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Russell Simmons Research Paper

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Russell Simmons: Business Mogul, Innovator, Hip Hop Legend On October 4, 1957 in New York City a future black success was born by the name of Russell Simmons. Russell Simmons was born specifically in Jamaica, Queens located on the outer part of New York City. Russell was the middle child between his parents having a younger and older brother. Russell’s dad was a professor at the University level while his mother was recreation director for NYC parks and they both were proud graduates of Howard University in Washington, D.C. At the age of eight Simmons and his family moved into another home in the Hollis neighborhood. Their new home was near a notorious corner in that neighborhood known as a place for drug dealers and users to meet and make …show more content…

Russell helped the Beastie Boys obtain a broader audience and revived the careers of Aerosmith. Russell Simmons also played a major role in bringing the rock group Aerosmith and the rap group Run-D.M.C together to do a video together after Run-D.M.C. covered Aerosmith’s hit record “Walk This Way”. became a classic of MTV’s first decade on the air. Jennifer Renigold a writer for As Fast Company said that “the marriage of hard rock and rap seems natural, two strands of the same teenage angst and anger. During that period in the world black “street” kids and white “suburban” kids liking the same music was unheard of but thanks to Russell that all changed.
Russell Simmons would continue his career by going on to work with and mentor/help well known performers such as Will Smith when he was known as the “Fresh Prince”, and along with Will he would also help the rap group Public Enemy to huge mainstream success. Russell Simmons was quoted saying in an interview when he was asked if he invented the rap genre “no, I didn’t invent it but I was the first to believe that the artist was bigger than the song. Other labels believed that artists only live record to record. I didn't have that disco mentality that you threw the artists away after the song

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