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Lyorr turned to me last night and said, “I’m glad you wore a bow tie too.” I was like, “What? We’re going to see royalty, I got respect…we’re going to Carnegie Hall to see Jay’s show…there should be a dress code.”

We were going to see a King rock at Carnegie Hall.

With all of the hype that hip-hop has been through, I knew what this moment meant, but truthfully, Jay has had many amazing moments on stage. 

What really meant something last night was the style in which we walked in there. Yeah, Jay got every person in the most famous concert hall in America to throw their diamonds in the sky, but when we all went home, we smiled ’cause we knew that all of the proceeds from the show went to underserved communities.  I’ve said this a lot of times…you look at the wealthiest people in the world and most of them give very little to charity, in relation to their net worth. The people who actually give the most are those who come from lower-income communities. 

So, it is no surprise that when hip-hop artists get some money in their pocket, they want to serve the communities they come from. They all have charities, all of ’em.

A lot of media missed the point last night as they asked me questions about Jay-Z, the artist. Only a few mentioned the cause behind the concerts. I love Jay-Z the artist, but I am so damn proud of Shawn Carter and the gifts he and his foundation give to send young people to college. Now that’s hip-hop.

Russell Simmons