The half-billion-dollar hip-hop empire of Russell Simmons - Cover Story - Biography

Ebony, July, 2003 by Kevin Chappell

Simmons cites Detroit, the site of his last Hip-Hop Summit, as a very progressive city where young people have taken the lead in bringing fresh ideas to solve old problems.

In its second year, the Summit has become his vehicle for social discussion and change. He funds much of the Summit out of his own pocket, donating the proceeds to some 50 charities through the Rush Foundation. "Any success exceeds my expectations," he says. "It's a blessing because I don't have high aspirations. When we did the first Summit, I didn't expect Will Smith, Puffy, LL Cool J, and Jay-Z to come and be committed, or Alicia Keys and Queen Latifah. It's always a shock."

He says young people are misunderstood by society. As he gets older, he says it is important to surround himself with young people, and encourage their creativity. "There's a lack of encouragement, a lack of mentorship by adults," he says. "We judge them too much, instead of letting them be themselves. I feel this is our best generation, and our best opportunity to make a difference."

His insight is cherished throughout the hip-hop community. "If it weren't for Russell Simmons, I wouldn't be in the game," Sean (P. Diddy) Combs once said. "He created the blueprint for hip-hop. For our generation, the baton was taken by Russell ... He knows how to break down color barriers without compromising who he is. He never took off his Adidas or turned his hat ... even though he was doing business with White people. He taught us that you can go out there, get your money and be yourself, and you don't have to throw on your tap dancing shoes."

For Simmons, being himself nowadays also means being devoted to his family. He says his two daughters, 9-month-old Aoki Lee and Ming Lee, 3, have brought him a joy he has never known before. "She grabs my arm and kisses it all of the time," he says of Ming Lee. "I don't even know how to respond to it. It's the most beautiful thing. I would have never thought fatherhood was this great."

The couple wants to have more kids. "We're working on our third child every day," says Kimora, who was raised by her mother as an only child (although she has a half brother and half sister). "We want to have five, and we also want to adopt some."

Simmons is also dedicated to his religion. He practices yoga sutras, eight principles based on a 5,000-year-old religious scripture. "I first got addicted to the physical part of yoga," he says. "When I began studying it, I realized that the physical part of it is one of the eight steps. It's a beautiful practice. There are as many roads to God as there are people. Yoga is one of them. I've always had a difficult time with organized religion. I wasn't ready for it," he says. "Yoga changed my life dramatically. Before yoga, I was an insomniac. I couldn't sleep. I was worried about a bunch of stuff that I couldn't change. But I started to let go of wasteful ideas. I learned to be at peace, as opposed to having anxiety over your work. I realized what makes me happy. I'm in a more peaceful state."