Russell Simmons Announces NFT Collection to Raise Funds for Hip-Hop Pioneers

The Def Jam Records founder is launching ‘Masterminds of Hip-hop’ consisting of rare recordings and artworks from Chuck D, Doug E. Fresh, Big Daddy Kane, and MC Lyte.

AceShowbiz -Def Jam Records founder Russell Simmons wants to give back to the pioneers of hip-hop with a new NFT (non-fungible token) collection.

Simmons will launch the series, titled “Masterminds of Hip-hop”, on Friday (13Aug21).

It will include NFTs of rare recordings and artwork from artists including Public Enemy‘s Chuck D, Doug E. Fresh, Big Daddy Kane, and MC Lyte.

“I often think of the early days of pre-recorded hip-hop when it was only a performance art,” Simmons said in a statement released to Page Six. “There were rappers and DJs who pioneered the space and made it so popular that the recording of rap artists was imminent.”

“None of them has received the accolades that I believe they deserve and this is my chance to use a new vehicle to revisit and repay these amazing artists while they are still living.”

The collection will be available on NFT platform Tokau.

The music mogul has kept a low profile since 2017, when Drew Dixon, a former executive at his Def Jam record label, accused Simmons of raping her at his apartment in Manhattan, New York. A number of other women have also accused him of sexual assault. Simmons insists he has never forced himself on anyone.

Last year (20), he told Charlamagne tha God‘s radio show, “The Breakfast Club“, “So I know what I’m guilty of, and I’ve been unconscious as a playboy, and today the title is appropriate of ‘womaniser’ (sic). So I’m guilty of that.”

He launched his own lawsuit in May (21), suing ex-wife Kimora Lee Simmons and her new husband, Tim Leissner, accusing them of unlawfully transferring funds owned by him into their own account in 2018.

Source: Read Full Article