Phat Farm
| Russell Simmons | |
|---|---|
Simmons at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Mansome
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|
| Born |
Russell Wendell Simmons October 4, 1957 Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | City College of New York |
| Occupation | Co-founder of Def Jam and founder of Phat Farm, All Def Digital, Global Grind, Def Pictures, Argyleculture,Tantris, American Classics Music Producer Author |
| Net worth |
 $340 million (2011) |
| Spouse(s) | Kimora Lee (1998–2009) |
| Partner(s) | Hana Nitsche (2012-2013) |
| Children | Ming Lee (b. 2000) Aoki Lee (b. 2002) |
| Relatives |
Rev Run (brother) Daniel Simmons, Jr. (brother) |
| Website | Rush Communications |
Russell Wendell Simmons (born October 4, 1957) is an American entrepreneur, producer and author. The Chairman and CEO of Rush Communications, he cofounded the hip-hop music label Def Jam Recordings and created the clothing fashion lines Phat Farm, Argyleculture, and Tantris. Simmons had a net-worth estimate of $340 million in 2011.
Simmons was born and raised in Queens, New York. His father is a public school administrator and his mother is a New York City park administrator. His brothers are painter Daniel Simmons, Jr., and Rev Run of Run-DMC.
In 1975, after graduating from August Martin High School, Simmons briefly attended the City College of New York in Harlem where he met a young DJ/Bboy, Kurt Walker, who influenced him to participate in the hip-hop phenomenon.
Upon hearing Eddie Cheeba perform at Charles' Gallery in Harlem in 1977, Simmons knew that hip hop would be his career. Simmons stated, "Hearing Cheeba in '77 made me feel like I had just witnessed the invention of the wheel."
In 2014, Claremont Lincoln University awarded Russell Simmons an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Humane Letters for his work as chairman of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding and for promoting mindfulness, compassion and interreligious collaboration in the public sphere.
Simmons co-founded Def Jam in 1983 with Rick Rubin who sold his share of the company for $120 million to Universal Music Group in 1996. In 1985 Russell Simmons co-produced and appeared in the film, Krush Groove. Simmons' company, Rush Communications Inc. includes over ten businesses and three non-profits. Simmons, with his partner Stan Lathan, has also produced television hits HBO's Def Comedy Jam, Def Poetry Jam and currently has a development deal with HBO In 1996, Simmons co-produced the hit film The Nutty Professor, starring Eddie Murphy. In 2003, Russell Simmons co-founded RushCard, a prepaid debit card provider. In October 2015, hundreds of thousands of Rushcard customers were unable to access their funds for weeks.
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