Nerd Alert: I asked Russell Simmons for a Selfie

{Russell Simmons and I (in a Market top and culottes and Anine Bing moto jacket)}

My job as a journalist affords me the luxury of meeting all kinds of celebrities — which is spectacular and endlessly entertaining. Christian Louboutin once complimented me on my shoes (which were Manolo Blahnik — embarrassing!), Pamela Anderson imparted some vegan knowledge on me when leading a vegan lifestyle was relatively unknown at the time, Carolina Herrera waxed poetic on the importance of a crisp, white shirt, Oscar de La Renta encouraged me to garden more often, and Donna Karan tells me I need travel to Bali and Haiti asap because both are life-changing destinations. Duly noted, Cool Kids.

Oddly enough, I only get nervous around the famous peeps I feel like I “know.” And by “know,” I’m talking about the celebrities I voraciously watch on TV and stalk follow on social media. After years of following certain stars, I’ve forged faux relationships with them like a complete sociopath. These celebrities include: Nacho Figueras (my lawd, the things I’d do to that Argentine fox!), Rihanna (she’s the very definition of a “good time” — wink, wink), Madonna (every child of the ’80s is obsessed) and a few more. Russell Simmons is on that select list, too, because he’s a business mogul, the godfather of Hip Hop, my fave personality on Run’s House and his self-authored inspirational quotes on Twitter and Instagram are beyond. Bible, he’s the hip-hop buddha.

This being said, I was bloody nervous to interview Uncle Rush at the Van Cleef & Arpels event at Bal Harbour Shops last Friday night because we’re imaginary BFFs, obvi. He was hosting the French maison‘s Perlée Coulers launch event alongside Allison and Chip Brady which benefitted his charity, Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation. Russell and I discussed his infatuation with yoga and meditation (he practices every day), his diet (vegan only), his go-to Miami restaurant (Soho Beach House) and how Miami is amongst his top three fave cities in the U.S. (NYC and LA are the others).

He’s extremely present, gregarious and wise and we wrapped up our discussion with a — you guessed — selfie. And in typical Russell form, he imparted this knowledge on me: “Give… until they can’t live without you.”

You got that right.

Thanks, Allison Weiss Brady, for snapping this picture