Former Def Jam Recordings executive Drew Dixon has repugnant memories of her time working with Russell Simmons at the label he helped found in 1984.
She has previously alleged that she was sexually assaulted by the hip-hop pioneer while climbing the ranks and gaining notoriety for her work in the industry as an A&R.
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Dixon was one of three women who came forward in 2017 with stories of being harassed, intimidated, and sexually violated by Simmons.
The then-24-year-old executive reportedly had endured years of inappropriate behavior and sexual harassment from Simmons. Her troubles reached a tipping point around 1995, following the successful release of Method Man and Mary J. Blige’s duet “All I Need.”
In a recent “Women in Hip-Hop” podcast interview, Dixon claimed, “I was actually assaulted when that record was still at the top of the charts.” She continued, “So I was negotiating with Russell at the time. I was trying to retroactively negotiate a point on the duet. I was trying to negotiate a point on the soundtrack when I was assaulted.”
She alleges that she was raped by Simmons after being lured to his apartment under the guise that he had a demo record for her. She claimed he emerged from a bathroom wearing nothing other than a condom, and violently violated her.
Drew Dixon, former Def Jam exec, & 18+ other women came forward years ago about how Russell Simmons is a very dangerous man. He uses yoga & spirituality, “good vibes only” as tool to hide & manipulate others. Check the documentary on him “On the Record”. pic.twitter.com/pk2uRBJw72 https://t.co/ZpuxGdnNlN
— Bettinna (◕‿◕) | Haiti #BwaKale (@bettinna) June 19, 2023
“And I quit. I just never—I gave up,” added the Stanford graduate. Dixon went on to elaborate on the disturbing atmosphere Simmons allegedly cultivated and about the vulgar comments he allegedly made and directed toward her. “In hindsight, I also realize he was grooming me and testing me,” said Dixon before disclosing that she is also a victim of childhood trauma.
Looking back, she said her early trauma diminished her ability to more aggressively communicate to Simmons that his alleged inappropriate behaviors would not be tolerated. “I had the spine to fight for a record, but I didn’t have the spine to fight for and protect myself.”
After coming forward with her story, Dixon spoke out again on the #MeToo era documentary “On the Record,” which unveils more alleged accounts of Simmons’ predatory encounters with women.
Oprah Winfrey worked as an executive producer on the project, but announced her exit from it in 2020 amid mounting backlash that she was tarnishing the legacy of a Black man. Simmons also called her out, saying that it was “troubling” that she would participate in the documentary.
Winfrey claimed she severed ties with the project due to creative differences and inconsistencies in Dixon’s story.
The mogul also claimed that she believed the alleged victims. Dixon says Winfrey’s departure from the documentary fractured many of the relationships with Simmons’ accusers, who had agreed to tell their stories, and that she remains open to an apology from the former talk-show host.
As for Simmons, “I would like for him to just go away…and make us whole to whatever extent he can…I really just never want to see him again…Fall back. You aren’t worthy of any of us, of any of this,” she said.
The Phat Farm founder has faced recent scrutiny for the alleged verbal and emotional abuse he reportedly subjected his ex-wife, Kimora Lee Simmons, and their two daughters, Ming Lee and Aoki Lee, to for years. According to Kimora, she and her daughters are estranged from the disgraced music mogul.
