Noisey: “In the final segment, Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin riff on the birth of Slick Rick and what he meant to Def Jam, reflecting on the early days. They explain his indefinable charisma and how they knew immediately they needed to work with him.”

The early days of Public Enemy are examined by Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin in the new video clip, the third in a series examining the early days of Def Jam. With the aid of Elliott Wilson, the pair talk about Chuck D’s time with Spectrum City, the formation of the concept of Public Enemy, and the incendiary nature of their thought-provoking lyrics.

Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin discuss the origins of the Beastie Boys with Elliot Wilson, from their humble beginning as a punk band with a hip-hop inflected single to their success with the misunderstood ‘Licensed to Ill’.

R.I.P. Adam Yauch 1964 – 2012

Two music pioneers square off in this special edition of Noisey’s Back & Forth series focused on the 30th Anniversary of the legendary Def Jam Recordings. Def Jam founders Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin talk about the early days of the label, their first twelve-inch release, LL Cool J’s hit “Radio,” and LL Cool J’s involvement with Run-D.M.C. in this clip, available via Noisey for the first time.

Celebrate three decades of the goliath that is Def Jam Recordings at their anniversary bash, set to take place on October 16th at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Look for appearances ranging from Rick Ross to 2 Chainz to EPMD to Ja Rule to Jeremih.

Rosenberg: “You think you know what you’re getting here? You’re wrong. The pure history of Def Jam and basically the history of hip hop from Russell himself. We only make it til about 1985 but part 2 is a coming! I cannot believe I didn’t even know what Def Jam really meant. Wow…”

Kid Cudi had strong words about the state of hip-hop when Arsenio had him on the show. Russell Simmons responded to those remarks and offered his personal perspective on the use of the N-word and what we truly need to focus our concerns on.

Combat Jack writes: The Godfather of this whole damn thing, Rush broke bread reflecting on his time as a gang member, small time drug dealer, how Hip Hop saved his life, why DJ Hollywood should be remembered in the rap history books, why Diddy is the man he his today, Rick Rubin, Lyor Cohen, Dame Dash, how he’s not hung up on the word “nigga”…. so much covered that we had to end it with a lesson in meditation, literally. I’ve seen a lot in my life, but I never thought I’d see the day when a real life rap yogi would be walking us down memory lane.

Roots drummer ?uestlove and legendary Def Jam founder Russell Simmons have teamed up for a “fundraising battle” for the re-election of Barack Obama. Donors can pick “I’m with Questlove or I’m with Simmons” in this mock “election” to see who can raise for money for the Obama campaign. At the time of this writing ?uestlove leads with a massive 72% to Russell Rush’s 27%. Participate now here.

Here is footage of Professor Bun B holding down his gig at Rice University, which he told us about a few months back. Russell Rush also joins in to talk about his book “Super Rich: A Guide To Having It All” with students of Bun and Dr. Pinn’s Hip Hop & Religion class.

For those of us not keeping up with the actual news lately, there’s a big debate about the construction of a mosque (which is essentially a religious center for Muslims) near Ground Zero, where the World Trade Center fell on 9-11. The Tea Party and other protesters believe it should not go there because it’s insulting to the victims of 9-11, while Fox News is helping perpetuate the myth that we are going to have a scary terrorist breeding ground in the heart of New York City (which if that were the case, we’d know right where to find them. AND KILL THEM.) The problem with all of this is that the protesters are forgetting that this country has a thing called “freedom of religion”, which they seem to only respect when it’s in favor of their own faith. Like “In God We Trust” printed on U.S. currency, for example.

Russell Simmons took note of this and placed a series of religious symbols in his office windows, which overlook Ground Zero, suggesting that we should be respectful of one another, despite our differing theologies. Can’t we all just get along?

Affion Crockett does his best Russell Rush in the above clip, the first episode in a weekly series from Global Grind.

Preview clip of new Global Grind comedy series, starring your uncle Russell and comedian Affion Crockett as his body double.

Russell Simmons is upset with the media. So upset, that he has addressed them head on. This, coming from a man who laughs with paparazzi, shoulder-dusting on the reg.

The New York Post reported last week (complete with “bad rap” puns in the headline) that Russell and Jay were beefing over New York’s Aqueduct redevelopment bid, a project that both of them were competing for, suggesting that Russell was upset that Jay’s bidder, AEG, won the contract, rather than Russell’s bidder, Penn National. The rag also reported that Jay’s close ties with New York’s troubled Governor Patterson were the “reason” why Jay’s bid was accepted over Russell’s, (complete with “99 Problems” pun).

Russell called these allegations ludicrous – not to be confused with the rapper, he clarifies – but just crazy, outlandish; almost like Russell himself not showing up to yoga (his words). He also goes on to defend Jay-Z as a businessman and friend, deading any rumors to the contrary. He clarifies that he was instead baffled at the prospect of why Penn National wasn’t chosen, but never had suggested it had anything to do with scandals, beef with Jay-Z, or the price of bootlegs on Canal Street.

The full statement reads as follows:

I don’t generally respond to the media’s trash or their never ending thirst for blood. I smile at the paparazzi and joke with the gossip writers. I laugh at most of the headlines that are written about me and dust the dirt off my shoulders.

Speaking of dusting the dirt off my shoulders, I find it typical, not shocking, that this past week, many small-minded members bloggers tried to make up a feud between me and my good friend, Jay-Z, over New York’s much maligned Aqueduct redevelopment bid.

It is much easier for the media to spread negative gossip than to report on real news, like healthcare reform or the catastrophe in Chile. Jay-Z is a champion, a hero, a friend of mine and I have proudly watched him raise a generation with his poetry. For the media to infer that Jay-Z is involved in any corrupt scandal is ludicrous, not the rapper, Ludacris, but ludicrous, like crazy…ludicrous, like me eating a piece of meat…ludicrous, like me not showing up for yoga, ludicrous like Jay-Z not being the King of New York, that kind of ludicrous. And what’s even more ludicrous is that they write that I am at odds with Jay. We have each endorsed our respective bidders for the Aqueduct deal, and my real question was never about Jay (I would bet my house that Jay-Z doesn’t have a crooked bone in his body), but about the decision making process in Albany. I am still mystified why New York State didn’t take the highest bid. Penn National Gaming, which I endorsed, offered $100 million more than any other competitor, and the State said that they only would accept the winning bidder, AEG’s, bid on the condition that they come up with an additional $100 million to match Penn National’s. That seemed to me fundamentally unfair as a bidding process, and totally untransparent.

I want to make a point that my intentions are clear. I have zero interest in gambling or horse-racing. I got involved with the Aqueduct project not as an investor but solely as an advisor on community and humanitarian matters, about which I care deeply. Knowing that this area of my native Queens is going to be developed by somebody, I want to get the best deal for the millions of people who live in struggling communities in New York City. By taking this partnership with Penn National, I have received $500,000 to run a philanthropic, social responsible program on behalf of Penn National. We have already funded a pilot program to promote non-violence in my old neighborhood of Hollis and South Jamaica, Queens as well as East New York, Brooklyn. I am committed to working with Penn National on building social and sustainable development, as well as fighting for key legislation that will outlaw the abuse of horses that is taking place on many racetracks across America.

I hope that whoever is the eventual winner of this bid, that they make the same community commitments that Penn National has already put into place. Lastly, I hope that Albany gets its house in order, and does what is best for the people of the great state of New York. [Source: GG]