Thug Life Army

Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons newly formed Russell Simmons Music Group officially named entertainment industry executive Tony Austin President of RSMG. Russell Simmons Music Group (RSMG) has been formed as a 50/50 joint label with Island Def Jam to include a label deal and consultancy agreement.

Tony Austin has had a remarkable career in entertainment industry. Tony Austin founded King Shah Productions in January 1994. The company produced extremely successful comedic tours with Steve Harvey, Chris Tucker and John Witherspoon, as well as a large-scale concert production of R&B’s R. Kelly and rap artist LL Cool J tour. In 2002,

Tony Austin is also the founder of the production company, Chocolate City Music, which served as an incubator to develop and nurture artists such as Dru Hill, DMX, Case, Comp, Buddafly and many others. Austin has been an A&R executive for Def Jam since 2003 and there, worked with such artists as DMX, Comp and Buddafly. Throughout his endeavors he has remained an A&R consultant for the Island Def Jam.

In recent statements the heads of the partnership, Tony Austin and Russell Simmons expressed their excitement for this new venture. “This is a dream come true to partner with a man like Russell Simmons and I am humbly honored,” emphasized Tony Austin. “The energy he has is amazing and he is an inspiration to be around. The resources and support systems we have access to are incredible and I believe it will afford us a real edge in doing business. I am very excited about the road ahead, very passionate about the artists and the music we are working with and look forward to coming to work each day and making things happen.” (Tony Austin)

"The reason I''m back in the music business is because I''m inspired by the wonderful opportunity to work again directly with L.A. Reid, Jay- Z and Reverend Run," says Simmons. "I''m also inspired by Tony Austin, my partner and the president of RSMG, in whom I believe I''ve found a musical genius. It's a tremendous blessing to come back and work for this company." (Russell Simmons)

RSMG will debut later this year with new albums by Reverend Run (Joseph Simmons), one of the founders of beloved hip-hop / rap icons Run-DMC, and Buddafly, a hot R&B group comprised of three sisters.