Russell Simmons has apologized for releasing the now-deleted “Harriet Tubman Sex Tape” video on his All Def Digital YouTube channel.
“In the whole history of Def Comedy Jam, I’ve never taken down a controversial comedian,” Russell Simmons said in a statement published on Global Grind. “When my buddies from the NAACP called and asked me to take down the Harriet Tubman video from the All Def Digital YouTube channel and apologize, I agreed.”
Simmons also said what he thought of the video before he was asked to remove it.
“I’m a very liberal person with thick skin,” Simmons said. “My first impression of the Harriet Tubman piece was that it was about what one of actors said in the video, that 162 years later, there’s still tremendous injustice. And with Harriet Tubman outwitting the slave master? I thought it was politically correct. Silly me. I can now understand why so many people are upset. I have taken down the video. Lastly, I would never condone violence against women in any form, and for all of those I offended, I am sincerely sorry.”
The video featured actors DeStorm Power, Shanna Malcolm and Jason Horton. In it, Tubman and a slave formulate a plan to blackmail a slave owner for freedom by filming a sex act between Tubman and the slave holder. “All these years I’ve been acting like I didn’t enjoy our special time together,” the actress portraying Tubman says in the clip. Shortly after the clip was released, it faced criticism for its depiction of Harriet Tubman.
Harriet Tubman, a significant figure in American history, was born into slavery. Tubman fled for freedom and risked her safety to help hundreds who were also enslaved. Tubman was able to carry out this task through the Underground Railroad, a secret network of routes and safe houses. Tubman also served in several capacities during the American Civil War.
Russell Simmons addressed the launching of his new All Def Digital channel in a press release Wednesday (August 14).
“I’ve worked my entire professional life to promote up-and-coming talent and the new art forms they create and YouTube is the perfect platform for this new generation,” Simmons said in a press release. “Just as our talent will benefit from being able to engage directly with their fans, YouTube will benefit from having a network that reflects the incredible diversity of the new America.”
Simmons, the co-founder of Def Jam Records, helped break artists like LL Cool J, Beastie Boys and Run-D.M.C. The older brother to Rev Run of Run-D.M.C., Simmons was also a producer on many of the group’s projects, including 1984’s self-titled release. Earlier this year, Simmons announced the launch of All Def Music. Simmons has worked in fashion, known for his ownership of Phat Farm. He’s also worked in comedy, most notably as the creator of Def Comedy Jam. Simmons has also participated in philanthropic efforts, forming the Hip Hop Summit Action Network and the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding.
RELATED: Russell Simmons & Steve Rifkind Team Up To Launch New Label All Def Music
smh
Russell should have known better.
WHAT THE FUCK
russell is mad suspect
Yet people were ok with Django Unchained
django unchained was a fictional story based on real situations, idiot.
Nope, people cried like pussies about Django as well
They gave it a pass because they knew any movie starring Jamie Foxx couldn’t be taken seriously.
2nd guy is wrong, no real situations here, the movie was all fictional, fag
This generation is the definition of sissy. Every time you turn around somebody is crying like a baby because something offended them, and people cave to the pressure because they dont have the balls to tell them to shut the fuck up.
If Russell Simmons and Def Jam released a Public Enemy album today, it would come with an apology letter attatched to it.
Political correctness is the devil.
Couldnt agree more,….These times are soft….I remember in the old school Dr.Dre video.They were chasin eazy down with ak’s and beams.Drinkin 40’s and smokin blurred out weed on MTV.That shit would never get play these days.Somone would cry like a bitch about it.
All that money with the morals of a sewer rat.
http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/PJc3bWW0iu0/mqdefault.jpg
666
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCGNTO0qaVc
what the hell were you thinking in the first place,,,,,,freedom of speech aint free,,,the first amendment got russ bugging,,,
Sex is the wrong word…..RAPE is the true definition.
The white-skinned slavers used to rape their slaves: men, women and children every day and night for over 400 years.
They had sex-farms were white-skinned deviants could come and choose slave children to rape and sodomize or adult slaves if that was their perversion. Many of these deviants can sick perversions and chose to gang-rape their victim or use bondage sex with ropes and chains to sexually torture their victims.
They also had breeding farms were they would “stud-out” their biggest and strongest “bucks” to impregnate underage girls to produce babies that they called “pups”. The White-skinned slavers would form a crowd of slavers and cheer as the naked Buck would perform his sexual act on slave girls as young as 12.
An entire class of mullattos, quadroons, octoroons, and quintroons came from the rape of white-skinned slave-masters brutally raping their slaves, the dark-skinned Africans suffered so much rape that their colors became high-yellow, brown, red-bone, and some even white enough to be able to pass for white.
The callous insensitivity of a Harriet Tubman rape-tape being made just boggles the mind because Harriet Tubman is seen as an icon and a symbol of defiance and courage within the African American historical legacy……would white-skinned people be offended with a rape-tape of a Nazi-officer having sexual intercourse with Ann Frank?
Would there be a negative reaction if their was a comedy-sketch of the white-skinned Princess Dianna having sexual intercourse with Kimbo Slice and Shaquille O’Neil simultaneously with a grinning RG3 waiting for his turn in the background?
you brought tears to my eyes…i cant believe what i just read!
Sorry Nat, but my white ass is gonna steal that Princess Diana sketch idea…too funny!
On the surface the Harriet Tubman sketch is even better and even provides some social commentary on the past and present. However, it is easy to see why some people would be upset.
There’s an activist group for every crybaby ass group of people in the world now, they have a child molester group called NAMBLA who walk around crying about the way pedophiles are portrayed in the media (Think I’m lying look it up)
I hate modern day society, cant say or do shit without worrying about who’s gonna spill their period blood all over the place cause it offended them…….. I imagine eventually a group of short guys will get together and protest basketball because they cant play it and it hurts there feelings
LMAO!! shits true tho folks need to lighten up
upto I looked at the bank draft that said $5850, I didn’t believe …that…my friend actualey taking home money parttime at there computar.. there best friend haz done this less than 8 months and at present repayed the dept on their home and purchased a new opel. I went here, ——> Green37(dot)COM
@Nat Turner. Well put.
To DX: ip addresses can be changed at the drop of a dime. Dumb fucks, I will continue to shit on your idols e.g. Kanye, Wayne, Gucci, and the rest of the sub-humans masquerading as models for the black youths