Russell Simmons—hip-hop impresario, lifestyle guru, and author of books like Super Rich: A Guide To Having It All—has a new project: making peace in the Middle East. Simmons believes that, despite the efforts of literally thousands of better men before him, he has what it takes to get that whole Israeli-Palestinian mess straightened out once and for all. Because of course he can.
Simmons recently told the Associated Press that the conflict “is like ‘a rap beef’ that can be resolved through dialogue and understanding.” Further reiterating his own lack of understanding of the centuries-old struggle, Simmons said the whole thing could be resolved with just “a little trust.” Muslims and Jews "have the same aspirations and goals that are much greater than the things they call differences," Simmons said, still not providing anything close to a tangible solution to the quagmire.
Simmons said all this while in Israel at the invitation of Israeli President Shimon Peres. He came as part of a foundation that encourages face-to-face dialogue between different religious communities—to put it it in his terms, not unlike the face-to-face "dialogue" that occurred between Drake and Chris Brown in a club recently, or the dialogue between Tupac and a gun that made him a hologram. While Simmons has been touring Israel, he's also been talking yoga with religious leaders and even did a handstand “for the kids” in front of the Dome Of The Rock, one of the holiest sites for Muslims.