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| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Founder | Chris Lighty Mona Scott |
| Headquarters | 36 West 25th Street, Chelsea, Midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. [1] |
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Violator is a company, record label, marketing group, and multi-media entertainment conglomerate founded and operated by Chris Lighty and Mona Scott-Young until Lighty's death on August 30, 2012. [2]
In 1996, Lighty partnered with manager Scott-Young to launch Violator management. The company specialized in managing the careers of hip hop and R&B performers and is also a record label. Included among Violator's past and present clients are Mariah Carey, Busta Rhymes, N.O.R.E., Q-Tip, Missy Elliott, Fantasia, Mýa, Diggy Simmons, Cormega, Mobb Deep, LL Cool J, Nas, JoJo Pellegrino, 50 Cent, Fat Joe, Uncle Murda, Frankie Cutlass and Da Franchise . Violator has released two compilation albums of material from its artists: Violator: The Album and Violator: The Album, V2.0 . The first album features Q-Tip's first solo hit single, "Vivrant Thing". Lighty also managed Sean "Puffy" Combs.
In September 2009, CEO Chris Lighty joined the Advisory Board of Purista premium cocktail mixers to aid in the execution of the company's strategic marketing plans. [3]
Chris Lighty died on August 30, 2012. [4]
This is the list of movies and video games that Violator Entertainment has worked on. [5] Music Manager Leon Derrick Youngblood SR collaborated with Dave Lighty to broker a deal for music producer/recording artist Roccstar, who is signed to Violator as a music producer and is currently working on several artist under the Violator umbrella, Chris Lighty signed off on the deal in 2011.
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. R&B | U.S. Rap | |||
| 1999 | "Vivrant Thing" (featuring Q-Tip) | 26 | 7 | 10 | Violator: The Album |
| "Say What" (featuring LL Cool J) | – | – | – | ||
| 2001 | "Grimey" (featuring N.O.R.E.) | – | 62 | 18 | Violator: The Album, V2.0 |
| "Livin' the Life" (featuring Prodigy, Jadakiss and Butch Cassidy) | – | 78 | – | ||
| "What It Is" (featuring Busta Rhymes and Kelis) | 63 | 20 | 4 | ||
| "Put Your Hands Up" (featuring LL Cool J) | – | – | 50 | ||
| 2003 | "Keep Doin' It" (featuring Mystikal, Dirtbag and Busta Rhymes) | – | 92 | – | V3: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly |
| "I C U (Doin' It)" (featuring A Tribe Called Quest and Erykah Badu) | – | – | – | ||
The following artists and producers were signed to Violator Management. [6]
The following artists were signed to Violator Records
A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985, originally composed of rapper and main producer Q-Tip, rapper Phife Dawg, DJ and co-producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and rapper Jarobi White. The group is regarded as a pioneer of alternative hip hop and merging jazz with hip hop, influencing numerous hip hop and R&B musicians.
Trevor George Smith Jr., known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes. He has received 12 Grammy Award nominations for his work, making him one of the most-nominated artists without winning.
Victor James Santiago Jr., better known by his stage names N.O.R.E. and Noreaga, is an American rapper. Santiago first rose to prominence as one half of the East Coast hip hop duo Capone-N-Noreaga, which he formed in 1995 with fellow Queens-based rapper Capone. The duo released five studio albums, briefly disbanding after their second to pursue solo careers.
Corey McKay, better known by his stage name Cormega, is an American rapper.
Capone-N-Noreaga is an American hip hop duo formed in 1995 from Queens, New York. The duo features East Coast rappers Capone and N.O.R.E.
M.O.P. is an American hip-hop duo composed of rappers Billy Danze and Lil' Fame, best known for their song "Ante Up." The group has frequently collaborated with DJ Premier. The group is part of the Gang Starr Foundation. Fame occasionally produces under the moniker Fizzy Womack and has produced tracks on every M.O.P. release since 1996's Firing Squad. He has also worked for other artists, including Kool G Rap and Wu-Tang Clan.
Kejuan Waliek Muchita, better known by his stage name Havoc, is an American rapper and record producer. He was one half of the hip hop duo Mobb Deep with Prodigy.
The Coming is the debut studio album by the American rapper and record producer Busta Rhymes. It was released on March 26, 1996, by Flipmode Entertainment and Elektra Records. The album contains contributions by the Def Squad members Redman, Keith Murray, and Jamal; as well as Q-Tip, Zhané, Leaders of the New School, and several Flipmode Squad members. It was produced by DJ Scratch, Easy Mo Bee, and the Ummah, among others. It serves as Rhymes's first solo album after the breakup of Leaders of the New School two years prior, and his first full-length project after numerous guest appearances on other songs with artists such as A Tribe Called Quest, the Notorious B.I.G., Heavy D and the Boyz, and Mary J. Blige.
Mobb Deep was an American hip hop duo from Queens, New York formed in 1991. Consisting of rappers/songwriters/record producers Prodigy and Havoc, they are considered to be among the principal progenitors of hardcore East Coast hip hop. Mobb Deep became one of the most successful rap duos of all time, having sold over three million records. Their best-known albums are The Infamous (1995), Hell on Earth (1996) and Murda Muzik (1999), and their most successful singles were "Shook Ones " and "Survival of the Fittest." They were known for their dark and hardcore delivery.
Joseph Edwards, professionally known as Jojo Pellegrino, is an American rapper, songwriter and actor from Staten Island, NY. Pellegrino was formally managed by Chris Lighty as a member of the legendary Violator imprint. Pellegrino made his name in the New York Hip hop scene with his debut singles “Fogedaboudid” and “Where I'm from”, "Fogedaboudid" becoming popular on local radio stations.
"Vivrant Thing" is the first single released by Q-Tip on his debut solo album Amplified. It was produced by Q-Tip himself, and is credited as such in the liner notes of Violator: The Album, A Tribe Called Quest's compilation The Anthology, and the 12-inch vinyl/CD single. Jay Dee is only credited in the liner notes of Amplified, as they were considered a production duo solely for that album. "Vivrant Thing" became the fourth rap song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot R&B Airplay chart since its 1992 inception. The single also reached number seven on the main Hot R&B Singles & Tracks chart, with its performance being driven overwhelmingly by airplay due to its lack of domestic availability in any configuration besides 12-inch vinyl.
Violator: The Album is the first installment in the Violator hip hop compilations series. It was released on August 10, 1999 through Violator/Def Jam Recordings. It was the first release through the imprint Violator Records, a spin-off of Mona Scott & Chris Lighty's Violator Management company. A number of then-Violator Management clients and associates appear on the album, among them Q-Tip, Busta Rhymes, and Noreaga.
Violator: The Album, V2.0 is the second and final installment in the Violator hip hop compilations series. It was released on July 24, 2001 through Violator/Loud Records as a sequel to 1999's Violator: The Album. Production was handled by several record producers, including Scott Storch, Bink!, Bryce Wilson, Irv Gotti, Just Blaze, 7 Aurelius, and Eric Nicks, who also served as executive producer together with Chris Lighty. It features guest appearances by the likes of JoJo Pellegrino, Remy Ma, Capone-N-Noreaga, Butch Cassidy, Mobb Deep, Big Noyd, CeeLo Green, Fabolous, Fat Joe, Ja Rule, Jadakiss, Kurupt, Memphis Bleek, Missy Elliott, Rah Digga, Spliff Star and Styles P among others. The album debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200 and number 5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
Eric Nicks is the founder of Alpine Music Group, home to R&B sensation Justine Skye. Eric Nicks is a music industry veteran, having been named the Sr. VP of A&R at Universal Motown. He also founded R&B Live NY, an industry showcase in New York City. Nicks sits on the board of advisors for the Brooklyn Academy of Music. He is often a guest speaker at a variety of colleges, including NYU, Morehouse, and many others. On top of founding Alpine Music Group, Eric also created a bowling app called Side Action Bowling.
D. (Derick) Prosper began his career as a poet on the NPS National Poetry Slam circuit. He won several regional competitions and featured on the 1994 Providence Poetry Slam Team. D. Prosper was the youngest poet featured on the tour. He ranked fourth in the nation at the NPS finals in Asheville, North Carolina. Prosper was also featured in respected publication Fast Folk Music Magazine. He eventually earned a coveted spot on the 1994 Lollapalooza Tour D. Prosper's love of spoken word poetry ignited his passion for hip-hop music.
Darrel Steven "Chris" Lighty was an American music industry executive. He co-founded Violator, a record label, management and marketing company, which represented hip hop and R&B artists such as Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, Mobb Deep, Missy Elliott, LL Cool J, Noreaga, Prodigy, 50 Cent, Mariah Carey and Sean "Diddy" Combs. The New York Times called him "one of the most powerful figures in the hip-hop business."
Mona Scott-Young is an American television producer and entrepreneur. She is the CEO of the multi-media entertainment company Monami Productions, best known for producing the VH1 reality television franchise Love & Hip Hop.
Burton Rashad "Ringo" Smith is an American hip hop and R&B record producer. He was born in England and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, in a Jamaican and Haitian family. Rashad grew up alongside notable hip hop artists such as Mos Def, Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip, among others.
The following is a list of albums released by the record label Loud Records.
