The Russell Simmons Episode Of ‘Drink Champs’ Has Been Pulled From Tidal Following Backlash

Revolt TV recently made the decision to publish an episode of its Drink Champs podcast that featured Russell Simmons in a discussion about Black Lives Matter. The episode, which was hosted on Tidal, came after the recently released HBO Max documentary On The Record, which details allegations of sexual assault made against the record executive. Ultimately, people didn’t care for the decision to include Simmons in the Drink Champs episode, and they let Revolt and Tidal hear it online. Now, following the backlash, Tidal has removed the episode from their platform.

One of the most vocal detractors of the episode was journalist Sil Lai Abrams, one of the women who made allegations against Simmons in On The Record. She wrote on Twitter, “What in the entire hell are Jay Z and @TIDAL doing by giving Russell Simmons a platform to discuss #BlackLivesMatter? Why do people continue to give him a pass? @marclamonthill did you ask him about the multiple rape allegations against him??? […] There is *absolutely* an underground movement by powerful Black men in music to help Russell avoid accountability and whitewash his legacy.”

Marc Lamont Hill explained his involvement in the episode, tweeting, “A few weeks ago, I appeared on Drink Champs. I was asked to join a discussion with Bun B, Talib Kweli, and Mysonne. About 2.5 hours into the show, Russell Simmons appeared. I had NO IDEA he was scheduled. I would NEVER have appeared if I had known. During Russell’s 20ish minutes on the show, I was texting the producers telling them that I was not comfortable with his press and asking to wrap. After the show, I expressed my frustration with what happened. I also asked them not to air Russell’s portions.”