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1 interview · 3 quotes
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In these exclusive interviews, we speak to Russell Simmons (Co-Founder of Def Jam, Chairman & CEO of Rush Communications – described by USA Today as one of the “Top 25 Most Influential…
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The difference between rap, jazz, blues, rock & roll, pop, r&b and all that is that the hip-hop artists held on to it…. MTV didn't play any people of colour until hip-hop came along. They had Michael Jackson then they had Run D.M.C. Run D.M.C's 'Rock Box' and these records were honest and real reflections of what came from these people's communities- from a poetry and music standpoint.
— Russell SimmonsFounder of Def Jam Records & Hip-Hop Pioneer
Honesty! It has a greater share of integrity than most pop phenomenon- and consistently. They coined an expression early, that people had this attitude of '…keeping it real…'. People always said they do art, but they don't do art for money… what was real was that they wanted to get ahead- so their poetry reflected what was in their hearts.
— Russell SimmonsFounder of Def Jam Records & Hip-Hop Pioneer
When they went to work, it wasn't that they were selling out but rather the intention of human beings to chase things… material stuff… come out of the ghetto… achieve… they wanted their own reflection in pop culture… they didn't want any of this YMCA, Patrick Juvet's – I Love America or any of these disco records that were out…. they didn't want to listen to that on black radio, it was insulting…. so they made their own.
— Russell SimmonsFounder of Def Jam Records & Hip-Hop Pioneer
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