Rap mogul Russell Simmons will today become a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations (UN). Simmons' new title will be Permanent Observer Missionary for CISRI-ISP, an inter-governmental organization that fights against hunger and malnutrition around the world. It is part of a campaign to use hip-hop to talk about war, poverty, HIV, AIDS and malnutrition.

Simmons tells AllHipHop.com, "We're going to help save lives. We will not be silenced in the face of the awful fact that more than 40,000 people die every day from malnutrition and poverty. That is unacceptable to the hip-hop community."

Simmons will be joined as a Goodwill Ambassador by Hip-Hop Summit Action Network president/CEO Dr Benjamin Chavis. They will join other star ambassadors Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman and Michael Douglas.

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)