Russell Simmons

Photography: Webb Chappell Russell Simmons remains a man on the move. Since launching the Def Jam record label, in 1984, the hip-hop mogul has expanded into fashion, financial services, TV, and film. Over a recent 48-hour period he hosted 200 religious leaders at his house, spoke with Al Gore onstage, gave multiple interviews while negotiating a movie deal, and squeezed in a workout, with just vegan food to sustain him. His latest venture is aptly named ADD, or All Def Digital. Interviewed by Alison Beard and Matthew Cadwallader HBR: People sometimes criticize you for doing too many things at once. How do you respond to that? Simmons: Of course I do a lot. But the stuff I do, I do every day, and I’ve been doing it for long periods of time. I’ve been running the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding with imams and rabbis for 15 years. RushCard—serving the underbanked—10 years. Argyleculture—back in fashion—five years. So I think I’m focused. I don’t start and quit—ever. I start and stay on it. You’ve discovered or developed many musical talents, from Kurtis Blow to Kanye West, and comedians, too. What do you look for in those people? Do they sing melodies that make you feel good? Do they make you laugh? That’s it. If it’s not an artist, if it’s an executive, then you want persistence and resilience and all those other critical qualities. But I generally don’t make talent decisions based on people’s character. Do you mentor artists and executives differently? Building an artist is like building a brand. Developing business associates—putting your brand, your DNA, into someone at your company—it takes work. You have to spend time with them so they understand what you’re trying to do, what they can help you do. Then they become smarter than you at your business, and they take over. What’s the key to effective deal making? I give it away. My process is to make sure my partners are incentivized. I won’t make a deal that’s only favorable to me. Even selling a house, I want everybody to be happy and inspired. You’ve described yourself as a bridge—between black and white, young and old, Muslims and Jews, street and corporate. Why do you think you’re so good at playing that role? Because I like all kinds of people, and I find that we’re all the same. I’m surprised that everybody doesn’t get excitement from finding that different cultures all lead back to the same path—just like religions, despite what people make of their differences. Muhammad and Abraham, Lord Buddha, Krishna—they all promote tolerance. So I go back to this simple idea that we’re all the same, and that makes me want to be a bridge for people who don’t have the same realization. Now, street and corporate? There’s a bridge I didn’t build. Business will always get the quicker route. Your companies have been portrayed as places where black executives can thrive. I don’t work like that. I don’t train black executives to be comfortable in a black environment. I integrate. Music is very integrated. The hip-hop department is not necessarily run by a black guy, and the big company is not necessarily run by a white guy. Some senior executives still live in a little white boys’ club, but that will change too. With music, you can’t stop the audience from being the same. Rihanna and Katy Perry are from different places, but there’s sameness in their art and in their character, so they make records together. Hollywood doesn’t allow that. There’s a lack of integration, and I think, “How dare they?” But I also think, “Black Hollywood, how dare you?” They’re equally guilty. As progressive as people in Hollywood think they are, they live in a box. If you go into an agency, they all look exactly the same. They all got on black suits. It’s Men in Black —without Will Smith. How do you come up with new ideas and stay ahead of new trends? I don’t need new ideas. But ADD, my new company, is an attempt to do that. The name suits me, but it’s All Def Digital, and it’s a new way of exploring how to move content off the web across different media properties. I think if you’re open-minded, the road will take you where it takes you. If you’re closed, you might not get to go where the road is heading. You tend to be a trailblazer who’s then followed by many competitors. How do you feel about that? I beg them to join me. In fashion, I look at a company like Macy’s. A big percentage of their business is from people of color. But they ain’t got enough people of color designing clothes. Do you think I really need to be there alone? If more brands build a presence for the same culture in the store, then my company’s going to do better. If I launch RushCard and another prepaid card provider like Green Dot doesn’t explode, then my company won’t explode. I need to educate people and build a space. So I don’t look at market share. In any business I’m in, I’m too small to worry about that. You’ve said you decide things on instinct. Yes, but I listen to a lot of informed resources first. I measure them all, and then I trust my gut. This is why I meditate: Things come and go and come and go and come and go, and then I reach a conclusion not based on any one piece of information but on what comes from inside. Your first fashion brand, Phat Farm, took six years to become profitable. You were so successful in music; why did you persist? Same reason I’m pushing ahead in fashion again with Argyleculture. There’s a hole in the market, and I’ve got to get it right. The opportunity is still there. And it’s not about color. It’s about culture. You’ve partnered with and sold to very big companies. What are some of the biggest surprises or frustrations you’ve faced? They’re slow. But some of them have great boards. And having great advisers, great investors, can make your company tremendously better. You may have a vision, but the execution of it requires all the intellectual capital and resources you can get. What do you look for in board members, then? Smarter than me. They’re all smart in some way, but finding how to use their genius is even harder than finding them. That’s the skill—getting what’s good from people. You’ve been active in public policy—from advocating against New York laws on mandatory jail time to promoting the ethical treatment of animals. Do you feel that’s one of your obligations as a celebrity? Celebrity is only good if you can use it to benefit others. So for me, it’s a must-do. People, unfortunately, listen to me and other celebrities. So I have a voice, and I’m going to use it. As I get it, I give it. I believe it’s useful in promoting compassionate policies and ideas. Would you be pursuing these things on your own if you weren’t famous? Well, I don’t know what I’d be doing. But we all evolve, don’t we? I mean, I used to eat pig’s feet. I’m a vegan. I used to sell drugs. I don’t drink, smoke, or take drugs. I was in a gang. Now I’m an advocate for nonviolence. So I have these intentions now, and I think they’ve come because of life’s experiences. What have you learned about political leadership through your advocacy work? In a nutshell: Al Gore, the progressive, becomes the vice president, advocates for the rich, becomes not the vice president, becomes a progressive again. I mean, I think Al Gore has a good heart. But it’s very difficult. Look at how polarized the country is. As long as you don’t have a Congress that works together, we’re going to have this disconnect. What makes for a successful business leader? You have to be resilient. Resilience is critical in building a business because it usually doesn’t come out like you planned. It usually takes longer than you planned. Who are your mentors? It changes every day. Quincy Jones, David Geffen, Rabbi Marc Schneier, Minister Louis Farrakhan—there are many. They’ve taught me tolerance, patience. And from my yogis and my gurus I’ve learned stillness. Every creative idea, every second of happiness, is from stillness. You don’t seem like a very still person. Well, I meditate twice a day. But the way you move around the world has nothing to do with the stillness in your heart. Moving meditation—that’s what we have to practice. It doesn’t mean you have to move slow; you just have to see the world in slow motion.

Russell Simmons

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