On this date 37 years ago, Adam Horowitz (Ad Rock), Adam Yauch (MCA), and Michael Diamond (Mike D) aka The Beastie Boys, dropped their sophomore LP Licensed To Ill on the Def Jam Imprint under Columbia Records.
On the heels of the successful LL Cool J Radio album and the cult classic flick Krush Groove, Def Jam head honcho Russell Simmons decided to head in the most unconventional direction with the quasi-punk rock/Hip-Hop trio for Def Jam’s follow up to those monumental releases. The original title of this release was Don’t Be A Faggot, but Columbia Records pushed Simmons to change the homophobic title.
Rated as one of The Source Magazine‘s Top 100 Best Albums, Licensed To Ill received the coveted five-mic status, a precedent for Jewish Hip Hop artists. In less than six months after its release, this critically acclaimed project earned the Beastie Boys a platinum plaque, lead by the singles “Brass Monkey,” “No Sleep Til Brooklyn,” “Hold It Now, Hit It” and the storytelling smash “Paul Revere.”
Unfortunately, crew member MCA lost his battle with cancer in 2012, which actually caused a resurgence in the album’s popularity and sales.
Salute to Def Jam, Russell Simmons, Ad Rock, Mike D and the continued legacy of MCA for creating such a timeless Hip Hop classic!
L.A. Reid, co-founder of LaFace Records, is facing serious accusations of sexual assault and harassment. Former Arista Records chief executive, Drew Dixon, filed a lawsuit against Reid, claiming that he assaulted her twice in 2001. Due to the similarities in the accusations Dixon has posed upon Russell Simmons in the past, the lawsuit raises the […]
Today we celebrate the 66th birthday of Hip Hop pioneer Russell Simmons!
Since the founding of Def Jam Recordings in 1983, Russell Simmons has been an instrumental part in the advancement of Hip Hop culture. Over his illustrious career Russell has launched the careers of multi-platinum artists (LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, and Public Enemy to name a few), co-founded top-selling clothing lines Baby Phat and Phat Farm, created financial institutions with the Rush Card, and award-winning television shows Def Poetry Jam and Run’s House. It is nearly impossible to say what the state of rap music and Hip Hop culture would be today with the Russell Simmons influence.
Lately, Uncle Rush has even begun taking large strides outside of the entertainment and financial industries, becoming Hip Hop’s new-age spiritual guru. Since 2010, Simmons has released self-help books sharing his views on religion, spirituality, and even health. Through his Hindu and vegan lifestyles, Uncle Rush has assumed the role of mentor to a vast majority of today’s top recording artists.
Over the years, Hip Hop empires have risen to power and fallen from the mountaintop. Russell Simmons, however, has always been able to brave the tide and stand strong as one of the most impregnable forces of marketing and branding expertise. Since his first project, Run D.M.C., it has been obvious that no one truly understands Hip Hop the way that Russell Simmons does. His Midas touch continues to transform the culture into something new (and more profitable) with every idea he brings to fruition. He is truly a rap genius.
Aoki Lee Simmons, the youngest daughter of Russell Simmons has had a tumultuous relationship with her dad just cropped him outof a photo he posted on Instagram.
Aoki just turned 21 years old and shared a series of pictures on Instagram marking her milestone birthday.In a post dedicated to Aoki, Russell shared one of the pictures his daughter shared, except he was in the picture posted on his own page, but not on the one posted on Aoki’s. Swipe below.
Fans noticed the cropped photo and wondered if the father/daughter duo is still on bad terms after their public spat. Aoki’s mother Kimora Lee jumped in to defend her children on Instagram live.
In his tribute posted on instagram, Russell wrote:
Dearest @aokileesimmons
on the eve of your 21st birthday …i want to send u all of my love ..This morning i was reflecting on all of the mornings that we meditated together and then went to school i thought of how i would catch u with your eyes open .:and how u mother would come in and give u a stern look after which u would sit stiller and go deeper this was a team effort what an amazing job she did .:for sure you are greater and more perfect then i could have hoped for You are smart thoughtful ,grown and very ready to face this next chapter of your life im so proud of you and Iam amazed at all you do and have become .:Remember to remember this .:im here .|iam always here and i will tell you this again .:/you are safe, and you have nothing to prove or live up to ALL is in perfect order so rest in Gods perfection and make your happiness your priority IM ALWAYS HERE UNCONDITIONALLY YOUR LOVING DAD
This weekend music mogul Russell Simmons reminisced on social media sharing an old video of himself and Ming during happier times. Family drama ensued when Ming, who is his eldest daughter wished Kimora a Happy Father’s In a subtle message to his daughter he posted to his instagram:
“When Times are tough smile and breathe keep your head up yogis,” he captioned the clip. “Gods got you again like he had u last time.”
Following Ming’s Father’s day post. Simmons took to his story posting a meme that read: “Stop telling fathers they should have fought harder to see their children and start asking mothers why he had to fight at all.”
Kimora took to Instagram Live to defend her daughter and then their youngest daughter Aoki then joined in. Aoki shared messages from her father and a muted video where he appeared to be screaming at her on FaceTime.
According to Aoki, she and her family have exhausted all options trying to repair the relationship with the music mogul and they feel he may have a mental health issue.
“My father is not well, for years, he needs help and won’t accept that he refuses to acknowledge he is not himself,” she wrote in a post on Instagram. “He has threatened and bullied my sister, my grandma, he has harassed my grandma in the middle of the night in poor health, send a man to my sisters apt at 2am to scare her.”
She continued: “He lashes out at ANYONE who does not say ‘oh Russell everything is fine.’ Well it’s not fine. If I ‘never get a fashion job again’ like he threatens, I’ll be a lawyer I guess and work in criminal justice. Sure I love my job but if he takes it away from me I won’t die. You don’t threaten my sister and grandma and mother and say ‘who’s gonna believe you I’m Russell Simmons nobody thinks I’m crazy’ well he is.”
During a recent appearance on the Drink Champs podcast, Large Professor discussed Nas. He reflected on people in the industry passing up opportunities with Nas in the early days of the rapper’s career. “From the start,” Large Professor began, “When they brought Nas’ demo to Russell [Simmons], Russell was like ‘Nah, he sound too much like [Kool] G Rap.” “It was crazy,” the artist continued, “We was in the same camp though. That’s what he wasn’t seeing — it was like, ‘Yo, Nas is actually a descendant of G, so… you should you know, accept a new generation type shit. But, Russell ain’t know that Force.”
Large Professor agrees that Simmons “f*cked up” on that one. It’s clear that Nas has managed to do well for himself in the time since, however, just recently dropping his 16th studio album, Magic 2. The LP acts as a follow-up to 2021’s Magic, and features50 Cent and 21 Savage. He did limited promotion for his latest offering, only announcing the release date days before the drop.
Large Professor Thinks Russell Simmons “F*cked Up”
Nas also recently announced his collaboration with Hennessy in celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip hop. He flexed alongside his new “HenNASsy” bottle in an Instagram post yesterday. The “vibrant limited edition cognac” works to “[mark] a unique cultural milestone” with the help of Nas, according to Hennessy. The brand calls him “one of the genre’s most prolific talents.”
In a recent interview, 50 Cent discussed some other ways Nas was misunderstood earlier in his career. He revealed that his “Office Hours” collaborator turned out to be far more intelligent than he previously believed based on his music. “We’d be on the tour bus, and he’d be reading books and stuff,” Fif explained. “[Nas] was ahead of us. What he had, and I was looking at it going, ‘You gotta be careful’ because he was smarter than the music he was releasing… He was smarter than things he was saying on the records.”
The history of Hip Hop would be incomplete without the mention of Russell Simmons and Def Jam Recordings. The illustrious music label began with Rick Rubin in his dormitory at New York University. A little while later, Rubin and Simmons joined forces to establish the powerhouse as a fully formed label. After housing now-legacy acts like LL Cool J, The Beastie Boys and Public Enemy in its early days, Def Jam quickly gained notoriety.
Russell Simmons enjoyed a very successful time as the co-founder of Def Jam. The Hip Hop genre was quickly proven to be in safe hands under the leadership of both Simmons and Rubin in the 80s. However, both co-founders have parted ways with the label for different reasons. Regardless, Russell Simmons is forever etched into the Def Jam history books.
Russell Simmons’ Early Days
Hip hop mogul Russell Simmons attends the Run DMC Tougher Than Leather album release party at the Palladium night club on September 15, 1988 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
A New York native, Russell Simmons was introduced to the rising wave of Hip Hop early on. He crossed paths with Kurt Walker and DJ/Bboy at the City College of New York. This encounter further delivered a greater dose of the genre to Simmons. By the late 70s, after hearing Eddie Cheeba perform in Harlem, Simmons surrendered himself to a life of Hip Hop.
In the 80s, Simmons was a rising Hip Hop promoter. This inspired his younger brother Joseph Simmons, also known as Rev Run to make music. Rev Run began to perform with Darryl McDaniels and Jason Mizell as Run-DMC. Run-DMC went on to achieve many groundbreaking feats as a new-school Hip Hop act. The group is also widely considered as one of the greatest Hip Hop acts of all time.
Formation Of Def Jam Recordings
Rick Rubin.” class=”wp-image-691805″ srcset=”https://wp.hnhh.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/GettyImages-1271604920.jpg 1024w, https://wp.hnhh.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/GettyImages-1271604920-300×198.jpg 300w, https://wp.hnhh.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/GettyImages-1271604920-768×508.jpg 768w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px” />LOS ANGELES, CA – 1997: (L-R) Record producer Rick Rubin and music mogul Russell Simmons pose for a portrait in Los Angeles, California in 1997. (Photo by Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Russell Simmons was 27 years old when he co-founded Def Jam alongside then-21-year-old Rick Rubin. Both of them were rising producers, while Simmons doubled as a manager. He was working with multiple acts alongside Run-DMC. These were: Whodini, Kurtis Blow, and the Fearless Four. In addition to this, Simmons swiftly became one of Hip Hop’s go-to personalities. He was at the center of the genre in the early 80s in New York, forging connections with several clubs and record companies.
After linking up with Rubin, Simmons joined the effort to create an independent record company. The pair signed on some underground acts, and the rest was history. In the year of its inception, Def Jam released the singles “I Need a Beat” by LL Cool J, and “Rock Hard” by the Beastie Boys. Both songs achieved mainstream success, making the acts one of the first to do so within the genre.
Def Jam’s first full-length release was Radio, the debut studio album by LL Cool J. After scoring a distribution deal with CBS through Columbia Records, Def Jam became a significant player in the music business. Radio was a monumental success, not just commercially, but critically too. Thus, Russell Simmons, Rick Rubin, and Def Jam became household names.
Russell Simmons’ Controversies
While Rubin parted ways with Def Jam in 1988 after a fallout with Lyon Cohen, Russell Simmons’ exit was a lot more controversial. Due to the Harvey Weinstein scandal and the MeToo movement, a series of allegations were aimed at Simmons beginning in 2017. Numerous women came out to accuse Simmons of multiple instances of sexual misconduct. These include physical and sexual harassment, assault, and rape.
Consequently, Simmons stepped down from his position in Def Jam, along with his positions in other companies. HBO also removed his name from All Def Comedy, the series he launched in 1992. Furthermore, a documentary, On the Record, was released in 2020 on HBO Max and covered many of the allegations against Simmons.
Personal Relationships
Russell Simmons and wife Kimora Lee Simmons during MTV Life Beat in Los Angeles, CA, United States. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc)
Russell Simmons and model Kimora Lee Simmons married in 1998. They share two daughters, Ming Lee, and Aoki Lee. The couple separated in 2006 and divorced in 2008. While his relationship with his ex-wife and daughters was great even after the divorce, things have taken a rocky turn in recent times.
Earlier in June, after the Father’s Day celebration, Simmons was called out by Kimora and their daughter Aoki for emotional abuse. Aoki Lee further took to Instagram Live sharing her concerns over her father’s mental well-being. She detailed instances of his behavior, sharing that she has refused to speak up due to her father’s influence.
Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons, his daughters Aoki and Ming, and ex-wife Kimora had a very public disagreement this past Father’s Day on social media. The Simmons ladies all accused Russel of being unhinged and needing help while revealing hurtful and shocking things they have alleged he has done and said.
This year Russell blames the devil for what happened and is upset he wasn’t able to visit his daughters on his recent trip home from Bali…
Russell shared his feelings in a post on Instagram.
SO i went to America 9 days ago my office (Gushcloud) there had some critical meetings that “zoom couldn’t fix” – and my new venture w/@snoopdogg and his son @cbroadus Sharestix is really exciting.. this kid @cbrodus i call him my mentor …..also i was co hosting a fun bet party (the prelude) with @mclyte which i helped set up but decided against attending
fyi i generally only make those trips with the expectations that i can see my daughters
last fathers day i spent 3 days in a row in nyc with my beloved @aokileesimmons but this year God or the devil had other plans .:/still for sure im grateful for all experiences God sends… sometimes they are not easy to digest but there ARE lessons ,. Remember to remember to always look for the blessings in the perceived curses, they are always there
congratulations to honorees of first annual prelude celebration @monascottyoung @officialbigdaddykane and @bustarhymes special shoutout to @stanlathan @alanelliott8 @simonereyes @porschethomas ans my partners @mclyte and @lynnrichardson
The daughter of Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee Simmons, Aoki, has spoken out after receiving backlash. She’s been getting hate following her and her mother’s public feud with her father. Kimora took to Instagram earlier this month to expose her ex-husband. She unveiled a screen-recorded clip of Russell screaming at Aoki during a FaceTime call. “I’m so sorry to have to do this,” she said at the time. She explained, “This man has been threatening my kids’ lives.”
Kimora further revealed screenshots of messages between Aoki and her father, where the alleged abuse is detailed further. Amid the feud, Aoki says that she’s been receiving a great deal of misogynistic hate online. “I wonder how your mothers, sisters, daughters, nieces, girlfriends, wives would feel seeing some of the sexist, racist, honestly foul comments and messages some of you ‘men’ are leaving me,” she wrote in a recent Instagram Story.
“The misogynistic stereotypes and names, the absolute hate for women of color a lot of your comments show, just waiting to take your anger at how you feel you’ve been ‘treated’ by women.” Aoki continues, “All of us ‘b*tches are like this’ and ‘this is the problem with you girls/women/black women/hoes/skanks today?’ No, how about all YOU b*tches are like this.“
The 20-year-old then shared a photo of herself as a young child being held by her father. She writes, “Until a short time ago, this is the man who told me ‘always defend and look after your mother girls.” Aoki continues, “‘Never let a man curse at you’ ‘You call your daddy if a man ever tries to yell at you or scare you that’s never ok!’” She explains, “Real men don’t shout at women and girls.” She then calls out the “toxic men” defending her father in her comments section, telling them that their behavior is “pathetic.” Aoki claims that even her father would agree.
Jess Hilarious has shared her thoughts on the recent public drama among Russell Simmons and his family. She shared that she believes the drama shouldn’t be put online for the world to see, further criticizing his ex-wife and daughter for exposing his behavior. “I feel like Aoki and Kimora [are] just like, ‘destroy, destroy, destroy,” she revealed. The comedian says that the public should hear Russell’s side of the story before making any judgments on the situation. “Every story got three sides,” she explains. She additionally compared the Simmons’ situation to the feud between Master P and his son, Romeo Miller. “Romeo was still respectful,” she says, “Like, he wasn’t disrespectful to his dad.”
Simmons was recently exposed by his ex wife, Kimora Lee Simmons, for allegedly abusive behavior. “I’m so sorry to have to do this,” Kimora wrote in an Instagram Story, “But this man has been threatening my kids’ lives.” She continued, “I’m hearing so much more now. We won’t be bullied, threatened, or afraid.” She then shared a disturbing clip of him screaming at their daughter, Aoki, on FaceTime. Kimora additionally shared a screenshot where Aoki claims that she no longer speakers to her father due to him giving her panic attacks.
Aoki continued in the messages to Russell, “Every time I spoke to you, you would yell and scream about a legal situation that I can’t even respond to because I AM NOT INVOLVED.” The 20-year-old went on to tell her father, “I am your child, not your lawyer, your ex-wife, any of it. I can do nothing. Yet you yell at me like it’s my fault.”
Russell Simmons later took to Instagram to respond to the accusations, telling his daughters “I love you guys more then I love myself.” “We grow through adversity and struggle,” he further stated, “God is driving and he is working on you.”
(@aokileesimmons)
Rick Rubin.” class=”wp-image-691805″ srcset=”https://wp.hnhh.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/GettyImages-1271604920.jpg 1024w, https://wp.hnhh.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/GettyImages-1271604920-300×198.jpg 300w, https://wp.hnhh.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/GettyImages-1271604920-768×508.jpg 768w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px” />
had other plans .:/still for sure im grateful for all experiences God sends… sometimes they are not easy to digest but there ARE lessons ,. Remember to remember to always look for the blessings in the perceived curses, they are always there