Today's Entrepreneur: Russell Simmons Can't Slow Down


Russell Simmons strolls down Lexington Avenue in New York City. At 49, the man nicknamed "Rush" isn't slowing down.

By Mindy Fetterman
USA TODAY
June 6, 2007

Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons hasn't gotten much sleep lately. For 25 years, Simmons' marketing maneuvers and intense work ethic have put hip-hop smack in the middle of mainstream America and he hasn't come close to putting on the breaks.

Simmons is now unveiling plans to push hip hop even further with a new line of urban jewelry, new clothing lines and a new target audience: customers with bigger wallets and hip-hop grownups.

"He's the Martha Stewart of the urban esthetic," says Wendy Liebman, president of WSL Strategic Retail, a consulting firm. "He brought a level of authenticity and sophistication to the marketing of rap."

READ ON!