Known as “The Godfather of Hip Hop,” no one has done more to move hip-hop culture into the mainstream than Russell Simmons.
Simmons started in music, founding Def Jam records with legendary music producer Rick Rubin. Launching such acts as LL Cool J, Run DMC and the Beastie Boys – Simmons’ early days at Def Jam helped to take hip-hop music from the streets of New York and into living rooms across the country.
But Simmons wanted to do more than expose hip-hop to the mainstream, he wanted to show America that hip-hop WAS mainstream – we just didn’t know It yet. Simmons began to expand his empire (and thus, his influence). Soon he was producing movies (KRUSH GROOVE, NUTTY PROFESSOR) and hit television series (DEF COMEDY JAM).
Still, Simmons wanted more...
In 1992, Simmons started what would prove to be one of his most successful enterprises – the Phat Farm clothing line.
Starting with a boutique in New York’s SoHo district, Phat Farm had humble beginnings but would eventually explode. Simmons looked to create an affluent brand with urban sensibilities. Despite his background, he didn’t want Phat Farm to be pigeonholed as a company who only made clothes for urban youth. He had seen those types of lines appear only disappear over night. Instead, he wanted to create a classic look that was similar to Tommy Hilfiger or Ralph Lauren – only with a hip-hop flair. As he called it, Phat Farm was “Classic American Flava”.
Since it’s inception, Phat Farm has become one of the leaders in not just urban fashion – but fashion in general. In fact, Simmons’ paved the way for future hip-hop moguls to expand their brands with clothing lines as well. Both Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jay-Z have followed in his footsteps, forming clothing lines Sean John and Rocawear respectively.
In 2000, Simmons looked to expand the Phat Farm brand even further when he and his (then) wife, supermodel Kimora Lee, started a woman’s line – Baby Phat.
Simmons sold his stake in Phat Farm in 2004 for a reported $140 million.
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