A well known, respected, loved, and dearly missed man in Hip hop. The man whose responsible for the careers of Nas, Ja Rule, Mobb Deep, LL Cool J, Missy Elliott, Uncle Murda, Mariah Carey, and Sean “Diddy” Combs, he was the co-founder of an entertainment company and record label called Violator. Violator helped pushed start a lot of careers in both Hip hop & R&B. Born and raised in The Bronx, New York, Chris Lighty’s career started when he carried crates of vinyl records for Kool DJ Red Alert and later on worked for Russell Simmons which then led to his work as a co-founder of Violator in the early 90’s. Also working for Def Jam, Jive and Loud Records and being the chief executive of the Brand Asset Group, Chris made history with having the largest brand endorsement deal in Hip hop in 2004. Unfortunately, Chris’ life ended on August 30th, 2012 due to what they suspect was a suicide attempt, in his home. The shocking and sad news was another loss for Hip hop but his legacy continues on for we celebrate and remember Chris for his major contributions in Hip hop. Happy Birthday and may you rest in peace.
Written by Jalen Hemphill