| Russell
Simmons
Pictured here in his prime, Russell
"Rush" Simmons in the face of hip hop past as
well as hip hop present. Whether you love the guy and his
Def Jam empire or hate him, you have got to admit that he
took the hand he was dealt in life and played it masterfully.
If you have watched the VH1 "Behind the Music: The
Russell Simmons Story", there may not be anything here
that you don't already know. However, there is always a
chance....
Rick Rubin
and Russell Simmons created the Def Jam label with whatever
cash they could scrape together. With early hits by LL
Cool J, the duo was able to increase their net worth
and continue to move towards something larger. They decided
to sign several of the rap groups that would define what
is for many the "golden era" of hip hop... Beastie
Boys, LL Cool J, Public Enemy,
3rd Bass, Onyx, &
Warren G the and list goes on. One thing that Rick and Russell
prided themselves on what that they knew how to market an
image.
The image that they impart created
for the Beastie Boys was the notorious beer drinking, skirt
chasing, VW badge wearing characters that to this day have
sold more than nine million copies of Licensed
to Ill. From the sale of that nine million copies,
the Beastie Boys saw very little of the royalty money because
they split from the Def Jam label and opted to sign with
Capitol Records. Following the Licensed to Ill world
tour, Russell and Rick wanted the band to return to the
studio and record a follow-up to Licensed to Ill.
The band was tired and was not interested in going right
back to work. Def Jam didn't like this decision and tempers
flared resulting in the termination of the contact with
the band.
Since the split from Def Jam, the band and Russell Simmons
have remained friends. It was said that both parties realized
that they had a long history and friendship prior to the
departure from the label, so therefore neither should allow
business to come between them. That having been said, the
band has been known to make lyrical jab or two at Russell.
For more on the Russell Simmons,
fans should read his book Life and Def: Sex, Drugs, Money,
+ God published by Random House. It of course mentions
the Beastie Boys and shows a rare photo or two, but there
is so much more to it than that. The book tells of how one
man turned a revolution into an empire. He took hip-hop
global. He's clocked unprecedented success in the worlds
of television, film, and advertising. With Phat Farm he
transformed the fashion industry, and now through the pages
of this book you can read the true story of his remarkable
journey.
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