Universal Music Group Joins Russell Simmons to Produce THE SCENARIO; NYC Premiere & North American Tour in 2017-18

Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, today announced a partnership with hip-hop pioneer and multi-hyphenate entrepreneur Russell Simmons to become a lead producer of THE SCENARIO, a new stage musical with an original story set to the greatest hits from a three-decade span of hip-hop. The production will draw upon UMG's vast catalog and live performance resources as the show prepares to launch its world premiere in New York City, and subsequent North American tour, in the 2017-18 season.

Tony Award-winning producer Scott Landis (Pajama Game, Nice Work If You Can Get It, An Act of God), UMG's special advisor on theatrical development and production, will represent Universal Music on the producing team, alongside Simmons, Jake Stein for Def Pictures, and Tony-winning Broadway producers Scott Prisand & Jamie Bendell for Big Block (Rock of Ages, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Heathers).

"Universal Music has been a pillar partner of mine for many years," said Simmons, who is widely credited with ushering in a hip-hop cultural revolution with the 1984 launch of Def Jam Recordings, now a Universal label. "Their support and resources will be immensely important in staging this extraordinary musical experience, and we could not be more excited to be moving forward with such a platinum-level producing team."

"As a brilliant media entrepreneur who transformed hip hop into a global phenomenon, there are few people who could tell the story of hip hop with Russell's perspective and passion," said Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group. "It's a professional and personal honor to support my friend and to work together to bring this important production to the stage."

"It's an honor to join Russell in producing the The Scenario, which promises to provide fans with an exciting live experience of iconic songs that still influence music today," said Michele Anthony, Executive Vice President of Universal Music Group. "With this project, UMG continues to build on our history of helping to produce prominent theatrical productions that tap into our unparalleled artist roster and music."

THE SCENARIO will feature an original story written by acclaimed author and hip-hop historian Dan Charnas (The Big Payback, VH1's "The Breaks"), and is on track for a world premiere limited engagement in New York City in the 2017/2018 season.? The production will then launch a 30-city North American tour that will play in both traditional and non-traditional musical venues.

"This show will be a thrilling and energetic celebration of hip hop culture, and we want that to be enjoyed by the millions of hop-hop fans across the country," said Simmons. "In order to ensure that the musical is truly accessible to all, the tour will play a wide variety of venues, from large Broadway touring houses to inner-city concert stages."

In 1980, the explosion of hip hop was fueled by a generation with an incredible hunger to discover new ways of expression. Over the following decades and through the turn of the millennium, this innovative movement - "when it seemed that every new single reinvented the genre" (Rolling Stone) - would transform and shape popular culture through music, fashion, entertainment, and more. THE SCENARIO weaves the best of these groundbreaking rhythms, iconic songs and timeless ideas with a completely original story that will take audiences on an electrifying ride that celebrates hip hop culture.

THE SCENARIO is produced by: Russell Simmons; Jake Stein (Def Pictures); Universal Music Group; and Scott Prisand & Jamie Bendell (Big Block). Jumpstart Entertainment will serve as general manager of the musical.

Dates, creative team and cast will be announced at a later date.

About Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group (UMG) is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising and audiovisual content in more than 60 countries. Featuring the most comprehensive catalog of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world. Committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms and business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans. Universal Music Group is a Vivendi company. Find out more at: www.universalmusic.com.

About Russell Simmons & Def Pictures

Entrepreneur, author, activist and philanthropist Russell Simmons has launched scores of groundbreaking careers and innovative?enterprises in arenas as varied as music, film, television, fashion, comedy, poetry, digital platforms, theater and finance. ?His lifelong mission has been giving a voice to extraordinary talent and empowering underserved communities as they in turn shape the mainstream of culture.?

After having produced or managed artists such as Kurtis Blow, Run DMC, Houdini and Jimmy Spicer, Simmons joined forces with producer Rick Rubin to found Def Jam Recordings. Under Simmons' leadership as Chairman, Def Jam signed acts including the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Jay Z and Kanye West.? Simmons' long-running HBO series "Def Comedy Jam" helped make household names of comics including Jamie Foxx, Chris Tucker, Martin Lawrence, Bernie Mac, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart and JB Smoove. "Def Poetry Jam," also on HBO, won a Peabody Award and a Broadway version netTEd Simmons a Tony?Award. Simmons' numerous big-screen hits include The Nutty Professor, which grossed more than $273 million.

Simmons has written three New York Times best-selling books, including Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple, which was published by Morrow in 2014. He has also launched a multitude of diverse business ventures including pop-culture website Global Grind, UniRush Financial Services, Simmons Jewelry, shoemaker Run Athletics and clothing subsidiaries Phat Farm, Argyleculture and American Classics. Most recently, he unveiled All Def Digital, a premium, multi-platform digital media company and entertainment hub, curating, developing and connecting a new generation of content creators to global fans.? He also co-founded the digital marketing firm Narrative.?

Def Pictures is Russell Simmons' film and theater Production Company, based in Los Angeles, which focuses on inclusive studio films across all genres and budget ranges. Def Pictures currently has films in development at most major studios, including Fox, Lionsgate, Universal and Netflix.

About Big Block

Big Block is a full-service creative collective responsible for conceiving, producing, and distributing engaging, award-winning content shared by billions across the globe. The studio's repertoire of work spans across feature films, Broadway productions, branded campaigns, original webisodes, music videos and traditional ads, including Tony and Emmy Award-winning productions like A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder, Rock of Ages, Heathers the Musical, Legally Blonde and Cosmos. Find out more at: www.bigblockla.com.

About Dan Charnas

Dan Charnas is an acclaimed author, journalist, professor, producer and former record company executive, and is considered to be one of hip-hop's foremost historians. As part of a generation of young writers who created hip-hop journalism, Dan Penned some of the first cover stories for The Source magazine, and is author of The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop (New American Library/Penguin) and the co-author of Def Jam: The First 25 Years of the Last Great Record Label (Rizzoli). Deemed "Pulitzer-worthy" by Spin and "Epic" by The Village Voice, The Big Payback received four stars from Rolling Stone, and accolades from publications including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Weekly and The Atlantic. In 2016, the book was adapted for the screen with the TV movie "The Breaks" on VH1, which delivered such solid ratings that the cable network announced in February it would be ordering the hip-hop drama to series. Dan began his music business career in the mailroom of the seminal rap label Profile Records, eventually becoming Rap A&R and Promotion Manager - working with such artists as Run-DMC, Dana Dane, Special Ed, Rob Base, Special Ed and DJ Quik. As VP of A&R and Marketing for the Rick Rubin/Warner Bros joint venture American Recordings, Dan oversaw projects including Sir Mix-A-Lot's double-platinum single "Baby Got Back" (the #2 Billboard Pop Single of 1992), DJ Kool's gold anthem "Let Me Clear My Throat," and Chino XL's acclaimed "Here To Save You All," which influenced emcees from Eminem to 50 Cent. He is currently Associate Arts Professor at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, Tisch School of the Arts at New York University; and an executive producer of VH1's"The Breaks".