Jive Records has appointed Chris Lighty to the position of Senior Vice President.
Jive Records has appointed Chris Lighty to the position of Senior Vice President.
Lighty also maintains his title of President, Violator Records, which will now be brought under the Jive umbrella. The announcement was made today by Barry Weiss, President, Jive Records and Peter Thea, Senior Vice President, Jive Records.
In the newly created position, Lighty will take on A&R responsibilities, with his Violator Records imprint to be exclusively within the Zomba/Jive group of labels worldwide. As his first signing, Lighty has brought rap pillars Mobb Deep to the label. The duo, Prodigy and Havoc, have been together for over ten years and are known for their gritty, gangsta rap style. Their success is marked by one platinum album, "Murda Muzik" and two gold albums, "The Infamous" and "Hell On Earth." Their first Violator/Jive album is to be released in August, to be preceded in July by the "V3" compilation, the third in a series of previously certified gold and platinum albums.
Commented Weiss: "Chris has a long history with Jive Records dating back to the late 1980's when he was the manager of A Tribe Called Quest. We couldn't be happier to welcome him and his Violator Records imprint into the Jive family. His proven track record and innovative, entrepreneurial spirit makes Jive, Chris and Violator a natural fit."
"Mobb Deep is a group I've always admired for their no-holds barred underground street attitude and their serious self contained talent which makes them timeless. This is an exciting development for us," continued Weiss.
Said Lighty: "I have known Barry and Jive for the length of my career. This is who I feel the most comfortable with and I expect to continue my learning curve here at Jive. The talent this label has on the roster is second to none and I look forward to working with everyone."
About Chris Lighty:
Chris Lighty's humble beginnings can be found in the Bronx projects, carrying crates into local clubs for the legendary DJ Red Alert and hanging out with his Violator posse. After passing on both a basketball and football scholarship to study electrical engineering by day and club-hop at night, he eventually became a road manager for the Jungle Brothers.
He was then asked by Russell Simmons and Lyor Cohen to join their fledgling RUSH Management team and shortly afterward, he started the indie Violator Records label at Relativity with artists like Fat Joe and the Beatnuts on the roster. After moving the company to Def Jam, he broke Warren G's four-million-selling "Regulate" album wide-open, then inked Cru AND Foxy Brown to the Violator Records label. His burgeoning Violator Management company (run with partner Mona Scott) boasts a heavy roster of its own, including Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliott, 50 Cent, and Mobb Deep.
After finding the time to serve as executive producer for LL Cool J's double-platinum "Mr. Smith" album, while maintaining his management position, Lighty sold off the Violator Records roster to Def Jam and embarked on a new chapter in his career at Loud, where he most recently served as Executive Vice President before joining Jive.
