling into the pancakes, and I’m waitin’ on a ho to call. I thought I had all the riches, but I was really poor. It was then the Lord came into my life and raised me up, and I started to feel better and all those worldly things didn’t mean anything to me anymore.” Similarly, the practice of yoga has changed my life. Over the past six years I’ve been

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