By Karu F. Daniels, AOL Black Voices
Russell Simmons sure knows how to pull out all the stops.
For his latest tome, the motivational business book 'Do You! 12 Laws to Access Power in You To Achieve Happiness and Success,' the hip-hop entrepreneur called on the man pop culture knows as a great business mind: real estate tycoon and media personality Donald Trump.
In the book -- due out April 24 from Gotham Books -- the lone star of NBC's fading reality series 'The Apprentice' was commissioned to the write the Foreword.
And in true Trump fashion, he knows how to seize the moment -- to talk about himself.
"If you've spent any time following my own career, you know success is a subject that I take very seriously," he starts off. "I not only work very hard to be successful in my own life, but to help other people become successful as well."
Such humility.
But all is not lost on Trump. Because he's so publicity savvy (sans the Rosie O'Donnell smut-fest earlier this year), he's a good draw for mainstream middle America impressed by his business prowess.
"Endorsing someone else's views on success is not something that I do lightly," The Donald continued. "When Russell asked me to write the foreword for this book, I said yes without any hesitation. Because if there's one person I believe can show you a path toward true success, it's Russell Simmons."
Simmons, who founded and built the Def Jam and Phat Farm empires and is now a finance czar in his own right, was quite smart with this tactic.
The 312-page 'Do You!' -- dedicated to his daughters Ming Lee and Aoki Lee ("and their fabulous and wonderful mother, Kimora Lee [Simmons]") may actually sell.
It teaches a very simple lesson – by tapping into the power inside you, you can not only get all the things you want in life, but most important, you can enjoy them too.
Simmons breaks down his message in a series of 12 Laws, which include: See Your Vision And Stick With It; Always Do You; Get Your Mind Right; Stop Frontin' And Start Today; Never Less Than Your Best; Surround Yourself With The Right People; There Are No Failures Only Quitters; Science Of Success, Plant The Good Seeds; You Can Never Get Before You Give; Successful People Stay Open To Change; Be Powerful, Be Heard; and Spit Truth To Power.
"When people ask me what business I'm currently in, the first thing I tell them is that I am in the business of Giving Back," he said. "You can imagine that I've either met or personally know many of the richest people in the world, many of whom simply aren't happy. So it's important for people to understand not only how to achieve success, but how to enjoy it, which is what my new book is all about."
Most recently, Simmons have dedicated much of his time and effort to helping establish the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network's financial empowerment efforts.
So this 'Do You!' is right on time.
Comments: (19)
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By: Eric Dumaine on 4/13/2007 9:47PM
Dont forget to include all of the white-jewish money who were like 75% owners of your company either. Lets keep it real. Suge Knight, Sean Combs, R.S. -all of these people arent the majority owners in their own companies. R.S. went on to own more of his own company but most blacks are the face and image. Like Magic Johnson doesnt own nearly as many things as blacks think he does. He is like about 20% owners of all his businesses while whites and Asians own the buld of his projects. keep it real black people.
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By: Cecil Jones on 4/14/2007 2:31AM
Two of the great business minds combine their powers to make sense of this non-sense. Hip Hop and Don't Stop join forces to tell America, "All is well!" All is not well. We are being told a huge lie. We know that the forces of evil are being unleashed on America and the World and most of us can't make sense of what's happening. We must tell the truth and set America back on the course to do what is right. Self-interests have dominated our collective thought and we are headed for self-destruction. If war doesn't blow us up, then fighting fire with fire to win small racial battles will. We are being blackmailed. The truth will make us free. Donald listened to me about Miss USA. Russell Simmons may have heard my Hip Hop and political cable radio show. Give credit where credit is due.
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By: White Civil Rights Activist on 4/14/2007 3:11PM
Hip-Hop is for Queers...no wonder Nappys love prison.
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By: lovely on 4/14/2007 4:46PM
in response to "white civil rights activist" a.k.a. "white supremacist", If you can't make INTELLIGENT & WITTY remarks, don't comment at all. You didn't even bother to RELATE to the topic, why? Because your an ignoramus. Go join IMUS in the looney bin for racist losers.
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By: Imam Kashif on 4/15/2007 10:03PM
A lot of people dont know that the situation we R N now kums about because, the new world order of Zombies , N gov. have allowed homos 2 erode R Moral Authority as human B'ns they should B made 2 register as perverts just like any other Sexual Dysfunctional pervert... Stop let'n them Zombie caucazoids dictate 2 us what concepts and word play is or is not offensive 2 us.... Mumia Abus Dreadlocks is the illegal transaction that is go'n 2 get him killed on 8-17-07 and we spend'n all this tyme on Kinggoftheknuckleheadedcrackersandniggasplzzzz
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By: chuck on 4/14/2007 8:06PM
stay on topic.
russell simmons is always selling out hip-hop.
what the fizuck does trump have to do with the hip-hop generation?
you see how trump turned on puffy after the whole club new york shooting a few years back. why is russell mixing up with this racist fool.
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By: Angelo on 4/15/2007 6:05PM
"The artist must elect to fight for freedom or slavery. I have made my choice. I had no alternative"-Paul Robeson
While I respect the success of Russell Simmons, I would point out that he is not hip-hop any more than the Beatles were rock and roll. Hip-Hop is the cultural expression of a generation. While certain aspects (the negative) are being marketed and sold for mass consumption, the true heart lies in those poets, rappers, singers and performers whose works are known but yet unknown. To them, it's about the message, not just "getting paper", worshipping criminal behavior and psuedo toughness posing as Black manhood. The true artist matures with time and experience. These so-called artists are stuck in arrested development;they remain in a permanent adolescence-when do adults refer to their home as a "crib"? Why are women refered to as "ho's" and "bitches"? and if indeed they were, who would want to associate with them? No, these are people who do not believe in their art, just it's exploitation.
Corporate America will continue to sell their brand of Hip-Hop until they find something else to sell to a gullible public. Even now, they're about to find a way to dump those rappers who are "obscene" when it was perfectly acceptable/profitable before. It is now incumbent on all Hip-Hop artists to it back before it is completely co-opted and turned into something that no one will recognize.
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By: jean on 4/15/2007 8:56PM
I am a 60 year old African American woman and although I feel Imus was totally wrong for his comment the response from some other blacks were more insulting. To feel that it is okay for the hip-hop culture to say these words are demeaning to the black race and especially black woman. Black woman have been on the bottom since they were brought here from Africa, etc. No other race of men denegrate their women as the black man. Instead of singing praises to the black woman some choose to make their living putting them down. I am more angry at the black man who does not treat their women as queens than at Imus. Some have stated that the white culture are the ones that buy most of the hip-hop that uses degrading terms is no excuse. This is just another way for white America to try to keep their control over the black woman by using the black man.
Years ago Queen Latifa wrote a song condemning call woman b... and h...
When black men start respecting the black woman maybe then white America will respect them also. They are mother, sisters and wives and it is very sad to think that that is the way black entainers view their women.
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By: Proud black Woman on 4/16/2007 11:50AM
This is in response to Jean's comment. I'm just about tired of everyone pointing the blame on black men degrading black women. Although I'm not condoning the actions of black rap artists and hip hop artists, but they write about what they see and experience. If black women didn't give them a reason to call them such names then they wouldn't have anything to write about, thus eliminating the use of such words towards black women. If we as black women take a stand against being degraded then we wouldn't have this problem. There are many black women out there who are willing to be degraded in videos by displaying themselves half naked and shaking their butts, showing all of America a negative stereotype. There are many black women out there who display and act like the very words the artists are using to describe them. We as black women need to take a stand and teach each other self-worth and boost our self-esteem so that we will no longer be portrayed in such a negative light. I'm a huge fan of hip hop and I'm not offended at all by the use of those words because I know that they are not singing about me or referring to me because I do not conduct myself in such a manner. The black community needs to start taking responsibility for our own actions and stop giving the white folks a reason to attack us.
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By: Jaokishaia on 4/17/2007 3:36AM
Who can stop these powerful men, Donald Trump, and Russell Simmons? They both are wonderful inspirational men of what Dr. Martin L. King, Jr., wanted to see come together, so it has worked somewhat...
Good Luck Gentlemen, you have both sold me, LOL...
MrsSwissMocha
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