Russell Simmons, political activist, founder and ceo of Def Jam records and of Phat Farm clothing, will present a lecture, "Hip-Hop's Influence on Politics, Economics and Popular Culture," on Thursday, March 11, at 8 p.m. in Wellin Hall at Hamilton College. The lecture is presented by the C. Christine Johnson Voices of Color Lecture Series. It is free and open to the public.
Russell Simmons has long shaped the cutting edge of hip-hop: America's most compelling cultural explosion of the latter 20th century. Over the last 25 years, Simmons brought hip-hop to every facet of media and pop culture. He has done so in music with Def Jam Recordings; in television with HBO's "The Def Comedy Jam" and "Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry;" on Broadway with the critically-acclaimed stage production "Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on Broadway;" in the fashion industry with the Phat Farm and Baby Phat clothing lines; in magazine publishing with One World Magazine; and in the community with Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network.
Simmons is a native New Yorker who came of age as hip-hop was being born in the city's African-American neighborhoods. As a student at CCNY he saw his first rap show in 1977. He immediately understood that hip-hop represented a creative explosion on par with earlier African-American art forms such as jazz, swing, gospel, blues, rock 'n' roll, soul, and funk. He soon began promoting his own shows, managing artists and producing records. By the early '80s the roster of his Rush Artist Management included hit-making rappers such as Whodini, Kurtis Blow, and Run-DMC. In 1984 Simmons co-founded Def Jam Recordings, which, in the early years, represented talent such as LL Cool J, the Beastie Boys, and Public Enemy. Today, Def Jam is the leading label in the market, with artists such as Jay-Z, DMX, and Method Man.
In 1991 Simmons began producing "Def Comedy Jam" for HBO. The show, which ran for seven years, helped revolutionize the American comedy industry. Some of today's hottest comedians, including Martin Lawrence, Chris Tucker, Jamie Foxx and Bill Bellamy got their starts on the show.
A year later, Simmons founded Phat Farm, a men's sportswear brand that began as a passion to convey the All-American lifestyle, and has evolved into the standard for sportswear worldwide. Phat Farm has since paved the way for a women's collection, Baby Phat, which is under the creative direction of wife, Kimora Lee Simmons. Due to the success of the men's and women's collection, the company introduced kids' wear, Phat Farm Boys and Baby Phat Girlz.
Simmons' interests extend far beyond the business world, as he spends a great deal of his time and energy working for social, political and philanthropic causes. In 1995 he, along with his brothers Danny and Joseph, founded Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation. Later, in 2001, Simmons organized the historic Hip-Hop Summit, and founded the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN). HSAN is a non-profit, non-partisan coalition of hip hop artists, entertainment industry leaders, education advocates, civil rights proponents and youth leaders united in the belief that hip-hop is an enormously influential agent for social change, which must be utilized to fight the war on poverty and injustice. HSAN has been active lately in the drive to register youth to vote. Simmons also played an active part in the protest of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposed $1 billion education cut.
Hamilton's Voices of Color Lecture series was established to recognize and honor Christine Johnson, director of the Higher Education Opportunity Program for more than 30 years. Hamilton students Keturah Brown and Chandler Long founded the series in 2001 to provide a forum for the education and exchange of ideas from prominent and reputable persons of color in academia and beyond.
