Former king of hiphop Russell Simmons invents the numerical equivalent to ebonics

Idiot savant Russell Simmons, of Def Jam and Phat Farm fame apparently believes the only way to produce a successful clothing line is to predicate future profitability by lying in the present. Because it would be too hard to sell his clothes on their quality and worth alone (it took roughly ten years for Phat Farm to actually get off the ground) Russell started doing a little creative accounting in the hopes it would boost sales considerably.

From today's NYT piece written by Jeff Leeds:

Under questioning from a plaintiff's lawyer as part of a lawsuit involving a longtime business partner, Mr. Simmons told of what he described as "the amount of hype that goes on when I discuss the value of Phat Farm," according to the transcript.

"It is how you develop an image for companies. So in other words, you give out false statements to mislead the public so they will then increase in their mind the value of your company," Mr. Simmons said.

The strategy seemed to work. In February 2003, for instance, Mr. Simmons appeared on CNBC saying that Phat Fashions was "doing $350 million" in sales. In fact, Phat Fashions' revenue for 2002 totaled $14.3 million, according to court papers and the company.

While revered and admired for his leadership role in promoting hiphop culture, Russell should be scrutinized more for the shady business side of his agenda. It's situations like this where it becomes pretty obvious he shouldn't be the one stumping for its legitimate acceptance as a part of the mainstream culture. We're already well aware of the allusions and metaphors associated with the hiphop lifestyle, and many of the damaging impressions readily available for critics to use to further bash it over the head with, so it's especially important that the leaders of their movement don't play into the hands of these stereotypes. Like it wasn't bad enough being married to Kimora Lee Gifford already.