To me, There is nothing cooler than a succesful entrepreneur. Everybody can relate to a rags-to-riches story. As an aspiring young entrpreneur myself, I like to look to those who came before me so that I can learn from their triumphs and make my own story a reality.
That's what I plan to share with you. The stories of people who have made it. The ones who took control of their destiny even though the odds weren't always stacked in their favor. The Unususal Suspects.
The First person I will be profiling is one of my favorite Hip-Hop Moguls, in fact he was the first. He paved the way and showed what was possible for a lot of young black entrepreneurs. His innovation helped redefine the music industry and brought hip-hop to the forefront of American entertainment. The man I'm talking about is none other than Russell Simmons, Founder of Def Jam Record Label.
That's what I plan to share with you. The stories of people who have made it. The ones who took control of their destiny even though the odds weren't always stacked in their favor. The Unususal Suspects.
The First person I will be profiling is one of my favorite Hip-Hop Moguls, in fact he was the first. He paved the way and showed what was possible for a lot of young black entrepreneurs. His innovation helped redefine the music industry and brought hip-hop to the forefront of American entertainment. The man I'm talking about is none other than Russell Simmons, Founder of Def Jam Record Label.
Russell Simmons was born in Queens, New York and dropped out of City College of New York to promote music acts like Run DMC and Kurtis Blow. Along with Rick Rubin, Russell Started Def Jam music label which has housed some of the most influential figures in Hip-Hop today like LL Cool J, The Beastie Boys, and Public Enemy. Apart from just excelling in the music industry, Russell ventured into other projects that would also find him success. He started his insanely successful Phat Farm clothing line which also houses the Baby Phat clothing line for women. He started Def Comedy Jam which featured many of today's famous comedians like Bernie Mac, and Martin Lawrence.
I could go on an on about the various businesses and and philanthropic ventures Def Jam's creator has done but it would take all day.The Bottom line is Russell Simmons is the man. He used a burgeoning art form and transformed it into the world wide phenomenon we see today. I'm impressed with Russell's ability to move into different markets and find success. He is definitley someone to look up to if you are looking to start your own business. He did pretty well for a college dropout.
Check out this interview with him. It's a little long but he goes in depth on how he started and his views of business. Plus the interviewer is kinda hott...(HA)
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