Russell Simmons

Kimora Lee Simmons: A Fashion Icon And Business Mogul

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In the 90s, very few women in fashion commanded authority quite like Kimora Lee Simmons. A woman of many talents, Simmons has been an unstoppable force since she first signed with Chanel at age 13. Since then, she’s gone on to succeed in numerous business ventures. Kimora Lee Simmons has added to her impressive repertoire by becoming a successful businesswoman and philanthropist. 

Besides her impressive career, Simmons became Hip Hop royalty after her marriage to Russell Simmons. On June 18, the world at large celebrated Father’s Day. Barely 24 hours later, Simmons publicly called out her ex-husband. In a series of Instagram story posts, the fashion icon alleged that she and the two kids she shares with Russell have been subjects of abuse at the hands of the record executive. 

Nonetheless, Kimora Lee Simmons remains a definitive figure in the history of fashion. She was a highly in-demand model in the 90s. By the 2000s, her brand Baby Phat became a global phenomenon. It didn’t take long before she ventured into the world of reality TV. Altogether, Simmons’ status as a fashion legend and business mogul is indisputable. 

Read More: Kimora Lee Simmons’ Baby Phat Apparel Has Made A Comeback With Forever 21

Early Beginnings As A Model

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Kimora Lee Simmons (@kimoraleesimmons)

Kimora Lee Simmons plunged into global fashion success at the tender age of 13. When she was 11, her mother enrolled her in modeling classes to build her confidence. As a tall, biracial child of Black American, Japanese, and Korean descent, Simmons was the target of bullying. After being successfully scouted, she was flown to Paris where she started a meteoric rise to fame. 

Simmons was signed exclusively to Chanel, where her racial ambiguity was put on full display by Karl Lagerfeld. Later on, she would walk the runway for many major fashion houses, including Fendi, YSL, and Valentino. In addition to this, she landed numerous magazine covers. Her love of fashion would eventually lead her to launch Baby Phat. 

Read More: Aoki Lee Simmons Gets Accepted To Harvard University At 16

Success And Impact Of Baby Phat 

Kimora Lee Simmons at Baby Phat Afterparty in 2004.
Kimora Lee Simmons during Olympus Fashion Week Fall 2004 – Baby Phat – After Party at Boulevard in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

After a highly successful decade, Kimora Lee Simmons extended her power in fashion to the world of design. In 1999, she launched the widely popular lifestyle brand, Baby Phat, an off-branch of Russell Simmons’ Phat Farm. The brand served to open several doors for many minority fashion designers. Baby Phat was also noted for being unmistakably inspired by Hip Hop’s style. 

Baby Phat became such a huge phenomenon that it spread all across the globe. The brand was in extremely high demand in the 2000s, attaining monumental commercial success. Capitalizing on the popularity of the brand, Simmons continued to expand, accommodating several products besides clothing. By 2010, Simmons and Phat Fashions parted ways, but she relaunched the brand in 2019. 

Read More: Kimora Lee Simmons Defends Daughter Aoki’s Decision To Become A Model

Other Ventures and Personal Life

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Kimora Lee Simmons (@kimoraleesimmons)

Kimora Lee Simmons’ successes in recent years are just as outstanding as her career in modeling and fashion design. In 2007, she gained a new set of fans after starring in her reality TV show. Titled, Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane, the series focused on the mogul’s personal life. Her three children at the time, Ming Lee, Aoki Lee, and Kenzo Lee all appeared, including her then-boyfriend, Djimon Hounsou, and her ex-husband Russell. 

Simmons is also a bestselling author and has starred in several television shows and films. She has also appeared in three music videos — “Nice & Slow” by Usher, “Change Clothes” by Jay-Z, and “In Those Jeans” by Ginuwine. Altogether, Kimora Lee Simmons has cultivated such a multifaceted career that has stood the test of time. 

Kimora Lee and Russell Simmons were married between 1998 and 2009. However, she and the media mogul separated and she began a relationship with actor Djimon Hounsou. The pair had an intimate ceremony in Hounsou’s native country Benin, but the union was not recognized in the United States. They separated in 2012, and two years later, she married investment banker, Tim Leissner, although they’re now estranged. She has five children altogether. 

Read More: Kimora Lee Simmons & Tim Leissner Adopt 10-Year-Old Son, Gary

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Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee’s Family Feud Goes Viral

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Kimora Lee x Russell Simmons

The once closely-knit Simmons family has become embroiled in a public dispute, shedding light on the challenges faced by hip-hop families in the spotlight. Fashion mogul Kimora Lee and music mogul Russell Simmons, who were once known for their successful union, are now at odds as their daughters reveal allegations of abuse, harassment, and familial […]

The post Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee’s Family Feud Goes Viral appeared first on SOHH.com.

Russell Simmons Had A Wild Father’s Day After Being Called Out By His Daughters And Ex-Wife For Abusive Behavior

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Russell Simmons
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Not everyone had a happy Father’s Day on Sunday. Russell Simmons, one of rap’s most notorious dads, likely had a horrible one as his ex-wife Kimora Lee Simmons and daughters Aoki and Ming spent the day calling him out for what they describe as abusive behavior. After Ming, the eldest, wished her mother a happy Father’s Day on Instagram instead of Russell, he responded with an unsubtle meme, prompting Kimora and Aoki to share their experiences of being terrorized and gaslit by him.

On Monday, after Russell had shared the meme (“Stop telling fathers they should have fought harder to see their children and start asking mothers why he had to fight at all”), Kimora streamed herself on Instagram Live to detail how not only did Russell’s celebrity afforded him protection from accountability for his actions but also how he has lied about their relationship on social media despite her blocking him. One example is him sending himself flowers “from” her to post on Instagram. You can see a clip below.

Meanwhile, shortly thereafter, Aoki also started her own Live, corroborating some of her mom’s statements and explaining how the family’s relationship with Russell has deteriorated over the years. According to HipHopDX, she wrote on her Stories, “My father is not well, for years, he needs help and won’t accept that he refuses to acknowledge he is not himself. 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. 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.”

Russell Simmons, who was best known for his role as the co-founder of pivotal rap label Def Jam Recordings, was accused in 2017 of sexual assault by multiple women in incidents spanning decades, has since stepped down from the slew of companies he founded/directed.

Russell Simmons Apologizes to His Daughters Amid Public Spat Over Their Soured Relationship

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Russell Simmons' Anonymous Rape Accusers Loses Lawsuit Because Claims Fell Outside The Statute of Limitations

Russell Simmons apologizes after being engulfed in a family feud with his daughters over Father’s Day Weekend.

In case you missed it, Russell’s oldest daughter, Ming, wished Kimora Lee Simmons a Happy Father’s Day, eliciting a reply from Russell. He posted an image on Instagram: “Stop telling fathers they should have fought harder to see their children and start asking mothers why he had to fight at all.”

Kimora would respond, revealing she and Russell no longer have a relationship as he has been blocked for a while. Kimora states she has tried to get help from lawyers and more.

Their youngest daughter Aoki revealed they had had a long-strained relationship.

“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.”

Aoki would continue to state that he “lashes out” at anyone who speaks against his well-being and he has threatened her fashion job. Aoki also stated she did not know what sexual assault was at 15 but still defended her father.

Aoki also pointed a muted video of her father screaming at her.

On Monday, Simmons released an apology to his children on Instagram but also stated they are going through “growing pains.”

The post Russell Simmons Apologizes to His Daughters Amid Public Spat Over Their Soured Relationship appeared first on The Source.

Russell Simmons Responds To Family’s Comments About His Behavior

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Russell Simmons recently got caught up in a lot of heat based on allegations that came forth from his family. Moreover, his daughter Aoki and his ex-wife Kimora detailed his abusive relationship with them, sharing a clip of him screaming at his 20-year-old daughter via FaceTime. Also, they shared text messages in which Simmons blames Kimora for his situation and for taking his money. During Aoki’s Instagram Live session expressing her fears and emotions surrounding the situation, the disgraced record exec actually took to the comments to apologize. Also, he recently shared a response to these developments seemingly addressed to Aoki and his other daughter Ming.

“God is testing you a little bit, it’s ok,” Russell Simmons wrote on Instagram. “Be strong, they are called growing pains as you know. We grow through adversity and struggle. You were forced to read my books and hear me preach your whole childhood reach back remember to remember ‘smile and breathe’ [red heart emoji]. ‘Smile and breathe.’ You are the watchers of this world so let go be at ease. God is driving and he is working on you [red heart emoji]. No conditions for sure I love you guys more then I love myself.”

Read More: Kanye West & Bianca Censori Spend Valentine’s Day With Russell Simmons

Russell Simmons’ Response

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by The Shade Room (@theshaderoom)

One particular message from Aoki throughout all this hinted at the Def Jam co-founder’s mental health struggles. “My father is not well,” she wrote on Instagram. “For years, he needs help and won’t accept that he refuses to acknowledge he is not himself. 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 apartment at 2am to scare her. 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,” Aoki continued. “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 cr*zy‘ well he is.” Furthermore, for the latest news and updates on this story, stick around on HNHH.

Read More: Kimora Lee Simmons Calls Russell Simmons’s Lawsuit “Harassment”

The post Russell Simmons Responds To Family’s Comments About His Behavior appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Fans Accuse Aoki Simmons Of Snubbing Her Dad Russell In Graduation Post

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aoki

Last week Kimora Lee and Russell Simmons’ youngest daughter broke records as one of the youngest Harvard University graduates. This week fans noticed that her famous father did not attend Aoki’s or Ming’s graduations in New York this month. Social media users also noticed Russell no longer follows Aoki on Instagram.

In a post shared on Instagram Aoki thanks and mentions everyone that contributed to her success in school except Russell..

Aoki writes:

20 years old and we out!✌🏽*inhale* Congratulations to my Mom, my Grandma, my great grandma, my sister (a fellow baddie with a BRAIN nobody how lowkey she is about it!) to the international network of aunties, sisters, and friends, the Evelyns, Kyokos and Kimoras, the women who could not always get their degrees right away but who made damn sure we got ours, This one’s for you, I must dedicate this degree to all the leading ladies in my life, because who am I If not their daughter, granddaughter, sister and friend? Who am I without who came before and beside? We go TOGETHER. Women, period.
Thank you for being here with me, crying tears of exhaustion anxiety and joy with me, congratulations, thank you so much, & in the immortal words of Jay-Z, we on to the next one! 😉🤎🤍🤎🤍

One user @djrockwell777 commented:

AND NOT ONE MENTION OF YOUR FATHER (SMH) WHO WITHOUT HIM YOU WOULD BE JUST AN AVERAGE GIRL DOING AVERAGE THINGS GOING AVERAGE PLACES WITH AVERAGE PEOPLE. IT’S BY HIS LEGACY THAT YOU LIVE LIKE YOU DO. PLEASE SHOW SOME RESPECT.
2d 42 likes

Thoughts?

The post Fans Accuse Aoki Simmons Of Snubbing Her Dad Russell In Graduation Post appeared first on The Source.

Today in Hip-Hop History: Run-D.M.C. Dropped Their Self Titled Debut Album 39 Years Ago

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On this date in 1984, the Kings from Queens released their first self-titled album on Def Jam Recordings under Rush Management.

This monumental album put Daryl McDaniels (DMC), Joseph Simmons (DJ Run), and Jason Mizell (Jam Master Jay) on the map, and launched one of the most successful careers Hip-Hop has ever seen.

With songs like “Sucker MCs,” “It’s Like That,” “Hard Times” and “Rock Box,” the record was an accurate reflection of the lives of three ambitious kids from Hollis, Queens in New York City in a time before the crack epidemic.

Simmons and McDaniels used to hang around Two-Fifths Park in Hollis in late 1980, hoping to rap for the local DJs who performed and competed there. The most popular one just happened to be Mizell, then known as “Jazzy Jase” because of his flashy wardrobe and b-boy attitude. Eventually, Simmons and McDaniels rapped in front of Mizell at the park, and the rest is history.

As a group, they soon strapped on a pair of Adidas, threw on a rope chain and topped it off with a Kangol hat. Little did they know, they were crafting a signature style, one that has stood the test of time and is widely recognized around the world.

Run-D.M.C. went on to release six more albums, including 1985’s King of Rock and 1986’s Raising Hell. Tragically, Mizell was gunned down on October 30, 2002, at his recording studio in Queens. Countless fans left Adidas sneakers, albums and flowers for the legendary DJ outside of the studio, where the murder occurred. The homicide has yet to be solved.

Run-D.M.C. was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009, making them one of only two Hip Hop acts given that honor at the time.

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The post Today in Hip-Hop History: Run-D.M.C. Dropped Their Self Titled Debut Album 39 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Russell Simmons Told Tommy Hilfiger Rappers Wore His Brand “To Look Rich”

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There was a time in Hip Hop history when you couldn’t go anywhere without seeing Tommy Hilfiger. The red, white, and blue striped design was worn by the who’s who of entertainment, from film and television stars to sports icons to Hip Hop and R&B’s elite. For those who lived through that Golden Era of the culture, they will recall when Aaliyah was one of the most famous faces of the brand. In a recent interview, Hilfiger discussed Russell Simmons explaining to him why his brand was so popular in Hip Hop.

“It was so powerful, like an infusion or some sort of a drip,” said Hilfiger, 71. “I was so profoundly inspired by Warhol. I started to look at things like the Rolling Stones tongue, the Nike swoosh, the Mercedes-Benz star, the Chanel Cs and the Gucci Gs [and] I knew I needed my own logo.” In the 1990s, Hilfiger became one of—if not the most—successful brands from the U.S. According to the Irish Times, these days, the brand makes more money outside of America.

Russell Simmons Enlightens Hilfiger

NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 10: Russell Simmons and Tommy Hilfiger backstage at Tommy Hilfiger Presents Fall 2014 Women’s Collection on February 10, 2014 in New York, United States. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)

Hilfiger admitted that products flew off the shelves after Aaliyah posed for a Tommy Jeans ad. “The clothes were very inspired by yachting, prep schools, Ivy League, and New England,” said the designer. “Where more aristocratic privileged Americans lived and summered in Cape Cod, Nantucket and the Hamptons. It was actually Russell Simmons, who really is one of the godfathers of Hip Hop, who said to me that young street kids and rappers wanted to wear the clothes because they wanted to look rich.”

He did what any good businessman would, and he catered to his new audience. Hilfiger said he focused on street styles because Hip Hop “love sports and wanted to be sporting.” He added, “So then I started doing big logos. But they wanted everything way, way oversized, because they were buying sizes that were way too large. And so I started just making oversized, and it was a perfect storm. I was dressing Puff Daddy for his tours, I was dressing Biggie Smalls, I was dressing Tupac.”

The Fake News Scandal That Changed Tommy Hilfiger

These days, fact-checking fake news comes with a click of a button. However, in 1997, things were a bit different when it came to sharing lies about public figures. At the time, a story circulated that Hilfiger visited Oprah Winfrey’s talk show and disparaged marginalized people. He was accused of saying if he knew minority groups would love his clothing, he wouldn’t have made them so nice. It was also alleged he stated he didn’t want anyone but upper-class white people to purchase his clothing.

However, it was all a lie. The conversation and appearance never happened, but Hilfiger’s name was permanently scarred. “It was when the internet was just starting,” Hilfiger recalled. “It was devastating that people would think that I would really think that way. And I think people who know me knew that it wasn’t true. But there are so many millions of people out there who didn’t know me but had heard. You didn’t have social media then – these days, if something blows up on [the fashion watchdog] Diet Prada, there are so many comments. It couldn’t happen now.”

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Amber Rose Offers To Eat Ass In Exchange For Super Bowl Tickets, Diplo & Russell Simmons Respond

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One thing fans will surely always praise Amber Rose for is her authenticity. Over the years, the model has become a pro at being proud of her identity, speaking her truth, and – at times – stirring the pot on social media.

Previously, her antics have included throwing shade at the Kardashians and sharing salacious thirst traps. Now, she’s offering sexual services in exchange for coveted Super Bowl tickets.

Amber Rose attends VERZUZ Bone Thugs-N-Harmony And Three 6 Mafia at Hollywood Palladium on December 02, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

Ahead of next month’s big game, the 39-year-old seems desperate to get her hands on a set. So down bad, in fact, that she’s publicly offering to perform anilingus on anyone who can help her own.

On Monday (January 30), Rose shared a text post on her Instagram feed, asking, “Yo, who’s ass I gotta eat to get tickets to the Super Bowl?” In the caption, she added, “Bitch I’ll have a busy eatin’ contest for them tickets #FlyEaglesFly.”

In the few hours since Rose shared her eyebrow-raising upload, a few potential suitors have come forward. Among them is Diplo, who simply left a hands up emoji in the comments, already earning upwards of 1,000 likes. The rap diva saw his comment and quickly wrote back, “Lmaoooo Diplo!!! [crying laughing emoji].”

Following him is 65-year-old Russell Simmons, who made it known that “[he] got tickets.” More recently, Vinny Guadagnino of Jersey Shore fame also expressed his interest in the offer. “I’m sure I can find some,” the reality star wrote.

@amberrose/Instagram
@amberrose/Instagram

Rose’s name has been in the headlines a lot as of late. This is namely due to her recent appearance on the Sofia with an F podcast, during which she had plenty to say about her love life – both past and present.

Read what Amber specifically had to say about Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa here, and check back later for more pop culture news updates.

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Russell Simmons Is Putting Rap Pioneers Onto The NFT Hustle

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Def Jam Records founder Russell Simmons is entering the NFT business. The hip-hop pioneer will be releasing a a rare collection of the non-fungible tokens on Friday. Russell Simmons To Launch NFT Collection The collection will be called “Masterminds of Hip-hop,” and is the first of it’s kind. It features rare unreleased music, recordings, and […]