User:DBrown SPS/sandbox

Sirod Medrell McDaniels (born April 21, 1994), better known as Mook TBG, is an American rapper.

He began his rap career after dropping out of college in 2009.^[1] He was later recruited by rapper-producer Speaker Knockerz, who later signed him to his Talibandz Entertainment imprint in 2013, being the musician's hypeman and protégé.^[2] After Speaker Knockerz died in 2014,^[3][4] Mook began to venture out solely, eventually signing with Def Jam Recordings the same year.^[5]

After internal and financial conflict with the label, Mook was released from Def Jam in the spring of 2018, shelving his planned debut album for the imprint. On April 20, 2019, he released his debut album, It's Mook.^[5] It was followed up a year later by Death Chamber.^[6]

Sirod Medrell McDaniels was born on April 21, 1994 in Fort Riley, Kansas at the Irwin Army Hospital. He is the only child of an unmarried couple.^{[citation needed]}

His mother served as a medical assistant for the United States Army.

McDaniels began rapping in 2009, during his time in junior high, making a guest appearance on "Can't Stop", a track recorded by an unknown singer named Ja'mara.^[7]

In the summer of 2010, he was sent to live with his father in Columbia, South Carolina, due to his mother being unable to work. There, he attended Ridge View High School.^[1] Eventually, his mother launched an artist management label for McDaniels. Before finishing his junior year, McDaniels was arrested for shoplifting, after he mistakenly walked out of a clothing store with a $25 T-shirt he knowingly forgot to pay. After posting bond, his father cut him off financially.^{[citation needed]}

Returning to school in August 2011, he earned fair grades to join Ridge View's 2011-12 basketball team, but due to him being a senior and close to graduation, he was unable to follow his dreams. In June 2012, he graduated from school. He soon enrolled in the Spartan Methodist College to major in business, but only after two semesters, had dropped out to resume his rap career.^[1] His mother continued to support him throughout, eventually working oddball jobs to pay off his career before he was recruited by Speaker Knockerz, a rapper and producer who had already gained national attention in the Carolinas. He became McDaniels' mentor and friend, nicknaming him "Mook". Approving of it, Mook became McDaniels' rapper alias.

After ghostwriting for Speaker Knockerz on some songs, Mook was signed as a recording artist to his imprint, Talibandz Entertainment, but they never collaborated as artists. Mook only appeared on three of Speaker Knockerz's music videos, "Money", "I Don't Know" and "Dap You Up". On March 6, 2014, Speaker Knockerz died after he was found in his garage, unconscious in his car.^[3]

His death affected Mook personally as he was gearing up to do a collaboration with him. After his track, "Understand", leaked online that May, he started to gain attraction in the industry. A label bidding war ensued, ultimately leading to Mook to sign with Def Jam Recordings. Earlier that spring, Def Jam's parent, Universal Music Group disbanded the Island Def Jam Music Group.^[8]

Upon signing with Def Jam, Mook began recording his debut studio album. He released the street single, "Understand", to promote his debut, but it was pushed back to early 2015. Therefore, the track was used for Speaker Knockerz's compilation, Married to the Money 2, which was released six months after his death.

On November 14, 2014, Def Jam released Mook's single, "All I Wanna Do", as an official single for his intended debut album, The Darkest Leaf. However, the album missed its early 2015 projection, as tensions between Mook and Def Jam grew. Because he refused to negotiate a $2 million artist contract with the label, the album's summer 2015 release was postponed. On October 9, 2015, he released the single, "For the Money", featuring Talibeatz (formerly Lil' Knock, the younger brother of Speaker Knockerz), but the release of The Darkest Leaf remained stalled throughout 2015. The single, however, was also included on the soundtrack for the YouTube short film, Rico Story 2, based off of Speaker Knockerz's song of the same name. The soundtrack also included "What They Gone Do", another track recorded by Mook, produced by Speaker Knockerz and German production duo Cubeatz. The track received high praise from fans and Mook's chances for a debut album release was redeemed by Def Jam, who later used "What They Gone Do" as an official single for the Darkest Leaf, replacing "All I Wanna Do". The album was scheduled for an August 2016 release.

On July 4, 2016, Mook released his debut mixtape, Red Roses, to promote his Darkest Leaf album. The title track was dedicated to his mentor, Speaker Knockerz. It was released commercially under Talibandz Entertainment and Def Jam Recordings, debuting at number nineteen on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart.

By early August of that year, Def Jam once again stalled the release of Mook's album, after learning that he refused to negotiate the $2 million artist deal and settle his expenses that the label believed he owed. Def Jam's parent company, Universal Music, claimed Mook owed up to $5 million after performing as a featured artist on a certainty of tracks by affiliates from Talibandz, pertaining publishing rights unsolidly and accepting concert performances altogether without getting legal clearance from the label.

Between December 2016 and January 2017, he released the singles, "To the Dome" and "Keep It Real". On July 4, 2017, a year after Red Roses, he released his second mixtape, May 18th. In October, the single, "Having", featuring Detroit rapper Snap Dogg was released. "Having" ultimately failed to chart. Around December 2017, two follow-up singles, "Famous" and "Flexin'" were also released, but were also failures as Def Jam refused to promote them.

The Darkest Leaf was finally scheduled for a March 16, 2018 release and was to feature guest appearances by Talibeatz, Boss Beezy, Lil Durk, Snap Dogg, Fabolous, Future, Chris Brown and Beanie Sigel. On February 28, 2018, Mook request a release from Def Jam as he was told they would stop promotion of his album. Two weeks later, on March 12, he was released from the label, four days before his album would have been released. As a result, the Darkest Leaf was shelved indefinitely.

Six months after getting released from Def Jam, Mook released his third mixtape, Cash Route, on September 21, 2018. It included the songs that were intended for his now-scrapped Darkest Leaf album, "New Coupe", "Flexin'", "Famous" and "Money Callin'". On the album trailer, Mook announced a new debut studio album, It's Mook, to be released in early 2019. In December of that year, Mook also appeared on all six tracks from the Speaker Knockerz extended play, Trained to Go.

The album, It's Mook, was released on Saturday, April 20, 2019 to coincide with 20th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre. The album's debut single was "Big Bank" while its follow-up was "Go Crazy". Then, on November 26, he released a 13-track EP, I Can Teach You.

On July 3, 2020, Mook released his sophomore studio album, Death Chamber. A deluxe version was released on September 1, and later as a separate bonus EP titled Death Chamber 2, to act as a sequel to the original release.

In June and November 2021, respectively, Mook released the EP and compilation, RR2 Pre-Load and Care Package. Then, in November 2022, he released another EP, 6 Days, 6 Nights, followed up by the July release of All Love.

On October 31, 2023, his frequent collaborator and brother of Speaker Knockerz, Talibeatz, was released from prison on drug and gun charges. The two have discussed a collaborative album to materialize in the future.

Mook TBG's influences include Canadian rapper Drake.

• It's Mook (2019)
• Death Chamber (2020)

Russell Simmons
Simmons at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Mansome
Born	Russell Wendell Simmons (1957-10-04) October 4, 1957 (age 66) New York City, New York, United States
Occupations	Entrepreneur writer record executive modern yoga guru
Years active	1984–2017 (media entertainment) 2011–present (health guru)
Spouse	Kimora Lee Simmons ​ ​ (m. 1998; div. 2009)​
Children	2
Relatives	Joseph Simmons (brother) Danny Simmons (brother)

Russell Wendell Simmons (born October 4, 1957) is an American entrepreneur, record executive, modern yoga guru and accused sexual predator.

In 1984, he and record producer Rick Rubin co-founded Def Jam Recordings.^[9] He had since went on to create fashion lines Phat Farm, and Argyleculture. He also launched the digital content platform, All Def Digital, in 2013. A vegan and yoga supporter, Simmons launched Tantris in 2016. Simmons' net worth was estimated at $340 million in 2011.^[10]

He managed to maintain his production or management roles through artists including Kurtis Blow, EPMD, Run-DMC, Whodini, Jimmy Spicer, LL Cool J and various others.

His notable books about healthy lifestyle and entrepreneurship are Success Through Stillness,^[11] Do you! 12 Laws to Access The Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success,^[12] The Happy Vegan,^[13] Super Rich: A Guide to Having it All^[14] and soon to be released Eat to Live: A Post Pandemic Lifestyle.^[15] Simmons also appointed as Gushcloud Studios Co-Chairman,^[16] a global entertainment production company, production studios, and talent management firm. Operating in 11 East Asian countries with key offices in Los Angeles, California.

Simmons has been living in Bali for five years. According to Simmons, Ubud, Bali looks like "yoga and vegan Disneyland". Simmons has lived life as a vegetarian for nearly 20 years. Simmons promotes a plant-based diet and a yogic lifestyle.

On October 4, 1957, Russell Wendell Simmons was born in Jamaica, a neighborhood in Queens, a borough of New York City.^[17][18][19] His father was a public school administrator and his mother was a park administrator for the New York City Parks and Recreation Department. His brothers are painter Daniel "Danny" Simmons, Jr. and rapper Joseph "Rev. Run" Simmons.

In 1975, after graduating from August Martin High School, Simmons briefly attended the City College of New York in Harlem where he met a young DJ/Bboy, Kurt Walker, who influenced him to participate in the hip hop phenomenon.^{[20][21][22][23][24]} Upon hearing Eddie Cheeba perform in Harlem in 1977, Simmons knew that hip hop would be his career.^[25] Simmons stated, "Hearing Cheeba in '77 made me feel like I had just witnessed the invention of the wheel."^[25]

Simmons co-founded Def Jam in 1984 with Rick Rubin, who sold his share of the company for $120 million to Universal Music Group in 1996. In 1985, Simmons co-produced and appeared in the film Krush Groove.^[26] Simmons' company, Rush Communications Inc., includes over ten businesses and three non-profits. Simmons, with his partner Stan Lathan, has also produced television hits HBO's Def Comedy Jam and Def Poetry Jam, and currently has a development deal with HBO.^[9][27] In 1996, Simmons co-produced the hit film The Nutty Professor, starring Eddie Murphy. In 1997, Simmons co-produced the film Def Jam's How to Be a Player, starring Bill Bellamy.^[28] In 2003, Simmons co-founded RushCard, a prepaid debit card provider.^[29][30]

In 1992, Simmons launched the clothing line Phat Fashions LLC using the Phat Farm and Baby Phat labels. When Simmons first created Phat Fashions LLC, the clothing line was sold in a shop in the SoHo district of Manhattan. Simmons's connections with well known rap artists helped to promote the clothing line to a wide audience. The influence of designers such as Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger gave the clothing line a classic look and feel. Phat Fashions encompassed hip hop clothing for women and children, as well as men, and grew into a lifestyle brand with the addition of jewelry, perfume, and other merchandise. Phat Fashions LLC sold merchandise in two stores in New York and Montreal, as well as online at www.phatfarm.com. In addition, the clothing line was carried by some 3,000 retailers in the United States.^[31]

In 2004, Simmons sold Phat Farm and Baby Phat to the Kellwood Company for $140 million.^[32]

Simmons and his brothers founded the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation in 1995. The purpose of the Foundation is to provide art education and support to under-serviced youth by helping people of color access the arts and by providing exhibition opportunities. The Foundation serves about 3,000 students annually and maintains two galleries. The Rush Arts Gallery in Chelsea, Manhattan and the Corridor Gallery in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn exhibit the work of more than 100 community and emerging artists.^[33]

In 2014, Claremont Lincoln University awarded Simmons an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Humane Letters for his work as chairman of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding and for promoting mindfulness, compassion and interreligious collaboration in the public sphere.^[34]

In October 2021, Simmons released a NFT collection titled, "Masters of Hip Hop".^[35] It centered on driving forces in the hip hop music industry and was curated by Snoop Dogg.^[36]

Simmons and model Kimora Lee met in November 1992. They married on December 20, 1998,^[37] on the island of Saint Barthélemy. They have two children, Ming Lee (born 2000) and Aoki Lee (born 2002). In March 2006, Simmons announced that he and Lee had ended their relationship;^[37] they officially divorced two years later.^[38]

Simmons has been a vegan since 1999, and describes himself as a Christian yogi with a love and respect for all religions.^[9][39] He practices Jivamukti Yoga,^[40] which encourages vegetarianism and social and environmental activism. He is also a practitioner of Transcendental Meditation (TM)^[41] and a supporter of the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace, which was established to ensure that any child in America who wants to learn and practice TM can do so.^[42]

Simmons is an advocate of Ahimsa and veganism, citing animal rights along with the environmental and health benefits.^[9] He said he went vegan after watching the film Diet for a New America in the 1990s.^[43] He is a supporter of Farm Sanctuary, an organization working to end cruelty to farm animals.^[44] People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals awarded him the 2001 PETA Humanitarian Award and the 2011 Person of the Year Award.^[45][46]

In 2009, Simmons organized thousands of protestors and hip hop celebrities in front of City Hall demanding change of the harsh sentencing of the Rockefeller Drug Laws.^[47]

Simmons became chairman of the board of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding in 2002.^[48] In May 2009, he was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Slavery Memorial at the United Nations to honor the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.^[49] In a similar vein, Simmons is a supporter of the Somaly Mam Foundation,^[50] and was honored at their 2011 gala dinner.^[51] Simmons officially endorses the second Muslim Jewish Conference 2011. Together with Rabbi Marc Schneier he served as the official patron of the conference held July 2011 in Kyiv, Ukraine. In 2011, he took part in the Occupy Wall Street protests, visiting the protesters at Zuccotti Park often and for many consecutive days.

Simmons is a longtime supporter of gay rights, and he encourages marriage equality.^[52] In 2011, when the retail corporation Lowe's withdrew funding from the show All-American Muslim, Simmons promised to pay the Learning Channel for any revenue lost.^[53]

In 2012, Simmons supported Ohio congressman Dennis Kucinich's re-election campaign, appearing with the politician at various speaking events.^[54] In November 2013, he pledged support for New York's mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio in recognition of his support for animal rights.^[55]

In 2017, Simmons was listed by UK-based company Richtopia at number 23 in the list of 200 Most Influential Social-Entrepreneurs and Philanthropists Worldwide.^[56][57]

Simmons is a senior advisor of the vegan burger brand Everything Legendary. The company closed a $6 million series A round in 2022.^[58]

In August 2013, Simmons launched the controversial "Harriet Tubman Sex Tape" parody video on his YouTube channel, All Def Digital, which led to public outrage and many critics demanding an apology. The video featured an actress portraying the abolitionist Harriet Tubman (1822–1913) having sex with her slave owner with the intent of filming the act and blackmailing him to convince him to work on the Underground Railroad.^[59] People from his own community, such as filmmaker Spike Lee,^[60] were offended by the controversial comedy sketch.^[61]

Rolling Stone published Simmons' apology for the parody in which he said:

Despite his apology in 2013, the nature of shareable digital media has allowed the comedy video to continue to circulate on YouTube and around the web.^[63]

In November 2017, model Keri Claussen Khalighi accused Simmons of raping her in 1991, when she was 17. Simmons and Brett Ratner, whom Khalighi accused of watching them without intervening when she asked for his help, both deny that the encounter was non-consensual.^[64]

As the allegation was covered in the press, Terry Crews accused Simmons of attempting to influence him to take back sexual assault allegations that Crews had recently brought up against film executive Adam Venit, asking that Crews "give him a pass ... ask that he be reinstated." Crews posted on his Twitter account a screenshot of the alleged e-mail he had received from Simmons.^{[65][66][67][68]}

On November 30, 2017, writer Jenny Lumet claimed that Simmons had raped her in 1991. In response, Simmons said he would step down from his positions with his businesses.^[69] On the same day, HBO announced that they would be removing Simmons' name and likeness from his stand-up comedy specials starting with the December 1 episode.

On December 13, 2017, The Los Angeles Times published an investigative report in which five women accused Simmons of sexual misconduct, including another alleged rape. On the same day, The New York Times published the accounts of four other women who accused Simmons of inappropriate conduct, including three more alleged rapes. In response to the allegations, Simmons stated he "never had a sexual encounter that was not consensual or lawful. Ever."^[70]

On February 9, 2018, Simmons denied the allegations to Rolling Stone, saying (in part), "I vehemently deny all the allegations made against me. They have shocked me to my core as I have never been abusive or violent in any way in my relations with women. I am blessed to have shared extraordinary relationships, whether through work or love, with many great women and I have enormous respect for the women's movement worldwide and their struggle for respect, dignity, equality and power. I am devastated by any reason I may have given to anyone to say or think of me in the ways that are currently being described. I have separated myself from my businesses and charities to not become a distraction."^[71]

On April 25, 2018, Jennifer Jarosik, a filmmaker who also alleged Simmons raped her, dropped her lawsuit. The suit was dismissed with prejudice, meaning Jarosik cannot refile allegations in court.^[72]

A number of women, some of whom were aged 17 at the time of the alleged incidents, have accused Simmons of sexual harassment, assault or rape:

Women who said they had been sexually harassed or assaulted (including attempted rape) by Simmons include:

1. Keri Claussen Khalighi, model^[73]
2. Kelly Cutrone, publicist and author^[74]
3. Luann de Lesseps, reality television personality^[75]
4. Lisa Kirk, an acquaintance of Simmons'^[76]
5. Toni Sallie, music journalist^[71]
6. Amanda Seales, actor and comedian (verbal harassment)^[71]
7. Natashia Williams-Blach, actress^[71]

Women who said they had been raped by Simmons include:

1. Tina Baker, singer-turned-lawyer^[77]
2. Drew Dixon, former music recording executive^[77]
3. Sherri Hines, musician^[78]
4. Jennifer Jarosik, filmmaker^[79]
5. Jenny Lumet, screenwriter^[80]
6. Sil Lai Abrams, writer and activist^[81]

After the third assault allegation was published in a guest column by Jenny Lumet in The Hollywood Reporter in November 2017, Simmons stepped down from his roles in the label Def Jam Records, his yoga lifestyle brand, CNNMoney, and other media properties. Lumet, who is the daughter of filmmaker Sidney Lumet and the granddaughter of singer and civil rights activist Lena Horne, wrote: "As a woman of color, I cannot express how wrenching it is to write this about a successful man of color. ... I feel a pang to protect your daughters. I don't think you are inclined to protect mine."^[82][83][84]

HBO decided to remove Russell Simmons' name from All Def Comedy, a series he created to launch and showcase emerging comedians. HBO has not removed his name from Def Comedy Jams.^[85]

A documentary film about the sexual assault allegations against Simmons, On the Record, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2020, and was released on HBO Max on May 27, 2020.^[86] Oprah Winfrey withdrew as executive producer of the film, after having been pressured by Simmons to cancel the release,^[87] eventually citing there were "inconsistencies" in Drew Dixon's story that "gave me pause."^[86] Winfrey has also said, however, that she believes the women who have accused Russell Simmons of sexual assault.^[88][89]

Wikiquote has quotations related to DBrown SPS/sandbox.

• DBrown SPS/sandbox at IMDb
• Oprah's decision to step away from Russell Simmons documentary is "not a victory" for him

Category:1957 birthsCategory:Living peopleCategory:African-American businesspeopleCategory:African-American fashion designersCategory:American fashion designersCategory:African-American non-fiction writersCategory:American businesspeople in retailingCategory:American business writersCategory:American chief executivesCategory:American computer businesspeopleCategory:American fashion businesspeopleCategory:American health activistsCategory:American music industry executivesCategory:Businesspeople from Queens, New YorkCategory:LGBT rights activists from the United StatesCategory:People from Hollis, QueensCategory:People from Saddle River, New JerseyCategory:Television producers from New York CityCategory:Veganism activistsCategory:Writers from Queens, New YorkCategory:Activists from New York (state)Category:Def Jam RecordingsCategory:American expatriates in IndonesiaCategory:21st-century African-American peopleCategory:20th-century African-American peopleCategory:Television producers from New Jersey