The music and entertainment industries were out en masse to honor music industry legend and hip-hop star Russell Simmons as Phoenix House presented him with the 8th Phoenix Rising Award (for music and entertainment industry leaders who have made a “substantial dif-ference in promoting healthy lifestyles among America’s youth”) at the W Hotel.

Phoenix House, founded in 1967, is the leading non-profit drug treatment and education agency in the U.S., operating over 100 programs in nine states. The award honors Simmons for his “tireless advocacy of drug law reform and his role in educating policy makers and the public about the effectiveness of treatment.” Simmons had this to say: “Incarceration doesn’t solve the problem of addiction and doesn’t get at the root of the issue. A program like Phoenix House repairs and saves lives.”

Chairs of the evening included MTV’s Tom Freston, HBO’s Richard Plepler, Nu America Music’s Andre Harrell, BET Holdings’ Robert Johnson, Late Night with Conan O’Brien’s Jeffrey Ross, and Kimora Lee Simmons. Also in the mix were Reverend Run (Simmons’ younger brother Joseph, of the group Run-D.M.C.), Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Dr. Mitchell Rosenthal (Phoenix House Prez), Abe Rosenthal, Lynn Sherr, Andrew Cuomo, Brett Ratner, Rebecca Gayheart, Kevin Liles, and Lyor Cohen. This was a truly spirited, meaningful evening for guests and honorees alike.