Source: Dave Kotinsky / Getty
The last month of Hip-Hop 50 was meant to be spent celebrating those pioneers who helped shaped the genre into the commercial juggernaut that it’s become today. Instead, we’re left playing a guessing game of “Who’s Next” to fall from grace. So far, Bad Boy Records has taken the lead from defending champion R. Kelly now that Diddy has racked in a number of sexual assault allegations in just the past two weeks alone.
However, many haven’t been quick to forget that it all really started with the scathing allegations of manipulation, coercion and brutal rape at the hands of once-celebrated hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons. Since 2017, the Def Jam Recordings co-founder has been accused by a handful of women of the aforementioned crimes, each with their own tale of Simmons’ sadistic behavior during their respective times working for him.
He’s been adamant to deny all claims against him, quite possibly more vehemently than any person in his position accused of the same, and he decided to quadruple down on his innocence in a new interview via
In Depth With Graham Bensinger.
RELATED: Russell Simmons Defends Dating Kimora Lee Simmons As A Teenager
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While Russell did his best to do a clean-up to his damaged-beyond-repair reputation, from mentioning how he got Beyoncé and Jay-Z into veganism to recounting his rise with Def Jam by way of launching careers for The Beastie Boys and Run-DMC. Sadly, things took a turn for the awkward when it came time to address both the infamous sexual assault allegations from multiple women and his strained public feuding with ex-wife Kimora Lee Simmons and their adult daughters.
“I was in so many compromising situations that people can have a recollection from 30 or 40 years ago, and it can be different from my recollection,” he said to Bensinger, further adding as a sort of thesis to his overall comments, “We had more foursomes than most guys had onesomes. Could someone leave and feel hurt? Could someone leave and feel they wished they hadn’t? Could someone re-imagine a story out of thousands of people? Could someone want notoriety in a market where people thirst for fame — even infamous? Could someone who just came out of jail and want to sue you because they had an experience and they can re-imagine it just a little bit different? Could you be vulnerable enough to accept it?” [sic]
Simmons’ nerves about how the interview could be perceived seemed to kick in at the 11:39 mark, where he flat-out tells Bensinger, “You can shape my life to be a good life and be a servant to God, or you can fuck me up. It really could be that dramatic.”
Based on reactions from the masses already, we doubt he had little to no chance at gaining any good standing anyway. Especially while broadcasting from his hideaway in Bali.
Keep scrolling to see some of the standout reactions to Russell Simmons’ latest interview addressing his many, many sexual assault allegations:
