Hip-Hop Mogul Russell Simmon’s New York Penthouse For Sale
“The godfather of hip-hop” Russell Simmons, founder of Def Jam Records, has put his 13-room penthouse in Manhattan’s Financial District on the market for $11 million. The property is listed with Lisa Maysonet and Gary Kabol of Prudential Douglas Elliman.
Simmon’s asking price is nearly twice as much as he planned to sell for four years ago. According to The New York Post, in 2001, Simmons went into contract to sell the apartment to fellow hip-hopper and entrepreneur Sean “P.Diddy” Combs for $6 million. The deal was disrupted by the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, which damaged the property.
After the attacks, Simmons, still seeking a buyer, and fellow residents hung anti-war signs in their windows that read “No War” and “Dissent is Patriotic.”
The recently renovated penthouse, located on Liberty Street near the World Trade Center, has 7,000 square feet of interior space and 2,000 square feet on two terraces. Simmons hasn’t lived there since 2001, when he and his family moved to Saddle River, N.J.