Russell Simmons

As co-founder of Def Jam Records and founder of Rush Communications and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, Simmons introduced rap music and hip-hop culture to mainstream America.

Race matters a great deal in many businesses. In my business, race and culture can be used to your advantage. Hip-hop has transcended race, and the African-American cultural experience has become the leading brand-building experience for all Americans. Decades ago, jazz and blues and rock & roll only became popular when white faces were attached to it. Today the racial tension in this country has lightened so much that now African Americans can carry the torch of African-American ideas. Snoop Dogg is on MTV, not only Eminem.

Limited integration damaged, to a great extent, black economics—the black lawyer, the black doctor, the black drugstore on the corner. Integration made those things less important. At the same time it opened doors for those who could provide insight into this new market. For instance, I moved to Malibu to make movies. [Producers] John Davis and Brian Grazer and Jerry Bruckheimer were open-minded about being my partner. They wanted something that was authentic. They thought I could bring an additional cultural relevance.

We African Americans have a built-in audience. But that's only because race exists. There's still the negatives of race—prejudice and inequality, for instance. The idea of repairing the past is common sense, but there's a racial factor that keeps people from accepting that. So I think race does matter a great deal, but not as much as it has in the past.