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Just weeks after the first woman came forward with sexual misconduct allegations against Russell Simmons; five more have brought forth allegations against the music mogul, three of which claim rape.
The new allegations span over three decades, ranging from 1988 to as recent as 2014. According to the New York Times report, former Def Jam Recordings exec, Drew Dixon, claims Simmons, had been aggressively sexually harassing her throughout her time at the label.
At the time, Simmons, who co-founded the label, was her direct supervisor. She said he would tell her how aroused she made him and even asked her to sit on his lap at a staff meeting. However, things took a turn for the worse when Simmons reportedly raped her in his Manhattan apartment, forcing her to step down from her position at the label.
In another incident that occurred in the early ‘90s, a former client of the music mogul says Simmons raped her when he was her manager. “The second he agreed to work with me, my budget increased, the label was paying more attention to me,” Tina Baker said, adding that the assault then catapulted her into “oblivion.”
Just a few years prior, Simmons was reportedly involved in another assault that occurred in the same Manhattan apartment. Music journalist, Toni Sallie, told the publication that she had an incident with Simmons back in 1988 when the mogul invited her to his home for a party. However, when she arrived, the apartment was empty. She said Simmons then showed her around the apartment, ultimately leading her to his bed, where the alleged assault took place.
“He pushed me on the bed and jumped on top of me, and physically attacked me,” Sallie said. “We were fighting. I said no.”
Two of the woman’s friends confirmed the incident, saying Sallie told them about it around the time it happened. “He raped her, she said,” the friends revealed.
However, amid reports of the details of the alleged assaults and sexual misconduct at the hands of the music mogul, Simmons has released a statement, denying having ever had non-consensual or unlawful sexual encounters.
Read Simmons’ full statement below:
I vehemently deny all these allegations. These horrific accusations have shocked me to my core and all of my relations have been consensual.
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. In recent weeks, some former business, creative and romantic partners have aired grievances as claims I categorically reject. In some of these instances, financial motives and direct contradictory witness testimony has been supplied to the media, which has been completely left out of stories. In the last few days, one woman attempted to extort me for $500,000 only to recant her ridiculous claim. The current allegations sent to me by The New York Times range from the patently untrue to the frivolous and hurtful. The presumption of innocent until proven guilty must not be replaced by “Guilty by Accusation.”
I have already apologized for the instances of thoughtlessness in my consensual relations. I have separated myself from my businesses and charities in order to not become a distraction. I have re-dedicated myself to spiritual learning, healing and working on behalf of the communities to which I have devoted my life. I have accepted that I can and should get dirt on my sleeves if it means witnessing the birth of a new consciousness about women. What I will not accept is responsibility for what I have not done. I have conducted my life with a message of peace and love. Although I have been candid about how I have lived in books and interviews detailing my flaws, I will relentlessly fight against any untruthful character assassination that paints me as a man of violence.
