Russell Simmons; the original and eternal hip-hop mogul; is one of the most innovative and influential figures in modern American business and culture. When no one outside of inner-city New York had even heard of hip-hop; Simmons saw the seeds of a global force that would change the way people talk; dress; listen to music; and choose the heroes they hang on their walls. Today; he oversees a sprawling; multimillion-dollar empire of culture-defining businesses in everything from music to fashion; advertising to film; and media to visual art. At the same time hersquo;s broadened his interests and influence and pushed hip-hop to new plateaus of power and relevance. Life and Def is a one-of-a-kind tale that interweaves the remarkable journey of Russell Simmons with the story of the culture hersquo;s transformed and been transformed by. In his own brash; compelling voice; Simmons chronicles his numerous business successes and occasional failures. He tells the story of the founding of the legendary Def Jam Records; whose roster stretches from original rap icons like L.L. Cool J; Public Enemy; and the Beastie Boys to todayrsquo;s top stars; including Jay-Z and DMX. He traces the launching of Def Comedy Jam; the long-running hit television series that introduced a new generation of black comedic stars to America; from Martin Lawrence and Bill Bellamy to Bernie Mac and Chris Rock. He spins hilarious tales of his adventures in Hollywood; where hersquo;s produced hit movies like Eddie Murphyrsquo;s The Nutty Professor and worked with quirky geniuses like Abel Ferrara. He also tells the story of Phat Farm; the wildly successful pioneering urban clothing label whose origins lay in Russellrsquo;s longtime fascination with fashion (and fashion models).Simmonsrsquo;s story is also one of personal transformation; from the driven man who in the heady days of early success indulged himself with drugs; sex; and world-class decadence to the husband and father he is today; a man who has found meaning in activism; philanthropy; and spiritual practice while never losing his passion for the social; political; artistic; and commercial potential of hip-hop.Through it all he relates telling anecdotes about the characters hersquo;s dealt with: models and gangsters; street poets and gurus; and major players like Donald Trump; Sean Combs; Jon Peters; and Tupac Shakur. Full of advice; opinions; and behind-the-scenes scoop; Life and Def is the story of the quintessential hip-hop life.From the Hardcover edition.
#673381 in eBooks 2001-12-18 2001-12-18File Name: B000RH0E8O
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy CascaLove it.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. First edition at 1% of the price.By Felicia FilsdotterAfter I sadly lost an auction for a first edition of Midsummer Nights Dream with 1906 drawings by Arthur Rackham; I found and ordered this version -- a faithful copy. Im delighted -- and not out so much money! :-)9 of 10 people found the following review helpful. A DreamBy AntoniaIm an avid collector of all books to do with fairies. This will take its place as a favorite among all my books. The play is magical; and the mix of genius -- Shakespeares words and Rackhams imagery -- transported me to another world. Theres nothing like it!!! As a fairy photographer/artist [...] Im passionate about this genre and have have seen many of Rackhams illustrations before. It is really great to see them here with the story. There are the color copies from the plates; but also a plethora of elegant and whimsical pen and ink fairy drawings that introduce the chapters and decorate the pages that Id never seen. Oh for joy. The pages appear to be copied from the original book (as if duplicated by scanning the original 1908 pages; but cleaned up to look new and enlarged); and they did a great job. The quality of the color reproductions is very good; especially for a paperback in this price range. I would love to have this in a hardback -- the publishers would do well to create an even fancier edition of this hearthrob -- the same size but with a more vintage-look and feel. The soft paperback tends to splay in my hands in its large format. This is a keeper and one that Id like to last for years. Go check out the reviews on other publications of this play by itself without the illustrations -- you will find an audience that has been spellbound.I also found a university site with the original book binding and almost all the images in the book scanned -- these are fabulous references:[...]This is one of those books for which Id enjoy having the first edition. The original had around 40 bookplates. My websearch found only a subsequent edition (with 16 plates) for $200! Nery a copy of the original 1908 version was to be found. I wonder what THAT would go for!? Please let me know if you find one for a reasonable amount; which I doubt would happen. -- Antonia