Some wanted an autograph, others wanted to shake his hand and several wanted to give him a CD of their music.
Even after Def Jam Records co-founder Russell Simmons spent 90 minutes answering questions Wednesday night, students couldn’t get enough of him.
Simmons, chairman of Def Jam Records, Phat Farm Clothing brand and the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, was swarmed by students hoping to meet him after the event.
“I usually feel better when I have a real good exchange with students,” Simmons said.
Simmons, the For Member’s Only fall speaker, attracted almost 600 people, filling Coon Forum.
“You have all ethnicities, all backgrounds either wearing his clothes or listening to his music,” said FMO coordinator Mike Blake, a Medill junior. “If that’s not the epitome of the kind of speaker you want to bring to this school, I don’t know who is.”
Dressed from head to toe in Phat Farm clothing, Simmons discussed everything from politics to music to fashion.
Attributing his success to persistence, Simmons said he started Def Jam Records because no label understood the hip-hop culture.
“Anything we built, it was because hip-hop needed it,” he said.
Simmons said he believes in honesty and supports artists expressing themselves. Intent and content should be the focus of music rather than the language, he said.
“I’m bored when it’s not the truth, when artists tell you about some hardship they didn’t have,” Simmons said.
Although he has been called a mogul in the business world, Simmons said he wants to use his access and fame to benefit society.
An advocate of voting, Simmons told the audience he goes to political campaign rallies to lobby for education and youth participation in the political system.
“Young people in America are pretty apathetic, and that’s been on my mind a lot,” Simmons said. “We’re hopeful that people will vote the same who have the same issues.”
About 80 percent of the people buying rap music are not black, Simmons said, which indicates a recognition of similar issues in different communities.
But Simmons also has a strong focus on family and education, which stems in part from his spirituality he gained through taking yoga, he said.
“My first class was mainly because there were a lot of fine girls in there,” Simmons said. “I’ve got a great appreciation of religion now. I really like the idea of truth.”
Blake said he appreciated Simmons’ honesty and felt motivated by the speech.
“Tonight you had essentially the melting pot there,” Blake said. “It means a lot to me as a black male seeing a black man reaching out to help others the way he is.”
Medill freshman Will Jones said he attended the event to see a celebrity but also found encouraging messages in Simmons’ answers.
“He seemed like a regular person,” he said. “It didn’t seem like millions of dollars behind him. For some people, it may encourage them to follow their dreams because he’s just like them.”
