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Life and Def: Sex, Drugs, Money & God
Simmons’ bio reads like a history of the hip-hop movement; from his first stint as DJ and
promoter in 1970s, through co-founding Def Jam Records and his groundbreaking
1980s work with Run-DMC, the Beastie Boys and Public Enemy, to his wildly successful
cable showcase Def Comedy Jam and his fashion label Phat Farm. Simmons shares
tales of his youth in Queens, early New York street-hustling days with DJs like Kurtis
Blow, and partying in the Caribbean with Naomi Campbell and Robert De Niro,
describing his life as full “of decisions and danger with deep moral and emotional
consequences. Judging from Simmons’ taciturnity about past drug use and sexism, he
may hav