| Net Worth: | $65 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional Rapper |
| Date of Birth: | November 14, 1964 |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Height: | 1.73 m |
About Joseph Simmons
His hometown is Queens, New York, and he is a rapper from the United States. He was an original member of the seminal rap group Run-D.M.C. Reverend Run is also a minister in the community. Simmons acquired fresh popularity in 2005 with his family’s MTV reality show Run’s House. In 1983, Simmons tied the knot with Valerie Vaughn. Joseph “JoJo” Ward Simmons, Jr. (also known as “JoJo”), Vanessa Simmons, and Angela Simmons are their three children.
The youngest member of Run-D.M.C., he was born less than a month after the youngest member of the Beastie Boys, Adam Horovitz (aka “Ad-Rock”) (aka “Ad-Rock”). Darryl McDaniels (“DMC”), Adam Yauch (“MCA”), and Mike “Jam Master Jay” Diamond (1965) of the Beastie Boys all share a birthday.
Simmons was the lead vocalist for the hip-hop group The Force before joining Run-D.M.C. With his friend Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels and the late DJ Jason “Jam-Master Jay” Mizell, he co-founded Run-D.M.C. as the group’s lead vocalist.
On June 25th, 1994, he tied the knot with Justine Jones. Daniel “Diggy” Simmons III, Russell “Russy” Simmons II, and Victoria Anne Simmons are his offspring with her. At the end of the “Rap Stars” episode of The Weakest Link in 2002, he was the third contestant to be eliminated.
In September of 2005, he made his debut as Rev. Run on the track “Song 4 Lovers” by the British pop band Liberty X. Bill Schacht directed the music video for Aestheticom, and the song was featured on Box UK at #2 and MTV UK at #4 in the broadcast airplay chart. The band’s eighth top 10 hit, “Song 4 Lovers” peaked at No. 5 on the Official Charts Company’s UK Top 40 Singles Chart. From 2005 until 2009, Rev Run starred in Run’s House, an MTV reality show about his family life.
After receiving his Pentecostal ministerial ordnance from Simmons’s spiritual guide E. Bernard Jordan, Run began performing under the name “Rev. Run” In 2004, he was given Jordan’s “Protege of the Year Award” which he received for his outstanding achievements. In 2007, at Diddy and Baby’s son Quincy’s sweet sixteen party, he and his son Diggy Simmons made an appearance on My Super Sweet 16. As a producer, Diddy had a hand in creating Run’s House.
At that year’s BMI Urban Awards, Rev Run received the BMI Icon award. He also advertised a six-bedroom colonial in Saddle River, New Jersey where the Simmons family resided for $5.5 million.
Simmons and his wife Justine volunteered with the non-profit organization KaBOOM! and the soft drink brand Kool-Aid in 2008 to construct playgrounds in underprivileged neighborhoods. Throughout 2008, they plan to use Kool-Aid to generate money for the construction of 24 playgrounds, with the goal of drawing attention to the importance of providing children with safe places to play.
Co-written with Justine Simmons and Chris Morrow, Simmons’ book Take Back Your Family: A Challenge to America’s Parents was released by Gotham Press on August 5, 2008.
Rev. Run visited the Bay Area Fellowship Church in Corpus Christi, Texas, on September 17th and 18th, 2011, as a special guest of Pastor Bil Cornelius.
In addition to Rev Run’s Renovation, which airs on the DIY Network and HGTV, and Rev Run’s Sunday Suppers, which airs on the Cooking Channel, Simmons is also responsible for the 2016 launch of Rev Runs Around the World, which airs on the Travel Channel.
Simmons revealed in 2017 that he was switching to a vegetarian diet after feeling God nudging him in that direction.
