RUSSELL SIMMONS & OCCUPY WALL STREET

[Reginald Hudlin]

GAWKER:

  Rap mogul Russell Simmons offered via Twitter to pay for the cleanup activities mandated by Mayor Bloomberg down at Occupy Wall Street HQ in Zuccotti Park. He received no response. Simmons then repeatedly pledged he'd join protesters in jail.

[Battle]

Wow. 

[Hypestyle]

Hopefully Uncle Rush can inspire other rappers to get down with the movement, bling-blingers or backpackers..

[jackson35]

uncle Russell is considered a square right now, so nobody cares what he does.

[stanleyballard]

The idea behnind some of what they are saying seems to be accurate...they are standing up for the masses to get more representation and to have diverse choices ...not sure of Simmons' role in all this but the basic idea is correct.

[Emperorjones]

I commend Simmons footing the bill, but something about his involvement doesn't sit well with me. Like one of the protesters heckled, he is part of the problem. I think there is an effort by the Democrats and others to co-opt the movement, to channel its energy to their ends. They want to neuteralize the movement and some want to turn it into a voting block for Obama in 2012.

As for Simmons, he's made his fortune, but often by selling a warped view of the black urban youth he claims to represent. It's a mixed record, because while I'm sure he's put some folks on, not to mention helped make hip hop a global phenomenon, I have to wonder at how he did it, and what was the ultimate price?

[Battle]

As for Simmons, he's made his fortune, but often by selling a warped view of the black urban youth he claims to represent. It's a mixed record, because while I'm sure he's put some folks on, not to mention helped make hip hop a global phenomenon, I have to wonder at how he did it, and what was the ultimate price?

I'd recommend reading his book from 2003. I forget the title but I cannot forget one story he told during his street hustling days where he ran out of drugs to sell so he substitutes by scraping drug scented incense into a little plastic bag and sold that with no complaints.

[Redjack]

wow.