Mogul Russell Simmons
recently announced the September launch of his new fragrance Atman.
The Def Jam Records
cofounder and estranged wife Kimora Lee Simmons will donate 100 percent of the
proceeds of the fragrance to charity.
According to Simmons,
singer Alicia Keys’ Keep A Child Alive program will be the first charity to
benefit from the sale of Atman.
"I never thought
about selling a fragrance," Simmons told AllHipHop.com. "I’m not that
type of dude, but when I started developing the scent two years ago, I enjoyed
the process."
"Atman,"
which is Sanskrit for higher self or god, is gaining a healthy buzz despite
critics who told Simmons how scents "described as spiritual don’t test
well" and that "anything about God was a failure."
"I was excited
that the lavender and sandalwood influences I chose tested through the roof.
They were shocked to know that the Atman spirit of man campaign was a hit wherever
[it was] tested," said Simmons, who revealed that $8 million is being spent
to promote his new scent.
"The fact
that it could generate millions to give is my greatest inspiration. Imagine
if I could have the success at retail of Kimora or even Puff. That would be
the blessing."
Atman is scheduled
to debut September 3 and will be sold at Macy’s and everywhere Phat Farm and
Baby Phat is sold.
In related news,
Simmons’ Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) is bringing back its voter registration
campaign this year with a return to Philadelphia.
Russell Simmons,
the organization’s cofounder and Dr. Benjamin Chavis, HSAN cofounder and president,
made the announcement today (June 21) as
Simmons set a goal to register 10,000 new voters.
The campaign will
officially kick off July 12 at the Hip-Hop Summit National Town Hall Meeting,
which takes place at 7 p.m. at the University of Pennsylvania’s Irvine Auditorium,
with an after-party celebration following at the Diamond Club at Citizens Bank
Park.
"We are excited
about returning to the City of Brotherly Love, where we first linked registering
young voters to the power of hip-hop culture,"said Simmons, who feels the
Philadelphia program will yield tangible results for people across the country.
"In that tradition, we will have an important dialogue at the Hip-Hop Summit
National Town Hall Meeting on community empowerment across a wide range of issues
affecting the quality of young people’s lives throughout America."