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| Company type | Private |
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| Industry | |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Founder | Chris Lighty Mona Scott |
| Headquarters | 11th floor, 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]
By 1990, Chris Lighty launched Violator Records, with distribution from Sony Music's Relativity Records. The first two artists signed to Violator Records were Fat Joe and the Beatnuts. [3] They label also signed rapper Chi-Ali.
In March 2000, Chris Lighty and Violator Records ended their business relationship with Def Jam and moved Violator’s label operations to Sony’s Loud Records. The move followed reported tensions between Lighty and Def Jam executives, who were allegedly dissatisfied with Violator’s performance as a record label and chose not to renew its distribution deal. While Violator's management firm had been successful, its record label branch struggled to replicate the management's success. Though industry insiders speculated that Lighty was pushed out, he stated the decision was part of his long-term plan to grow and "stay fresh." As part of the new arrangement, Lighty was also named executive vice president at Loud Records. [4]
In March 2003, following the dissolution of Loud, Jive appointed Chris Lighty as senior vice president, bringing his Violator Records label with him. Lighty retained his role as president of Violator and took on A&R responsibilities within Jive/Zomba. His first signing in this role was hip-hop duo Mobb Deep. Lighty also planned to release V3: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly, the third installment of Violator’s compilation series. The album was slated for a 2004 release, although the project was ultimately shelved and never released. [5]
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. 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, 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".
In August 1999, under the management of Violator, Mobb Deep released their fourth studio album, Murda Muzik , which was co-executive produced by Chris Lighty, credited as "Baby Chris." The album debuted and peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 chart and was later certified platinum by the RIAA for shipping and selling over one million copies, making it the group’s best-selling album.
By March 2002, Violator began managing American rapper 50 Cent. At the time, 50 Cent was regaining momentum in the industry through the mixtape circuit following his release from Columbia Records and a near-fatal shooting. A bidding war between J, Jive, and Universal began in efforts to sign him and release his debut album. Lighty and Violator played a key role in managing 50 Cent’s re-emergence, positioning him as a major figure in early 2000s hip-hop and eventually helping negotiate the landmark joint venture deal with Interscope Records in 2002 under the aegis of Eminem's Shady Records and Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. [6]
In January 2003, gunmen fired shots at Violator's headquarters. The attackers targeted the 11th-floor office's reception area, shooting at its metal and glass doors before fleeing. No injuries were reported, as no one was in the reception area at the time. Lighty and other staff were present but unharmed. Police and Violator Management declined to comment on the incident. [7] That February, 50 Cent released his debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin' . Highly anticipated, the album debuted and peaked at number one on the Billboard 200, with first week sales of over 870,000 copies. [8] As of 2025, the album has been certified 9x platinum by the RIAA for total sales of nine million units in America. [9] [10] [11]
In November 2006, P. Diddy signed with Violator Management. [12]
In September 2009, Lighty joined the Advisory Board of Purista premium cocktail mixers to aid in the execution of the company's strategic marketing plans. [13]
Lighty died on August 30, 2012. [14]
This is the list of movies and video games that Violator Entertainment has worked on. [15] 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. [16]
The following artists were signed to Violator Records
