(ICYMI): The former talk show host and FOX News correspondent went on HuffPost Live earlier this week and cited Hip Hop culture as more destructive to black and brown people than “actual racism.” Among his monologue was a cheeky “…and I Love Russell Simmons, he’s a dear friend of mine.” But it’s a new day…and you can count on the mogul and former Def Jam founder to call real-real and bullsh*t-bullsh*t! Now Russell Simmons Responds to Geraldo Rivera Blasting Hip Hop and yea…maybe you’re not as good friends as you think Geraldo…
Well that turn-around was quick! Russell Simmons Responds to Geraldo Rivera Blasting Hip Hop in a hearty statement, the climax of which he says “he never did sh*t to help nobody, not in a very long time.” In an apparent corner from TMZ, Russell leaned in on the mustached news figure–disrespectfully calling him “Juh-raldo” (LOL) but also taking time to spit some #realtalk:
“Geraldo, the prison industrial complex got people so twisted,” Simmons said. “For 40 years, they’ve been locking up diseased drug addicts, educating them on criminal behavior and dumping them back in the hood. The poetry and the reflection [in hip-hop] are what come from that jail culture; that’s obvious…The media is really dumb to let that man [speak]. He needs to be progressive and do good work to help people. And now he’s a talking head.”
He headed the comments by pointing out Rivera’s probably trying to stay relevant–(while at this rate it might be a great master plan, spewing negative and inaccurate commentary let alone through mainstream media is by definition “destructive“). As Russell Simmons Responds to Geraldo Rivera Blasting Hip Hop he also knocked him down a few pegs, bringing up the brilliant news exposes he used to anchor back in the day, only to say “he used to do something, 30, 40 years ago.”
Previously, Simmons and Rivera sparred in the media over the latter’s claims that Trayvon Martin made himself a target by wearing a hoodie, so he could – in Rivera’s words – look “gangsta.” He later apologized, but Simmons did not appreciate the sentiment. “Geraldo, your apology is bullsh*t,” he said, according to Billboard. “Your apology is nothing but a defense of a racist, backward thing you already said.”
Russell is definitely in a position to speak on giving back, he’s been a staunch icon in philanthropy his entire career–most recently launching the Keep the Peace campaign with his RushCard company and bringing the peace pledge to students at an L.A. High School. Do you think Russell Simmons Responds to Geraldo Rivera Blasting Hip Hop by citing the effects of prison, the prison industrial complex and social justice on minority communities is definitely on point or a reach? Check the vid!
