It’s all about the work. Nothing is going to fall into your lap. If you want to be a lawyer, see yourself as a lawyer, go to the library and start learning the law. If you want to be a rapper, start rapping and get out there. Live your life as if you already are where you want to be.
No one wants to sell to just 12% of the population for the entire length of their careers. It creates a difficult and less-profitable environment. But Hollywood has lived with that limiting mantra, and only a few black stars have managed to break through.
My wife Kimora once told me while we were watching “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” that it’s a vegetarian movie because the way that the woman was screaming, “Aaaahhh,” and trying to run away is how every animal you eat reacted at the slaughterhouse.
I ask everyone – white Hollywood and black Hollywood – to get outside of your comfort zone and make friends. That’s where they’re going to learn from each other, and that’s where they’re going to make better movies and make Hollywood a better place.
When you sit quietly and look inside, things that seem so difficult on the outside become a lot easier to digest. Concerns that might’ve caused a lot of anxiety just come and go.
[Performing artists] are making greater percentages. People are going to live events more and it’s a big success story for everyone – except the music industry itself.
![Russell Simmons Quote - [Performing artists] are making greater percentages. People are going to live events more and it’s a big success story for everyone – except the music industry itself.](https://minimalistquotes.com/images/performing-artists-are-making-greater-percentages-.jpg)