Russell Simmons Rips Rappers, Singers Debate, Gives GloRilla Money Advice

Russell Simmons and Boyz II Men singer Shawn Stockman are not seeing eye-to-eye when it comes to the current state of R&B — and one thinks the other just has to get on board with the changing times.

We caught up with the OG hip hop mogul in West Hollywood to pick his brain on Shawn’s recent Twitter rant about R&B losing its identity, and blending into the rap world. Well, the Def Jam co-founder says it’s not a matter of blaming one genre or another … it’s simply a cultural shift.

You can hear Russell start to get peeved as he slams the notion of grouping rappers and singers together. He explains there are subgenres of rap and singing that fall underneath the same umbrella for commercial purposes.

Translation: hit records are blending the genres — that’s the culture right now — but the unique genres of R&B and rap are still out there too.

We didn’t stop there … Uncle Rush — who was instrumental in the careers of Jay-Z, DMX, Method Man, Foxy Brown and many more — also touched on the overnight wealth many rappers are enjoying lately.

Earlier in the week, we spoke to Yo Gotti’s new artist GloRilla after she received a $500K signing bonus for joining the CMG Squad.

At 64, Russ says he’s lived long enough to know shiny trinkets and lavish spending won’t make him whole.

While he advised GloRilla and other young rappers to save their bread, Russ also recognizes Gen Zers have to experience life on their own terms.