Russell Simmons, often referred to as the godfather of hip-hop, will be speaking on campus Nov. 8, the Social Planning and Events Committee announced yesterday.
Simmons, the chairman and CEO of Rush Communications and the founder of Def Jam Recordings, will address up to 1,200 Penn students beginning at 8 p.m. at Irvine Auditorium.
The host of HBO series Def Poetry, Simmons has been widely recognized for bringing rap to mainstream America.
SPEC Connaissance co-Director Rachel Moskowitz said that Simmons had been picked as the fall speaker because he has enough popularity to fill Irvine Auditorium.
The College senior added that "Simmons is unique and different from the speakers that [SPEC] usually brings" and added that she is "confident that it will be a really great event."
In the past, speakers have included the late actor Christopher Reeve, the late playwright Arthur Miller and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Although not all students are familiar with Simmons, most have responded positively to SPEC's choice of speaker.
College sophomore Jason Edwards said that he thinks Simmons is a good choice for a speaker because he can spark interest among very different students.
As a music major, Edwards said he would "like to hear Simmons speak about music, especially his perception of hip-hop and rap, but he is a savvy businessman and Wharton students would especially be interested."
Engineering junior Andrea Lo was enthusiastic about Simmons' appearance on campus, although she had never heard his name.
"I am really interested in hip-hop because I love to dance it, but in terms of the music itself and the artists, I am not very aware of what is out there."
Lo added that she would like to attend the event to learn more about hip-hop.
And for students like Lo, it would be hard to find someone better than Simmons to teach them about the hip-hop and rap music industry.
As a student at the City College of New York, Simmons was a part-time promoter of concerts.
Now, Rush Communications is an estimated $220 million empire that includes Def Jam Records, the label that produces artists such as Jay-Z, Ludacris and N.O.R.E.
The domain that Simmons has in the entertainment industry expands to movies such as The Nutty Professor, TV productions such as Def Comedy Jam and the Phat Farm clothing line.
Students will be able to sign up for a lottery of the tickets that will run for about one week, beginning Oct. 26, at specevents.net.
The winners will be notified on Nov. 2 of their chance to buy up to two tickets, each priced at $5.
Russell Simmons When: Nov. 8, 8 p.m. Tickets: $5: Available through lottery at specevents.net
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