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Russell Simmons says his success is built on the "arrogance of white men" who rejected his music and fashion vision, leaving him to reap the rewards -- "60 Minutes II" Wednesday
He Defends Rap Lyrics as "Truth" Reflective of Communities Ignored by the Government
Hip-hop mogul Russell Simons is laughing his way to the bank as his vision of music and fashion, once rejected by mainstream record executives as a fad, has crossed over from its urban black roots to white suburbia. Simmons discusses his empire and the $10 billion-a-year hip-hop industry he leads, in a 60 MINUTES II profile to be broadcast Wednesday, Feb. 11 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
"The arrogance of white men is why I’m here today," Simmons tells Charlie Rose. "My independence is because they didn’t accept me. So I’ve made more money every step of the way," says Simmons, who just sold his clothing brand, Phat Farm, for $140 million.
All told, his hip-hop business lines generate nearly half a billion dollars a year and include branded products like watches and cell phones and even a magazine. It is estimated that 80 percent of hip hop’s audience is white.
Asked if the controversy over hip hop -- whose "gangsta" lyrics can be violent, misogynistic and often glorify a street life that includes guns and murder -- is a downside to his success, Simmons makes no apologies. "You may not like the truth that’s coming out of some of the mouths of young people, but those are people you wouldn’t hear from at all," he tells Rose.
Simmons asserts that the government, by allowing the decay of communities, is part of the problem. "The conditions of suffering…in our impoverished communities are not acceptable. The reflection of those conditions is less concerning to me and I work every day about changing those conditions," says Simmons.
The U.S. government could use the same scrutiny applied to rappers, rails Simmons. "Why aren’t we talking about the gangsta government we have?…Gangsta rappers, they’re imitating the gangsta government," yells Simmons.
The profile of Simmons includes interviews with his wife, model Kimora Lee, fellow hip-hop entrepreneur P. Diddy and Simmons’s friend, real estate king Donald Trump.
Jeff Fager is the executive producer of 60 MINUTES II; Neeraj Khemlani and David Rubin are the producers of this segment.
Source: CBS Press Release
You'd think with that much money invested in a clothing line they could make waistbands that stay at the waist.
Posted by: LeeAnn | February 15, 2004 at 07:09 AM
"You may not like the truth that’s coming out of some of the mouths of young people, but those are people you wouldn’t hear from at all."
Because they weren't heard, a violent way of life has become their truth. It is the same with the estimated 300 women who have been murdered in Juarez, Chihuahua - their story was not heard/accepted by the mainstream media, by the "American" people, and... now 300 women have lost their lives violently.
Violence is not an essential characteristic of an ethnicity; it is the making of a whole sociey. Many factors are involved - ignorance, indifference from the majority, prejudice towards the "other" - a people profoundly unlike oneself. Of course, culture values do play a part in a subgroup's material success or failure, but so do many other factors.
Concerning the govt, the govt. is not scrutinized because of it's power - it's power over world affairs and over it's citizens, our minds and bodies (via the media and military/police state).
Posted by: Rose | February 17, 2004 at 06:33 AM