Russell Simmons has been instrumental in bringing Hip-Hop to every facet of business and media since its inception in the late 1970s:

• In music with Def Jam Recordings
• In television with HBO's "The Def Comedy Jam," "Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry" and MTV’s “Run’s House”
• On Broadway with the Tony Award winning stage production "Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on Broadway"
• In the fashion industry with the Phat Farm, Baby Phat, Run Athletics clothing lines
• In the financial services industry with the RushCard
• In the community with Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network

Russell Simmons’ interests extend far beyond the business world, and he spends a considerable energy working for social, political, and philanthropic causes, pushing hip-hop on to new plateaus of power and relevance. In 1995 he, along with his brothers Danny and Joseph Simmons (Rev. Run of Run DMC), founded Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation. The organization is dedicated to providing youth with exposure and access to the arts, as well as offering exhibition opportunities to underrepresented artists and artists of color. In 2001, he founded the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) to harness the cultural relevance of hip-hop music as a catalyst for education advocacy and other societal concerns fundamental to the well being of at-risk youth throughout the United States.

Russell and his ventures are driven by a personal and corporate belief that hip-hop is an enormously influential agent for social change, which must be responsibly and proactively utilized to fight the war on poverty and ignorance.