Family think Russell Simmons too old for their girl

Russell Simmons is too old for slender siren Denise Vasi, some of her
concerned family members are saying.

At 23, the nubile Nefertiti, who recently did a photo spread for Vibe
Vixen, has been on the planet less than half as many years as the rap
mogul, who is 48.


Denise's family is well aware that Simmons has a phat enough wallet to
have built an empire for Simmons' recently estranged wife, Kimora Lee
Simmons, another model he picked out from the catwalk when she was just
16 years old.


(Simmons' label, Def Jam Records, made $100 million in 1999, and his
Phat Farm clothing line earned $140 million in 2004.)


"The economics sound great," our inside source tells us. "But she's 23,
and he's nearly 50. He's taking her to these parties and who knows what
goes on there. We think this is the wrong direction for her to go in.


"It's like when you win a trophy and you show it around. He's showing
her off."


Simmons has taken the Greek-Dominican beauty, whom he describes as
"very sweet," to Capitale and G-Spa in the Hotel Gansevoort. He has
also said he enjoys doing yoga with her - something he said Kimora
wouldn't rise at 6 a.m. to do with him.


With his Hip-Hop Action Summit, his activism with New York City
schools, and his project to videotape 1,000 prominent
African-Americans, among other work, Simmons is known as a nice,
low-key guy who did not forget his community after his success. But all
that makes him even bigger.


"We don't know if she's able to handle his fame, if she has the skills"
our source confides. "She's smart, but it's a pretty big scene."


A rep said Simmons would have no comment.