I am Russell Simmons, welcome to my All Def AMA

FUCK! I thought you were Richard Simmons and I just shared my story of my grandmother overcoming obesity. I feel so stupid now.

haha no worries. I'm still so glad she reached that milestone & I'm proud of her success.

Rock out man..that is an Awesome accomplishment for all of them. I bet they are feeling great now as well. Congrats to them both.

Is it me or is mgolf thinking of a different Simmons? Great story though!:)

Both would be amazingly fun to chill with regardless

or chill with at the same time sounds like a Reality show

maybe we could teach yoga?

Mr. Simmons, please check out /r/hiphopheads. It's a great group and we'd love to hear from you.

love r/HHH. the thing I love most about hip hop is that the biggest, most commercial artists survive because they don't compromise, but in other genres the biggest artists have veered from their official mantra.

Maaan, Russell Simmons making a shoutout to /r/hiphopheads. Life's good, fam.

it would be pretty wild if he replied to your comment, too, huh?

And we have a winner.

Shameless plug: They have a ton of talented MC's on the /r/hiphopheads mixtape

I'll check it out. thanks for sharing. always looking for the next hot artist & digital is the way everything is going

So, I guess you haven't listened to the new Jay-Z and Eminem albums...

EDIT: I would also like to take this opportunity to apologize for all of the bootlegs I have bought. It was the only way I could get my hands on The Blueprint when I was 11.

Malcom X said it best: "by any means necessary." The Blueprint was a great album.

Your private members bill to get money out of politics - how has that been progressing?

Not as well as I would like but I'm on top of it every day. change needs to happen

WHY ISN'T SNOOP ON HERE COMMENTING YET?!??!

you gotta call his name 3 times to summon him

No question. I just wanted to thank you for your contributions not only to the hip hop community but to music as a whole. Thank you.

my pleasure. thank you for being a supporter.

When trying to start Def Jam, what was a low point that made you think if giving up, if there was such a point?

shipping records into a black hole where nobody would pay us. my experiences taught me about failure and quitting and I learned that there are no failures, only quitters. I see lots of digital stars who come to ADD having spent years building their base, who would never veer from their vision and that's inspiring.

What is the best hook, beat, or song that you wish you'd been a part of?

Fight the Power & Same Love

What made you do yoga with MellowHigh of Odd Future?

they're some cool young dudes I wanted to hang out with

Russel, whos your favourite rapper right now?

this morning it was YG, this month it's Jay Z

Hey Russell! What are your opinions on today's popular rap/hip-hop music and the direction the genre is moving in?

it's poetry with music and vocals. the fact that poetry is still hot makes me glad. good lyrics are good lyrics.

you could compare one of the new artists on ADD, Na'tee, with Foxy Brown and see similarities with just a difference in time.

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It's a breakthrough. hip hop is the sound of the urban underserverd community, and country fills that role for a lot of underseverd america, too. getting them together moves both genres & even our society forward

Hey Mr. Simmons,

That blowing up show sounds awesome. I used to be 440 and have lost 220 pounds over the last 7 years. Are you looking to do more weight loss/conscious aspects for shows. Did you ever consider the post weight loss factors of life after they achieve their goals?

the idea is to get addicted to feeling good. if you know better you do better. The practice of doing yoga is contagious.

Do you think J Dilla was as good at producing as people say, also who is your favorite producer?

Rick Rubin/ kanye / Swizz Beatz

Please tell us anything you can about filming the movie Krush Groove!!!

I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT MY RADIO

Blair Underwood was so handsome. I couldn't pick up any girls when I was with him. They all went after him instead.

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3D Na'tee is one of the best artists yet to truly break.

Will major labels be relevant in 5 to 10 years.

if they're creative, yea. ADD music is part of the solution

I think All Def Poetry has got to be the greatest vehicle for truth online and I really want to spread the word online and get more truthful, inspired truth tellers to give us their poetry.

What is the most important business deal you have done?

i wake up excited every morning -- moving into a new medium is fun, so All Def Digital strikes me as the most important today. but thats only today.

What is the best piece of advice someone has ever told you? What did you think about Kendrick Lamar getting robbed last night for best rap album?

Kendrick is absolutely a better rapper, and Macklemore had one of the most inspiring, socially conscious songs of the year and that is what did well for him. He's a great rapper, but there is no evidence anywhere that he's a better artist than Lamar

If you could have a create collaboration outside of the hip hop genre, who would you pick and why?

I'm inspired by the designer for J Crew. My clothing line Argyleculture needs a great designer like that. In film & TV, working with Brian Grazer was a great experience, but if I could have worked with anyone I'd want it to be Normal Lear.

My goal is to find the modern, young Norman Lear and give him a TV show.

Favorite item at Native Foods? And worst present you've ever recieved?

the Classic Deli Ruben. so good it makes me feel like I'm cheating & eating meat.

Do you still accept cd's/demos from the hands of emcees?

What type of artist do you think hiphop needs right now? What are you looking for?

Lyrics & social consciousness. Someone with lyrics & flow like Kendrick, with the social message of Macklemore. Poets should touch peoples' hearts, and possessing that ability is what's most important.

Didn't you already do this today? Did you delete a first attempt?

that was a fake AMA. mods took care of it. there's only one Russell.

Oops.

So, what words do you have for the community you grew up in?

Stay on your hustle 

what has been the greatest success in your business life?

you seem very at peace with yourself so what is a piece of wisdom you can impart on us?

meditate twice a day. if you don't know how, check out Blowing up or wait until my new Yoga book comes out in a few months.

Do you think Def Jam ever take part in EDM artists? Does Def Jam plan on going worldwide?

Unfortunately the only proof that I'm aging is my inability to get down with EDM. I hope I get a burst of youth and revaluation and understand it. I want to be inspired by young people, but when I hear 6 of those songs back to back in the clubs (yes I still go to clubs) it drives me crazy

What is the greatest lesson you have ever learned?

What's the best piece of advice you ever got?

my first experience in yoga was prompted by now President of Fox Pictures Emma Watts. trying yoga was the best advice I ever got.

Did you ever feel like your veganism didn't fit the hip hop subculture?

I think there's a clash between veganism and mainstream pop culture. The music community is more conscious in general, but hop hop culture is the voice of the poor and people in poverty have a harder time being vegan due to a lack of access and options.

What's your opinion on Macklemore winning the Grammy for Best Rap Album over Kendrick? Thanks for doing this AMA!

answered here. Kendrick is the better rapper no doubt but Macklemore had the power of an important social message.

I loved Def Poetry Jam, especially how you were able to get great Hip Hop artists like Kanye West, MC Lyte and David Banner on the show. It was great to see these artists share their poetry in a different medium and environment than they usually do. Is there any hope for more Def Poetry Jam, or anything similar, from you in the future?

it already exists: ADD poetry. the new wave of young spoken word artists.

What new projects are you looking to get involved with or begin in the next few years?

Professor White is a new comedy series that really cracks me up -- working on the new episodes for that

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I have a number of favorite artists. From Kehinde Wiley, Victor Matthews, to my brother Danny Simmons.