Russell Simmons, right, stands by as Emily Young, campus team leader for ’Canes for Obama, addresses students. Young, a junior in the School of Communication, was one of the students who ate lunch with President Obama at OMG Burgers in South Miami after the president’s Univision interview on September 20 in the UM Fieldhouse.

Hip-Hop mogul Russell Simmons, recently named one of the “Top 25 Most Influential People of the Past 25 Years” by USA Today, made a brief stop on the University of Miami campus on October 3 to campaign for President Barack Obama. The co-founder of the hip-hop label Def Jam and creator of the clothing fashion line Phat Farm spoke to a small group of students in the International Lounge at the University Center, encouraging them to stay “engaged” and “connected” in the political process. His visit was organized by the UM Young and College Democrats and ’Canes for Obama, the campus-based initiative created by Organizing for America. Wearing a New York Yankees baseball cap, Simmons took questions from students, who then serenaded the hip-hop pioneer with a rendition of “Happy Birthday to You.” Simmons’s visit came a day before he turned 55.