Russell Simmons, Def Jam founder and pioneer to hip hop known for bring stars like LL Cool J, The Beastie Boys and Public Enemy to the limelight, is living long enough to see himself turn into a villain. The music mogul is being accused of repulsive acts of sexual harassment and sexual assault by several ladies, and is currently under investigation by the NYPD for the claims.
The first report about Simmons came last month when The Los Angeles Times reported that Keri Claussen Khalighi, who was 17 at the time, had accused Simmons of forcing her into performing oral sex on him 26 years ago.
Since the first accusation 10 more ladies have stepped up to accuse Simmons, 60, of sexual misconduct.
According to The Daily News, one of Simmons’ accusers, Sherri Hines, told publication that officers tried to contact her already. Hines, who was in the all-female Hip-Hop group, Mercedes Ladies, and used the stage name Sheri Sher, alleged that Simmons raped her in his office around 1983.
Simmons uploaded a picture of his new hashtag on Instagram on Dec. 14, following several reports of sexual assault. “Today, I begin to properly defend myself. I will prove without any doubt that I am innocent of all rape charges, Today, I will focus on “The Original Sin” (Keri Claussen), the claim that created this insane pile on of my #MeToo. Stay tuned! We’ll share information today…And tomorrow the case of Jenny Lumet. My intention is not to diminish the #MeToo movement in anyway, but instead hold my accusers accountable, #NotMe Again, this is not a movement against or even in conjunction with #MeToo. It’s just a statement about my innocence.”
Since the accusation by screenwriter Jenny Lumet, known for “The Mummy” and “Rachel Getting Married,” Simmons announced that he would be stepping down from all of his business ventures.
It remains to be seen how this all plays out, but are these accusations enough to reconsider the legacy of Russell Simmons?
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