Al Sharpton had a birthday party in NYC last night, and an odd assortment — Wendy Williams, former NYC Mayor David Dinkins, and Wyclef — came out in support. But here's the thing: Al Sharpton is only 53 years old! Meaning he's just three years older than Russell Simmons! Meaning that while Jesse Jackson stood on the balcony when Martin Luther King, Jr., got shot, Al Sharpton was in the 9th grade!

Why does he look old enough to be my grandfather? The stress being loved by a few and reviled by many?

Though they're separated and have each taken up with younger, hotter significant others, it doesn't mean that Kimora can't throw Russell star-studded surprise 50th birthday parties. Lots more pictures after the jump, including some heartwarming bonding between Djimon Hounsou and Russell. They should be a lesson for broken families everywhere!

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Pimp C, the decidedly more ignorant and outspoken half of UGK, went to XXL to clear up some disparaging remarks he had previously made about Russell Simmons. I think its safe to say that the mission was not accomplished.

You’ve conducted some interviews recently that expressed some pretty offensive opinions, but you only apologized for your “Atlanta ain’t the South” statement. Any other apologies you wanna make?
Let me say this: That statement about Russell Simmons had nothing to do with his sexual orientation. It had more to do with a disagreement [we had]. I don’t know if the man likes Martians, squirrels or whatever, so I ain’t gonna speak on something that I didn’t see. It’s no gay-bashing with me. It’s just, be proud of what you are, instead of hidin’ in the closet. And if ya fuck boys in the ass, then don’t be tryna fuck with the girls, too, poisoning the pussy population wit’ ya shitty ol’ dirty-ass dick.

He went on to say, with what was presumably a straight face, that's he's not a "gay basher" and would have no reason to bash gays unless he was in the closet. My sentiments exactly, Pimp C.
[XXL]

Out of the celebs in attendance at Friday evening's Baby Phat/KLS show in NYC, the only one who might actually be caught dead in any of the B.P. get-ups on the runway is Remy Ma, who was probably salivating thinking of stuffing herself in that pink denim bedazzled suit. They rest came to see and be seen. See them and some looks from the show after the jump.

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Fresh off of the high of not only forming a new band, but also signing a white male solo artist he will pay attention to for approximately 20 seconds, Diddy jetted off to Las Vegas for Magic, the huge bi-annual fashion trade show. While there, he ran into Bey and her, who are most likely shilling Miss Tina's new "creole-inspired" HSN collection and House of Dereon. I imagine Magic becomes more and more like a hip hop convention every year, since every artist and their mother (ahem, Tina) feels the need to develop a clothing line. More pics after the jump.

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At least one scheduled event in the Hamptons went off without a hitch Saturday (ahem, Usher). The Simmons clan, Nia Long, Forest Whitaker, and others lent their celebrity and their dollars to the 8th Annual Art For Life "Not So Mellow Yellow" Auction in East Hampton.

Photographic evidence after the jump.

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Now that they're no longer together, I wonder if Kimora and Russell ever plan family gatherings when the business isn't involved. They gathered up their kids and a few others in the Phat Farm showroom yesterday for a "tea party" to unveil their new "Ming & Aoki" clothing line, which is, of course, named after their kids.

Russell Simmons, Al Sharpton, and PETA have joined together to create an interesting anti-dog-fighting trio. They sent an open letter to Michael Vick's sponsors, the NFL commissioner, and the Atlanta Falcons CEO condemning dog-fighting but going kind of soft on Vick, in my opinion. I guess there's that whole innocent-until-proven-guilty roadblock.

Click here if you're interested in signing a petition, although I don't see what petitioning something that's already illegal will do. Read the full letter after the jump.

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No, Stereohyped has not been renamed "All Diddy, All the Time," but when a big star completely screws up his high profile relationship, there's a lot of news. This time, Miss Porter has released a statement.

"In ending this relationship, I made a decision that was in the best interest of myself, Sean and our family. I look forward to moving on with my life and my career, and wish him prosperity, health and happiness in life and in love. We will remain friends and committed parents to our children."

Let's decode, shall we? She hates his lying, cheating, disrespectful guts, but in the best interest of her children and her bank account, she's keeping it civil. Meanwhile, he's pursuing prosperity, health, and happiness at DJ Cassidy's birthday party at NYC's Tenjune. More pics from the party after the jump.

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It's safe to say that hip hop, both the music and the culture, is under fire right now, from lagging CD sales to painfully uninformed spots on cable news shows. I guess the Don Imus backlash is party to blame, but a new (-ish) book, Beats, Rhymes, and Life: What We Love And Hate About Hip Hop, was surely written before a crusty old radio host called a group of college athletes nappy headed-hoes.

If anything, this compilation of essays from music journalists and rappers proves that, despite the rants and raves of hip hop haters on Fox news, the genre's biggest critics are actually the people that love it the most. It's worth a read, especially considering the current climate. Why won't Russell Simmons write a book like this?

This doesn't sound very zen! Russell Simmons lost his temper during an NPR interview to promote his book, Do You!: 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success, because he's frustrated that everyone wants to talk about violence and misogyny in hip hop instead of his book. Apparently, NPR journalist Farai Chideya bore the brunt when he snapped, "'I had a book tour about peace and love, and everyone wants to talk about b***ches and hoes.'"

I can't say I blame the interviewers, because hip hop is obviously more interesting than the book. The title alone nearly puts me to sleep.

[EUR]

In Touch Weekly and Bauer Publishing did something to make Russell and Kimora Lee Simmons mad enough to sue for libel, although the New York Supreme Court summons The Smoking Gun dug up doesn't specify why. Because Kimora is feeling litigious lately, I won't say how I really feel about her relationship with Djimon Hounsou. Instead, I'll say they look very nice together in Cannes. Very nice, indeed.

[TSG]

If nothing else, at least Snoop didn't sound as ridiculous as he did the last time he talked to MTV about hip hop. In his latest interview, he was only mildly hypocritical, egotistical and offensive. Phew. Highlights include Snoop referring to Russell Simmons as "irrelevant," and, in a complete reversal of opinion, saying that most of the women in his videos aren't hoes. They're just models trying to break into the movies. And he's helping them.

MTV: You're right about the different MCs needing to be more vocal in different situations — not just with the music, but with the community as a whole. One of the biggest knocks on you is not just the language in your music, but the women in your videos.

Snoop: Who's to say that these women in videos are ho's? They are classy women, and if you really try to mack to them, they'll tell you, "Well, I have a man" or "I'm not into that" or "I don't do that." Not every girl in the videos has sex with the rappers or lays out her body and does whatever the rapper says. A lot of these women do this as a means of modeling or being appreciated for their looks.

MTV: But when the mainstream takes a look at it, sometime they all get grouped in the promiscuous video-vixen category.

Snoop: It's a shame that they are being classified as video ho's. Halle Berry was in a video with [Fred Durst]. Does that make her a ho? She kissed him in the video too. Does that make her a ho? … Not everybody is a video vixen. Some girls are into it because they are following their dreams. TV is a long way for a lot of these girls from the country or small parts of the world.

So what are they, small town girls with big dreams or bitches and hoes after your money? Or are they just representing the bitches and hoes you rap about? I can't keep track of all of these different categories of women. And yet, all of it makes perfect sense in Snoop's weed-altered universe.

[MTV]