Russell Wendell Simmons was born on October 4, 1957, in Queens, New York. He grew up rough on the streets of Hollis, a middle-class neighbourhood where he was a member of a local gang and made money from selling marijuana. Simmons also frequently promoted block parties and club shows in the neighbourhood.
He graduated from August Martin High School in 1975 and proceeded to City College of New York to study Sociology. Subsequently, Russell dropped out of college to pursue a career in hip-hop, a genre of music that was only in its beginning phase at the time.
He founded Rush Management and began promoting local hip-hop acts like Kurtis Blow, and Run-D.M.C. In 1984, Russell collaborated with Rick Rubin to co-found what would become the revolutionary platform for hip-hop music- Def Jam Recordings.
Breakthrough With Def Jam
Russell brought his artists including Kurtis Blow, Run-D.M.C and Beastie Boys to Def Jam and soon included LL Cool J. The latter became the label’s pioneer artist with the hit single “I Need a Beat” released in 1984. The success of the single which sold over 100,000 copies in the US established Def Jam as a top label. LL Cool J’s debut album also sold over 500,000 copies in the space of 5 months, further exposing the label and landing them a giant distribution deal with Columbia Records.
Def Jam soon expanded its lineup to include rappers like Public Enemy, and Oran “Juice” Jones. The label continued to expand as its artists achieved stardom. In an attempt to expose Def Jam and its artists to the mainstream, Russell turned the story behind Def Jam’s formation into a movie entitled “Krush Groove” (1985). He also produced the 1988 Run-D.M.C. film “Tougher Than Leather”.
However, in 1988 Rick Rubin left Def Jam as a result of varying interests leaving Russell as the sole frontman of the burgeoning label. Rick later sold his share in the company to Universal Music Group for $120 million in 1992.
Russell continued to keep his share of the company and subsequently added artists like Ja Rule, DMX, and Foxy Brown. In 1999, UMG completed its acquisition of Def Jam in a $100 million deal with Russell remaining as the chairman.
