Thursday, December 14, 2017

Reports: Music Mogul Russell Simmons Is Accused of Rape

Music mogul Russell Simmons is facing more allegations of sexual misconduct.

The New York Times published a report where four women have come forward to detail their encounters with Simmons between 1988 and 2014. Three of the women said that Simmons raped them. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times released an article of their own, where five more women accused the mogul of sexual misconduct.

Russell Simmons
One of the alleged victims from the NYT article was former Def Jam executive Drew Dixon, who said that Simmons began making sexual advances right after the label hired her in the early ‘90s. She claims that he made sexually graphic phone calls to her, asked her to sit on his lap during meetings, tried to kiss her in a broom closet and would regularly expose his erect penis to her. Dixon says she spoke of the incidents with some of her colleagues, but dealt with the abuse for the sake of her job.

She went on to say that once she secured an executive production credit on the soundtrack of the music documentary, The Show, she transitioned to a new job position. She then let her guard down and accepted Simmons' invitation to his apartment. She said, “I remember realizing I was cornered.” After allegedly telling Simmons that she had a gynecological procedure that prevented her from having sex, Dixon says Simmons’ response was that he didn’t care. She added, “I just blacked out," she recalled. "The last thing I remember was him pinning me down to kiss me on the bed.”

Music artist Tina Baker and journalist Tonie Sallie have shared their experiences as well. Baker, who was managed by Simmons in the early ‘90s, described a time when he invited her to his apartment to discuss her career. However, Baker said things “got really ugly, pretty fast.” Simmons allegedly poured them drinks and tried to kiss her. He got on top of her, pushed her down and reportedly said, “Don’t fight me.” Baker added, “I did nothing, I shut my eyes and waited for it to end.”

Sallie, a journalist for the trade publication Black Radio Exclusive who met the mogul while on assignment in the late ’80s, said that she went on several dates with Simmons before ending things. Sallie says he lured her to his apartment and gave her the impression that he was hosting a party. However, no one was there, but him. She said, “He pushed me on the bed and jumped on top of me, and physically attacked me. We were fighting. I said no.”


A fourth woman named Christina Moore says she met Simmons during Art Basel Miami in '14. Moore claims she bumped into Simmons while she and another woman were trying to find their group of friends. He allegedly told them he knew where they needed to go, so they followed him. Moore says she felt "duped." Simmons ended up taking the women to his room, where he ran a bath. Simmons then allegedly pushed her against one of the columns in his room and proceeded to rub his "hands all over [her] body, up and down." The two women fled after Simmons allegedly told Moore she needed to be tied up. She recalled, “I felt assaulted.”

Former Tantris general manager, Karen Russell — Tantris is a yoga studio in West Hollywood owned by Simmons, says that it was a “sexually charged and tense” atmosphere when Simmons was at the establishment. Another instructor at the studio said she left because Simmons maintained an environment where yoga and women were sexualized for money.

Next, Sherri Hines says she met Simmons at a nightclub in NYC when she was “17 or 18.” Simmons allegedly invited her into his new office in '83 and he pinned her down and raped her.

Simmons has responded to all allegations with a social media post, saying, “I have never had a sexual encounter that was not consensual or lawful.” He previously released a statement, vehemently denying prior allegations.

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