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In the fall of 2011, Manhattan’s Zuccotti Park became a political hotbed of protest action, as the 99 percent changed the national conversation when it came to getting the money out of politics. One of the main voices was our own Russell Simmons (Uncle Rush).

STORY: Russell Simmons And Kanye West Take A Trip To Occupy Wall Street

TIME Magazine dropped their list of the most prevalent celebrity protesters and Uncle Rush topped the list with his daily efforts and visits to Zuccotti Park.

Notable celebs like filmmaker Michael Moore, actress Susan Sarandon and even Alec Baldwin showed up to support the Occupy Wall Street movement, but it was Uncle Rush who brought hip-hop to the 99 percenters when Kanye West arrived at Zuccotti Park.

His stops weren’t limited to New York City either; Uncle Rush made stops in Boston and Los Angeles, spreading the message to get the money out of politics, telling demonstrators everywhere he went: “You represent the seeds of a revolution.” 

Standing in solidarity with the 99 percenters at 5 AM one morning as the NYPD threatened to clear the park and arrest everyone inside, Uncle Rush tweeted:

“Dear @MikeBloomberg — I will pay for clean-up of Zuccotti Park to avoid confrontation, I don’t wanna go to jail but I will be there ready!”

As it turned out, he didn’t have to. The NYPD backed down that day, and Simmons continued to support the Occupy movement.

Congrats to Uncle Rush for being one of TIME’s most influential celebrity protesters. To view TIME’s complete list, click here.