American record label
Def Jam Recordings
(also simply known as
Def Jam
) is an American multinational
record label
owned by
Universal Music Group
. It is based in
Manhattan
, New York City, specializing predominantly in
hip hop
,
contemporary R&B
,
soul
and
pop
.
The label has a London-based, UK arm known as
0207 Def Jam
(formerly
Def Jam UK
in the 1990s until the mid-2000s) and is currently operated through
EMI Records
. It has a Johannesburg, South Africa and Lagos, Nigeria-based arm known as
Def Jam Africa
.
As of 2024, Def Jam's current roster includes
Justin Bieber
,
DJ Khaled
,
Alessia Cara
,
2 Chainz
,
Big Sean
,
Dave East
,
Wale
,
Jeremih
,
Pusha T
,
Fabolous
,
Jhene Aiko
,
Coco Jones
,
LL Cool J
,
Public Enemy
,
Jadakiss
,
YG
,
Muni Long
,
Buju Banton
,
Fridayy
,
Benny the Butcher
,
Trinidad Cardona
,
DaniLeigh
,
Fredo Bang
,
Nasty C
,
Armani White
, and
Hit-Boy
among others.
[2]
Company history
[
edit
]
Founding and CBS Records Group era (1983?1994)
[
edit
]
Def Jam was co-founded by
Rick Rubin
in his dormitory in Weinstein Hall at
New York University
,
[3]
and its first release was a single by his punk-rock group
Hose
.
Russell Simmons
joined Rubin shortly after they were introduced to each other, according to one story, by
Vincent Gallo
.
[4]
Another cites
DJ Jazzy Jay
as their connector.
[5]
Rubin has said he met Simmons on the TV show
Graffiti Rock
and recognized him then as "the face of hip hop": "He was five years older than me, and he was already established in the music business. And I had no experience whatsoever."
[6]
The second single released with the Def Jam Recordings logo was
T La Rock
& Jazzy Jay's "It's Yours". The first releases with Def Jam Recordings catalog numbers were
LL Cool J
's "
I Need a Beat
" and the
Beastie Boys
' "
Rock Hard
", both in 1984. The singles sold well, eventually leading to a distribution deal with
CBS Records
through
Columbia Records
the following year. However, the Hose and T La Rock releases were
not
part of the deal and are now controlled by different entities.
This created a short-lived subsidiary label called OBR Records, short for Original Black Recordings, which catered toward R&B artists?the first artist signed to that imprint was
Oran "Juice" Jones
, who enjoyed success with his hit single "
The Rain
". A few years later, Russell Simmons and Lyor Cohen started an umbrella label called Rush Associated Labels to handle Def Jam and its numerous spinoff labels. RAL became the home to
Nice & Smooth
and
EPMD
after both acts were acquired due to the folding of their former label
Sleeping Bag Records
.
[7]
Other acts under the RAL umbrella included
Redman
,
Onyx
,
Flatlinerz
,
Domino
,
Warren G
and
Jayo Felony
. Def Jam also signed its first and only
thrash metal
band,
Slayer
, in 1986, and the band's
third
and
fourth
albums were the only two Def Jam releases to be distributed through
Geffen Records
via
Warner Bros. Records
as opposed to Columbia/CBS. As the decade drew to a close, the label signed
Public Enemy
, whose controversial lyrical content garnered the company both critical acclaim and disdain.
Lyor Cohen
became president of Def Jam/RAL in 1988, after winning a power struggle with Rubin, who would shortly thereafter leave the company to form
Def American Recordings
. Rubin would take
Slayer
and the rights of its Def Jam albums with him to Def American in its initial stages.
In 1991, CBS Records was folded (or rather rebranded) to the
music division
of Japanese electronic giant
Sony
, bringing Def Jam and Columbia with it.
[8]
[9]
By 1992, despite recent multiple
platinum
selling releases from
Public Enemy
, and
EPMD
, Def Jam ran into major financial troubles and was faced with folding while at Sony.
PolyGram era (1994?1998)
[
edit
]
In 1994,
PolyGram
purchased Sony's 50% stake in Def Jam Recordings?subsequently bringing the label into the
Island Records
fold. Island would share in sales and marketing duties with select radio projects while Def Jam remained independent on all other label functions (A&R, video, promotion and publicity). The label venture went on to receive huge success with a slew of various other multi-platinum releases from
Montell Jordan
, Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Redman,
Method Man
and more. RAL/Def Jam also distributed the
Violator Records
-signed artist
Warren G
's debut album,
Regulate... G Funk Era
, which went triple platinum and brought much-needed revenue to Def Jam through its joint deal with Violator.
[10]
PolyGram acquired an additional 10% stake in Def Jam, further strengthening its ownership of the label. Shortly thereafter, Rush Associated Labels were renamed to the Def Jam Music Group. The label remained profitable as its veteran star LL Cool J released his successful album
Mr. Smith
in 1995, a return to the rapper's original credibility following the fallback of his 1993 album,
14 Shots to the Dome
; his last album under the Def Jam/Columbia partnership.
[11]
The label later signed
Foxy Brown
, whose debut album,
Ill Na Na
(1996) became a platinum seller in 1997.
[12]
Def Jam followed up with its then-new R&B act,
Case
, whose
self-titled debut album
(also in 1996), including the single, "
Touch Me, Tease Me
", went gold.
[
citation needed
]
In June 1997, Def Jam acquired 50% of
Roc-A-Fella Records
for an estimated $1.4 million, giving co-founders
Jay-Z
and
Damon Dash
part ownership of the label, while Def Jam maintained distribution and co-marketing.
[13]
In 1997,
[14]
through Def Jam A&R
Irv Gotti
, Def Jam signed artist
DMX
. DMX's first studio album,
It's Dark and Hell is Hot
was released on May 12, 1998 and was co-executive produced by Irv Gotti. The album debuted at number 1 on the
Billboard 200
and sold over 250,000 copies in its first week.
[15]
The album went on to sell four million copies in America, being certified Quadruple Platinum by the RIAA, and sold five million copies worldwide.
[16]
The success of the album prompted Lyor Cohen to challenge DMX to record another album quickly to have another album released within the same calendar year.
[17]
DMX's second studio album,
Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood
was released on December 22, 1998 and debuted at number one the
Billboard 200
. The album sold over 670,000 units in its first week of release, and went on to sell over four million copies worldwide.
[18]
DMX claimed that Def Jam made $144 million from the sales of his first two albums.
[19]
The Island Def Jam Music Group founding (1998?2000)
[
edit
]
In 1998, PolyGram was purchased by
Universal Pictures
' former parent,
Seagram
. It later merged with the
MCA
group of record labels. In early 1999, the label group was rebranded as the
Universal Music Group
. It then purchased the remaining interest of Def Jam Recordings from Russell Simmons for a reported $100 million. UMG merged over 14 record labels including Def Jam, Island, and
Mercury Records
together to form
the Island Def Jam Music Group
. Despite the formation of IDJMG, the Def Jam, Mercury, and Island labels continued to operate as separate imprints underneath the umbrella.
[
citation needed
]
That same year, Def Jam and Island Def Jam signed rapper
Ja Rule
.
Lyor Cohen was appointed co-president of IDJMG, and
Kevin Liles
succeeded him as president of Def Jam. In 1998, Def Jam created an
R&B
spin-off label called Def Soul Records to run under the label's companionship. Def Jam inherited many of Island's urban artists, including
Dru Hill
(including its lead singer
Sisqo
),
the Isley Brothers
(featuring
Ronald Isley
) and
Kelly Price
. Def Soul also issued recordings by
Musiq Soulchild
, Montell Jordan,
Case
,
112
,
Patti LaBelle
, and
Christina Milian
. Liles also assumed presidency of Def Soul, which also formed a Classics subsidiary (active from 2003 to 2011).
[
citation needed
]
Island's
4th & B'way Records
was also folded into Def Jam. Also starting in 1998, in preparation for the year 2000, Def Jam marketed and sponsored a new campaign titled
Def Jam 2000
. Def Jam 2000 was the featured name for Def Jam on Def Jam albums from 1998 until its end in December 2000.
Also in 1999, the label began to distribute releases by
Murder Inc. Records
, the newly-founded label run by former Def Jam A&R executive and record producer
Irv Gotti
. The label's roster of artists would include Ja Rule,
Ashanti
and
Lloyd
, among others. The first release from Murder Inc. under Def Jam was Ja Rule's debut studio album,
Venni Vetti Vecci
. The album, released June 1, 1999, peaked in the top 3 on the
Billboard 200
and was certified platinum in America.
In December 1999, DMX released his third studio album,
...And Then There Was X
through Def Jam. The album debuted atop the
Billboard 200
, with close to 700,000 copies sold, making it his third straight album to debut atop the charts. The album sold over 4.9 million copies to date, and has been certified five times platinum by the RIAA.
[20]
The following year, it launched another subsidiary,
Def Jam South
, which focused on
Southern rap
and distributed releases from labels such as
Disturbing tha Peace
, whose artist roster included its co-founder
Ludacris
,
Shawnna
,
Bobby Valentino
and
Playaz Circle
. Russell Simmons tapped
Houston
hip hop legend and former
Rap-A-Lot
recording artist
Scarface
as the original head of Def Jam South.
On October 10, 2000, Def Jam and Murder Inc. released Ja Rule's second studio album,
Rule 3:36
. Anchored by the success of the single
Between Me and You
, the album topped the
Billboard 200
and was certified triple platinum in America.
[21]
2000s
[
edit
]
In 2000, The Island Def Jam Music Group announced the formation of Def Jam Germany, the first international Def Jam company. This increased the label's presence around the world. Def Jam Germany signed German rappers Spezializtz and Philly MC. The label was located in Berlin and opened on May 23, 2000. In addition to signing and marketing local artists, Def Jam Germany also marketed all U.S. signed Def Jam artists in the German territory. But the German division folded just two years later in 2002. Many of the artists were picked up by Universal/Urban, while others did not get a new contract.
[22]
The new millennium saw Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam's subsidiary, begin to expand beyond one figurehead artist.
[23]
Roc-A-Fella Records artists proved successful with the Jay-Z's
The Dynasty: Roc La Familia
(2001) and
The Blueprint
(2001), including the labels other signees gaining recognition with
Beanie Sigel
's
The Truth
(2000) and
Memphis Bleek
's
The Understanding
(2001).
[24]
The second international label is a Japanese branch, Def Jam Japan
(
デフ?ジャム?ジャパン
,
Defu Jamu Japan
)
, also founded in 2000.
[25]
The label was later rebranded as Def Jam Recordings; however, it is sometimes still referred to as Def Jam Japan.
[26]
Their artist roster has included Japanese-American singer
Ai
,
Teriyaki Boyz
,
AK-69
, Nitro Microphone Underground, and South Korean boy band
BTS
.
Ja Rule released his third studio album,
Pain Is Love
, on October 2, 2001 through Def Jam.
Pain Is Love
topped the
Billboard
200 with first-week sales of 361,000 copies and is certified triple platinum by the RIAA.
[21]
The album was supported by the singles:
Down Ass Bitch
,
Always on Time
, and
Livin' It Up
.
In January 2003, Murder Inc. became the center of a
money laundering
investigation involving illegal profits from
drug trading
,
[27]
leading to the label's eventual release from its distribution contract by 2005. Def Jam also blocked Murder Inc. and
TVT Records
from releasing a Cash Money Click reunion album, due to Ja Rule's contractual obligations, which alleged that Cohen paid Ja and Irv Gotti US$8 million not to submit the project to TVT, but instead to parent company Universal.
[28]
[29]
This resulted in TVT suing Def Jam, alleging infringement, fraud and tortious interference, winning $132 million in a judgment,
[30]
but was later reduced to $126,000 after Universal and Def Jam appealed the ruling, claiming that the existence of an agreement between the parties meant that their behavior was only a breach of contract and not fraud.
[31]
That September,
DMX
released his fifth album,
Grand Champ
. Though it was DMX's fifth number one album and was certified platinum by the RIAA, it was his final album for the label before leaving in 2006. Also that September, Def Jam released the video game,
Def Jam: Fight for NY
. The video game, which served as a sequel to
Def Jam Vendetta
, featured artists from the label. These artists include Method Man & Redman, N.O.R.E., Ludacris, Ghostface Killah, Memphis Bleek, and Joe Budden.
The final shares of Roc-A-Fella Records were sold to Island Def Jam in 2004 for $10 million.
[32]
By that time, Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam had launched the career of rapper-producer
Kanye West
. His debut,
The College Dropout
, went on to sell over two million copies. Co-founder Damon Dash and
Kareem "Biggs" Burke
were forced out of the label as Cohen left IDJMG for
Warner Music Group
, and was replaced by music executive
Antonio "L.A." Reid
. Frustrated, Liles and now-chairwoman of
Atlantic Records
,
Julie Greenwald
eventually decided to follow Cohen to Warner.
[33]
That same year, through Def Jam A&R executive
Shakir Stewart
, Def Jam signed
Atlanta, Georgia
based rapper
Young Jeezy
.
[34]
His debut album,
Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101
was released the following year and was co-executive produced by Stewart. The album's singles
Go Crazy
and
Soul Survivor
help push the album to double platinum status in America. Around this time, a bidding war for Jay-Z's contract began, and Reid appointed Jay-Z president of Def Jam on December 8, 2004.
[33]
Long time label veterans LL Cool J and
DMX
(the latter of whom had five number one albums under the label within a five-year gap between 1998 and 2003), as well as new signee
Joe Budden
expressed discomfort with Jay-Z's leadership of the label, having altogether left the label since then.
[35]
[36]
[37]
[38]
Under Jay-Z's leadership, Def Jam launched the successful careers of contemporary R&B singers
Rihanna
and
Ne-Yo
. At the end of 2007, after he released
American Gangster
, Jay-Z decided not to renew his contract as the president and CEO of Def Jam in order to start his new
Live Nation
venture,
Roc Nation
.
[39]
Following Jay-Z's departure, L.A. Reid took over leadership of the label, as opposed to hiring a replacement. In June 2008,
Shakir Stewart
was appointed as the executive vice president of Def Jam, a position that was previously left vacant since December 2007. However, on November 1, Stewart committed suicide, vacating the position again.
[
citation needed
]
.
[40]
[41]
2010s
[
edit
]
In March 2011, it was announced that former
Warner Bros. Records
executive
Joie Manda
would become the first president of Def Jam since
Jay-Z
.
[42]
Around the summer of 2011, after Universal Music disbanded the
Universal Motown Republic Group
,
Motown Records
would be moved under the Island Def Jam umbrella. In 2012, Manda assumed the position of president until March 2013 when he exited his post. It was later announced by his former boss, Barry Weiss, that he would be in charge of the urban division at Def Jam's sister Universal Music label,
Interscope Records
.
[43]
The-Dream
served as Def Jam's executive vice president of
A&R
at Def Jam between 2012 and 2014.
No I.D.
held the position of executive vice president after helping to establish
GOOD Music
with Kanye West.
[44]
He later became the executive vice president of the urban division at Def Jam's sister Universal label,
Capitol Music Group
.
On April 1, 2014, it was announced that the Island Def Jam Music Group would no longer be active following the resignation of CEO Barry Weiss.
[45]
A press release serviced by Universal Music Group stated that IDJMG, and all of its assets would be reorganized into Def Jam, Island and Motown, all as separate entities.
[46]
[47]
Def Jam Recordings currently operates as a stand-alone label within the Universal Music Group. Def Jam signed
DaniLeigh
to the label in early 2017. Steve Bartels served as president and CEO of Def Jam since 2013 until an announcement commenced on August 3, 2017, stating that in January 2018,
Eminem
's manager and co-founder of
Shady Records
,
Paul Rosenberg
would be appointed chairman and CEO of Def Jam.
[48]
On September 17, 2019, the launch of Def Jam South East Asia was announced at Music Matters, an annual music industry conference held in
Singapore
, where
Joe Flizzow
from Malaysia,
Daboyway
from Thailand, Yung Raja, Fariz Jabba and
Alif
from Singapore and A. Nayaka from Indonesia were announced as the label's six inaugural signings.
[49]
That same month, Def Jam re-signed LL Cool J and DMX after nine and fourteen respective years apart from the label.
[50]
[51]
In late 2019, the label made its debut in the Philippines through
Universal Music Philippines
, led by former Sony Music Philippines and Sindikato Management executive Enzo Valdez. Pinoy hip hop quartet VVS Collective was the label's first signed artists.
[52]
2020s
[
edit
]
On February 21, 2020, Paul Rosenberg stepped down on his positions as chairman and CEO of Def Jam.
[53]
[54]
He was replaced by the head of business affairs at Universal Music, Jeffrey Harleston, who instead assumed interim control over the label. That November, Def Jam teamed up with Alex and Alec Boateng to create a new UK spin-off label called 0207 Def Jam under Universal Music UK's EMI Records.
[55]
The UK roster currently consists of
Stormzy
.
[56]
Def Jam also expanded to Africa with the creation of
Def Jam Africa
.
[57]
[58]
On April 9, 2021, returning label veteran DMX died in a
White Plains
hospital a week after suffering from a drug overdose succumbing him to a fatal heart attack.
[59]
A month later, Def Jam released his posthumous album,
Exodus
, which debuted and peaked in the top ten on Billboard 200. Two digital greatest hits albums by DMX were also available for streaming under the label throughout the same period:
A Dog's Prayer
[60]
and
The Legacy
.
[61]
[62]
Later that year, Harleston conference-called hip-hop legend
Snoop Dogg
and named him the executive consultant of Def Jam. Snoop agreed to Harleston's request and took over the consultancy role in July.
[63]
In August 2021, Harleston announced that he will replace himself as the interim president of Def Jam with former Interscope/
RCA
executive and Keep Cool founder
Tunji Balogun
, who agreed to take on the role as chairman and CEO, which he did on New Year's Day 2022.
[64]
[65]
[66]
In late-October 2022, Def Jam ended their partnership with GOOD Music, Kanye West's label, in response to the founder's online and public media outbursts, including his
2024 presidential campaign
,
antisemitic
and
pro-race
remarks.
[67]
[68]
[69]
Although, West had already been exiled from the label after releasing
Donda
on August 29, 2021,
[70]
as so
Pusha T
after
It's Almost Dry
on April 22 earlier that year,
[71]
making
070 Shake
's
You Can't Kill Me
the final release under the GOOD/Def Jam partnership.
On October 31, 2023, the label's core artist, Jeezy, had fulfilled his contract with Def Jam.
[72]
[73]
Meanwhile, the label had already signed
Washington, D.C.
rapper
Wale
.
[74]
[75]
Presidents
[
edit
]
Executive Vice Presidents
[
edit
]
Current artists
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"A Timeline of the Major Events That Defined Def Jam's Legacy in Hip-Hop"
.
Billboard
. Retrieved
June 8,
2022
.
- ^
https://www.defjam.com/artists/#/
[
bare URL
]
- ^
Herschberg, Lynn (September 2, 2007).
"The Music Man"
.
New York Times Magazine
.
- ^
Turner, Edwin (December 17, 2011).
"I Review Def Jam 25, the Overstuffed Illustrated Oral History of a Record Label that Helped Change American Culture"
. Biblioklept
. Retrieved
February 28,
2013
.
- ^
"Def Jam Records launched by Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin"
.
The Guardian
. June 12, 2011.
- ^
"Rick Rubin, Russell Simmons: Def Jam's First 25 Years"
.
NPR
. October 9, 2011.
- ^
Moore, Maurice.
"Indianapolis: CRUSH Ent Presents: EPMD & DJ Scratch @ The Vogue"
.
bestevents.us
. Best Events. Archived from
the original
on July 3, 2015
. Retrieved
July 2,
2015
.
- ^
"CBS Records Changes Name"
.
The New York Times
. Reuters. October 16, 1990.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
March 18,
2022
.
- ^
"CBS Records to Change Name to Sony Music Entertainment"
.
AP NEWS
. Retrieved
March 18,
2022
.
- ^
"PolyGram acquires 50% of Def Jam"
.
Business Wire
. November 16, 1994. Archived from
the original
on September 11, 2017
. Retrieved
May 2,
2017
.
- ^
Tosiello, Pete (December 17, 2018).
"An Honest Evaluation of LL Cool J's Entire Career"
.
Vulture
. Retrieved
March 18,
2022
.
- ^
Grove, Rashad (November 19, 2021).
"
'Ill Na Na': How Foxy Brown's Debut Album Changed The Game For Women In Hip-Hop"
.
uDiscover Music
. Retrieved
March 18,
2022
.
- ^
Connley, Courtney (June 30, 2017).
"5 strategies that helped Jay-Z build an $800 million career"
.
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. Retrieved
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.
- ^
"Executives Lyor Cohen and Kevin Liles Remember DMX & Reveal How He Helped Save Def Jam"
.
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. Retrieved
May 28,
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.
- ^
"Today in Hip-Hop: DMX Drops 'It's Dark and Hell Is Hot'
"
. May 19, 2016
. Retrieved
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.
- ^
"DMX's 'It's Dark And Hell Is Hot' Tracklist, Ranked"
. May 23, 2018
. Retrieved
May 28,
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.
- ^
"DMX Earned $1 Million Bonus for 'Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood' by Recording Album in 30 Days"
. October 13, 2018
. Retrieved
May 28,
2022
.
- ^
"DMX'S FLESH OF MY FLESH, BLOOD OF MY BLOOD ALBUM ANNIVERSARY"
. December 22, 2021
. Retrieved
May 28,
2022
.
- ^
"Bring Your Whole Crew: The remarkable true story of how DMX's Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood was made"
. Retrieved
May 28,
2022
.
- ^
"XXL Scans: Def Jam's Entire Discography & Record Sales"
. October 18, 2009
. Retrieved
March 1,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
"Gold & Platinum - Ja Rule - search results"
. RIAA
. Retrieved
May 1,
2010
.
- ^
"Hiphop Geschichte des Labels DefJam"
.
Netzfeuilleton.de
. November 10, 2014
. Retrieved
November 14,
2014
.
- ^
Jason Birchmeier.
"The Blueprint ? Jay-Z ? Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards ? AllMusic"
.
AllMusic
.
Archived
from the original on July 31, 2023
. Retrieved
March 6,
2015
.
- ^
"Def Jam Records (1984- ) ?"
. June 16, 2007.
- ^
"Def Jam Japan (A Universal Music Company)"
.
Universal-music.co.jp
. Archived from
the original
on August 5, 2011
. Retrieved
August 5,
2011
.
- ^
"Def Jam Japan | The Official Site"
.
Def Jam Recordings
(in Japanese)
. Retrieved
May 10,
2022
.
- ^
"Hip-Hop's Irv 'Gotti' Surrenders to FBI - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment"
.
Foxnews.com
. January 27, 2005
. Retrieved
August 5,
2011
.
- ^
"TVT Records v. Island Def Jam Music Group, 279 F. Supp. 2d 366 (S.D.N.Y. 2003)"
.
Justia Law
. Retrieved
March 18,
2022
.
- ^
Reid, Shaheem.
"Ja Rule Re-Teams With Cash Money Click For LP"
.
MTV News
. Retrieved
March 18,
2022
.
- ^
Reid, Shaheem.
"Ja Ruling: Island Def Jam, Lyor Cohen Ordered To Pay $132 Million To TVT"
.
MTV News
. Retrieved
March 18,
2022
.
- ^
Duhigg, Charles (June 15, 2005).
"Def Jam Judgment Set Aside"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
March 18,
2022
.
- ^
Archive-Rashaun-Hall.
"Jay-Z, Dame Dash Sell Roc-A-Fella Records; Jay Named Def Jam Prez"
.
MTV News
. Retrieved
March 18,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
Ogunnaike, Lola (August 28, 2005). "
Jay-Z, From Superstar to Suit
".
The New York Times
. Retrieved March 23, 2008.
- ^
"Def Jam exec Shakir Stewart commits suicide"
.
the Guardian
. November 3, 2008
. Retrieved
March 18,
2022
.
- ^
Reid, Shaheem.
"LL Cool J Still Unhappy With Def Jam -- But He And Jay-Z Are Not Battling"
.
MTV News
. Retrieved
March 18,
2022
.
- ^
"Ruff Ryders Founders Claim 'Egos' Led to Jay-Z and DMX Beef"
.
Complex
. Retrieved
March 18,
2022
.
- ^
"DMX Leaves Def Jam Over Jay-Z Beef"
.
www.gigwise.com
. Retrieved
March 18,
2022
.
- ^
"Joe Budden Explains Jay-Z Dis, Tells Hov To Retire"
.
HipHopDX
. December 21, 2007
. Retrieved
March 18,
2022
.
- ^
Reid, Shaheem (December 24, 2007).
"Jay-Z Stepping Down As Def Jam President/CEO"
. MTV News
. Retrieved
August 5,
2011
.
- ^
"Def Jam exec Shakir Stewart commits suicide"
.
the Guardian
. November 3, 2008
. Retrieved
March 18,
2022
.
- ^
Reid, Shaheem.
"Shakir Stewart's Family, Fiancee Say Def Jam Exec Was In 'Deep Pain' Before Death"
.
MTV News
. Retrieved
March 18,
2022
.
- ^
Markman, Rob (March 12, 2012).
"Def Jam Names Joie Manda New President"
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