Yes, sorry I’ve been gone so long. Look, it was the holidays and I had stuff to do. Speaking of which, damn Jay-Z for announcing his official resignation the day before Christmas. Shit! His news busted up my shopping schedule. In any event, now that I’m back, I did an official list of who should be Def Jam’s next president on BET.com. But I figured I’d give you the unedited version.
1. IRV GOTTI – I mean, seriously, he was probably a better choice than Jay-Z was in the first place. I.G. has the history with Def Jam and has a pretty good meter for what’s hot. Who has brought more hits (as an executive…not an artist) to the label in recent years? He has shown that he can spot new talent (ex. Lloyd) and break both R&B and hip-hop acts. Irv has the celebrity status that they were looking for by hiring Jay-Z to be the figurehead. I’m not taking anything away from Jay, who gets his money, but I just want Jay to stop soaking up too much of the music industry’s budget with his dual roles. Anyway, the Irv Gotti thing is probably a moot point because he already has a deal with another label (is it Motown??…look, I don’t even know these days). Only I need him to not make Ja Rule’s seventeenth album the first release on the schedule.
2. JERMAINE DUPRI – Wouldn’t this make everyone at IDJ’s life easier? What is his title there now anyway? Wasn’t it a slight to Jay when J.D. was hired? People on the inside claimed they co-existed well, but I don’t believe that for a minute. But I’m kinda leary of anyone at that level who would accept the position alongside Jay when they themselves had a better track record as an executive. Unless the plan was always for him to takeover. If so, good move, J.D., good move. Now get Janet’s career in check.
3. DIDDY – Who wouldn’t want to come to work to drink Ciroc Vodka all day? Only, they may start to get queezy from smelling too much cologne. Maybe a new big label would revive Diddy’s musical career and Bad Boy label. Bad Boy is hip-hop and I really can’t take another Making Da Band without that hip-hop element. Diddy would make a good president too, but then I’m sure the label would have to downsize to afford him. All Diddy really needs is two assistants and a computer to upload video to Youtube.
4. CHUCK D – It’s about time that we start considering the veterans who we know have no other motive but to preserve the culture. This would be an interesting move on Def Jam’s part and guess what, it would probably costs nothing less than a honest decent salary. Hell, they may be able to give some jobs back to people.
5. NAS – For argument’s sake, it’d be interesting to see what Nas would do as president. I’m thinking smoke breaks every half hour and company retreats to the motherland. Okay, kidding.
6. JIM JONES – Okay, now that I’ve started joking around, I’m going to go full speed ahead with it. Jim Jones would fire the whole office and have his goons running the label, and it might make for some interesting office fights.
7. LL COOL J – He had issues with Jay-Z being President, so what do you think would happen if he took over. It would be 1988 all over again, that’s what. Not that that’s a bad thing, at least EPMD could get into awards shows. Then if LL’s album flopped this time, he couldn’t blame anyone but his damn self. LOL.
8. KEVIN LILES – Would a skinny Kevin Liles be able to come back and run Def Jam? His new skinny self seems so R&B-ish. Hip-hoppers are fat and unhealthy. Look at all the good hip-hop DJs.
I’m gonna keep adding, but I gotta take a break…
–KIM O.
The Official Site of Kim Osorio 
KIM O,
For Def Jam to return to its essence, Chuck D is the choice. Jay-Z hurt Def Jam over his term. We lost Foxy, N.O.R.E., DMX, and the future of Def Jam, Joe Budden (Mood Musik 3, can I get a witness?). Jay also did not promote Redman, Method Man, Slick Rick, and LL Cool J who are cornerstones of Def Jam Records. Basically he sold out just like Dr. Dre did when he signed the gimmick Slim Shady and 50 Cent when he had Rakim, Eve, Last Emperor, and King T. The only one that can make Def Jam right again is Chuck D. He will make sure the true Def Jam artists come out while bringing integrity back to this historic label that Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons started. Maybe we might get PE back on the label. Now that would be legendary!!!
Peace
B.R.O.T.H.A.W.E.X.-Ben’s Realness Overcomes The Hardships With Excellence.
As much as I would like Chuck D to manage the label for his integrity and sociopolitical stance, I am not confident about his business leadership. I mean the same could be said for Rick Rubin at Sony but Rubin has a better track record of developing artists than Chuck D. As far as Jay-Z, I think he did well for his term. He did focus on R&B as the main-sellers but Def Jam in the last 15 years has been out 1-3 good selling albums with lots of promotion and letting the other artists fend for themselves.
I agree 100% with Brotha. Jay had under his wing good-established rappers, and what he did? he did not promote their music properly.
He even left Joe Budden behind. What was he thinking? He might had been working too much on Rihanna’s album.
What about Suge Knight? j/k
We are tired of the money, disrespect for women, car rims, bling bling, and so forth. References to those topics won’t stop, but let’s make a change and start things up in 2008.
So, I’ll go with Chuck D.
Thanks for your “Kim O Therapy”
Before anyone suggests going with Chuck D they might want to look at what his label, Slam Jamz, has put out over the past 10 years. If you dig it, then go with him. Personally, I’m not a fan of very much of what they’ve put out.
Kim, I think you missed the potential funniest replacement… Dame Dash. Talk about throwing salt in a wound!
In all seriousness, Jermaine Dupri is the only choice.
And please excuse my shameless self promotion, but over a year ago I started to question the job Jay was diong at Def Jam… I almost feel vindicated in some odd way now: http://adambernard.blogspot.com/2006/11/how-jay-z-is-hurting-def-jam.html
and I’m a tool who doesn’t spell check at eight in the morning, hence “diong” in my previous post.
Okay…so I just sat here and read all this hip-hop, rap stuff for the last 20 minutes. I mean what was I thinking? I’m so far from having interest in this but I sat and read it anyway. Why? Cause you’re my friend and I enjoy your writing. So because I take interest in what you do even though I’m not interested in it, you can never question our friendship. I’m waiting for the day you come to a Prodigy concert with me!!! LOL
OK KIM I READ THE BLOG GOOD THOUGHTS BUT WHO WILL BE DEF JAM’S NEXT PRES??? KEEP ME POSTED….LOOK FOWARD TO SITTING IN ON THE NEXT INTERVIEW…CALL ME…LOL
HEY KIM I READ THE BLOG U HAVE SOME REALLY GOOD THOUGHTS..BUT WHO WILL BE DEF JAM’S NEXT PRES??? MAYBE J.D I THINK HE CAN RUN THINGS WELL….I LOOK FOWARD TO SITTING IN ON THE NEXT INTERVIEW SO CALL ME…..LOL
Never even thought of Irv, but he’s the perfect fit. JD and Chuck D are both great ideas, too.
The new IDJ President should be a CEO with at least some track record of success in the digital arena as well as experience in building/maintaining artist careers and breaking artists. It’s definitely about that time for the record industry to look at the success of .com companies and start harnessing that energy. Irving is out of the running because hes got a monster deal with Motown (good call) any many more releases under his commitment. No one gets millions just to release LLoyd. Chuck D has little to no track record of success as an executive or as a business man. Plus who even knows what rapstation.com is? If you want to save the world, hire Chuck D; if you want to save your company, uh no. Diddy spreads himself too thin too run Def Jam, so he’s out. I wont even speak on the rest of those jokers.
My pick goes to Chuck Creekmore or someone else with a successful web company, with a knowledge of how to break and discover artists using the web, not in spite of it.
BARACK OBAMA!
If he wants to be President of the screwed up country and thinks he can make some real change, then he can definitely fix Def Jam. I love Jay-Z, I am one of his biggest fans, but I knew from the beginning that him being President was a bad idea, and when he announced that he was leaving, I said “Thank God!” and turned on American Gangster, the album not the movie.
I think that Def Jam needs a business leader and a not a figurehead. The label can’t afford to stroke anymore rap egos by pacifying them with big jobs that they can’t handle.
Krs One or Cipha Sounds
Hello America
Mic Lowrey / Eye Style Music
First Jay leaving is so he can go do something else that everyone will be following, he is going into the digital realm and why everyone else is saying why music wont sell, he will be chilling with Steve Jobs and Beyonce;
But the obvious person for Def Jam is Dame Dash, Hov music never sounded better, he had someone to check him, who does it now, Beans said on Who Kidd show that Dame was the bad cop to Jay good cop, but Dame got things done, that Hard Knock Life Tour would not have happened without Dame, he is the only choice him and Irv Gotti let JD do what he do, but them two need to handle the CEO’s position(s)
Aight Kim you suprised me with this one, Not one mention of a woman! Men have been effing up the labels far too long, and former artist don’t always make the best label heads. Plus it might help change the perception of woman in the game. we got to start thinking outside the blox….here’s my short list of the top of my head.
Folayan Knight :
(Google her)
Very industry savvy, extremely educated on the business side and she know hip hop inside out!
Queen latifah :
She can sell records..
Nuff said.
MC Lyte :
Don’t sleep lyte got more passion for the game then half these dudes put together. She’s def smart enough, bottom line we got to smash that glass ceiling.. it’s long over due