Joseph Simmons

CX1 DJ's untold story of ball.

So, you know that Jam Master J, Run, all of them was behind Onyx, right? You had Reverend Run from Run DMC.

You had Jam Master J from Run DMC.

Who the fuck Run is related to? Russell Simmons, bitch! You didn't hear what I said.

Who was the chairman of Def Jam at the time? Russell Simmons.

And I love me some Russell, but Russell, that was wrong, which I did to Boss.

Onyx was coming out.

Who, like I said earlier, who you think was behind Onyx? If you didn't know, I'm going to tell you.

Actually, something that I've been listening to recently or whatever would probably be the, have you heard the new, I guess, the Run DMC? What's his name? Yeah.

Reverend Run? Reverend Run, yeah.

I've been jamming to that, man.

That's pretty good, man.

But That's when I was about to change my thing.

Run calls, Joseph Simmons at the time.

Yo, T, Russell got us a record deal.

This and that, we're going to be put on the radio.

Loverboy, DMC, John Waite.

DMC, not Run DMC.

No, DMC.

Reverend Run has other

I'm driving Caddy, you fixing a Ford.

My name is Joseph Simmons, but my middle name's Warner.

When I'm rocking all the mic, you should all applaud.

Because when we sing, we got a bunny.

And temptations for artists, you know, musicians, athletes, all that shit, is way too fucking great.

So for a host of reasons, he was like, "Fuck it, I am with her everywhere I go." And it's something that I admired about Reverend Run when I had had that conversation with him seven years ago.

I didn't know that you had the same life philosophy, and it makes me fucking respect you more in the last five minutes.

So I commend you with that.

I remember Kimora Lee Simmons.

Um, I remember Rev Run's because he did it, and then I watched Run's House for the, from day to day.

[laughs]

Start to finish.

Just certain stuff.

Like, I mean, for those who did watch Run's House back in the day, it was like your wholesome family show that you could watch, like, with your parents or with your kids, and I watched it with my mom.

I remember R- uh, Rev Run's daughters, Angela and Vanessa, came out with a shoe line.

I had five pairs of Pastry Shoes.

Her one and only collaboration credit also just happens to be about love, Old School Love, to be specific.

That's the title of the book she co-wrote with Joseph and Justine Simmons.

And if you don't recognize those names straightaway, you're in good company.

Joseph "Rev Run" Simmons is perhaps better known as Rev from Run DMC, and Amy didn't know who he was either when she was tapped to work on the project.

She'll share that story in the hour ahead, and will share as well about the work she's done to help lift the voices of women writers throughout her career.

Amy asked me to find room in this intro for another few words about Ken.

[laughs] You worked-

[laughs]

Yeah, like, the vibe.

Like, where did he get him from? Because Big Lob kinda reminds me a bit of, um, I think it's Run from Run DMC.

Um, he's got a bit of that vibe to him, and he's also reminds me a little bit of, um, what's that, uh, that, uh, The Last Dragon, what's his name? Sho'nuff? Like, uh, the big boss of that movie, the big bad guy in that.

Oh, in, um-