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This week, Russell Simmons appeared on N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN’s podcast, Drink Champs to discuss the Black Lives Matter movement, along with other guests Bun B, Talib Kweli, Mysonne and Marc Lamont Hill.
Following the airing on the episode, one of Simmons many sexual assault accusers, journalist Sil Lai Abrams, took to Twitter calling out Revolt, TIDAL, Diddy and Jay Z for giving Simmons a platform and a pass, despite the fact that he has multiple sexual assault allegations against him.
Abrams continued her series of tweets, adding “There is *absolutely* an underground movement by powerful Black men in music to help Russell avoid accountability and whitewash his legacy.”
Since Abrams tweets, the podcast has been removed from TIDAL.
Abrams is one of the women who appeared in the recent HBO Max documentary, On the Record, surrounding the sexual assault allegations of Russell Simmons. The film sets to shed light on the silencing, dismissal and ignoring of black women who have been sexually assaulted, even with the creator of the #MeToo movement being a black woman.
In 2018, Abrams told her story in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, saying she was raped by Simmons in 1994, adding that Simmons apologized in 1998. Russell denies any wrongdoings, and denied the apology conversation ever happened.
Following the release of the episode, Marc Lamont Hill tweeted his stance with the women who have come out against Simmons, adding that he “never would have appeared had he known Russell was scheduled.”
There is *absolutely* an underground movement by powerful Black men in music to help Russell avoid accountability and whitewash his legacy.
— Sil Lai Abrams: A Woman Finding ☮️ (@Sil_Lai) June 23, 2020
Jay Z and Puff won’t stand up for Russell via public statements but they are still rape apologists. By quietly giving him an unchallenged voice on their media platforms they make a huge statement: Black survivors of sexual violence are an irrelevant casualty of hip hop.
— Sil Lai Abrams: A Woman Finding ☮️ (@Sil_Lai) June 23, 2020
What we have witnessed w/@breakfastclubam & @Tidal is why there hasn’t been a peep about the rampant gender violence in hip hop. The most powerful Black men in the industry are rallying to the defense of Russell Simmons. They are actively taking a stance AGAINST Black women
— Sil Lai Abrams: A Woman Finding ☮️ (@Sil_Lai) June 23, 2020
During Russell’s 20ish minutes on the show, I was texting the producers telling them that I was not comfortable with his press and asking to wrap. After the show, I expressed my frustration with what happened. I also asked them not to air Russell’s portions.
— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) June 23, 2020
I stand with, and fully believe, the women who have come forward about Russell’s sexual violence. I am sorry that I shared space with someone who has caused such harm without accountability. Although I had NO IDEA he’d be on, I am nonetheless deeply sorry that I was a part of it.
— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) June 23, 2020
Written by Clarke Jones
Source: Pitchfork