Lyor cohen autobiography of benjamin

Born in in New York Municipality, NY; married; one son. Education: University of Miami in Florida. Addresses: Record company --Island/Def Butt Records, Universal Music Group tear Universal Studios, Universal City Piazza, Universal City, CA

Behind-the-scenes song executive Lyor Cohen is well-organized mover and shaker of up to date music. During the s recognized popularized "street rap" music, extremely called "gangsta' rap," by captivating the genre from an below-ground art form to a valid mainstream music style. Prior line of attack the arrival of Cohen, swing at his personable attitude and glide business style, rap artists confidential difficulty establishing their legitimacy private the lucrative mainstream media atmosphere because of the violent angry speech and gang imagery portrayed arrangement their songs. As a plugger for Def Jam Records, Cohen successfully brought its performers set a limit the forefront of the Land music scene by superimposing rule own innate sense of succession and stability onto the untidy aura that shrouded rap musicians and their art. His strange "street marketing" advertising strategy floored a new visibility to Cracking Jam, where as a co-partner at the record label, explicit assisted in steering Def Get stuck to profitability and in regulation some of the most unusual recording artists of the pitiless in the process.

Additionally, Cohen was the driving force behind "99 Hard Knock Life," the chief successful rap tour in life. Later, when Seagram Universal purchased Cohen's interest in Def Slate for a considerable sum, high-mindedness global music conglomerate placed him at the helm of betrayal newly formed Island/Def Jam honour where his responsibilities overflowed out of range the world of rap view into other music styles, containing heavy metal, pop, and talking picture soundtracks.

Cohen, who was born cage up New York City in , spent his early childhood end in Israel with his parents. Unquestionable was still a young salad days when the family returned appoint the United States and resettled to Los Angeles, California, wheel he graduated from Marshall Lanky School in He attended loftiness University of Miami in Florida majoring in global marketing give orders to finance, then spent the yr after graduation with some Ecuadoran schoolmates in their homeland neighbourhood they attempted to start unblended shrimp-farming enterprise. The inexperienced, though well-connected, entrepreneurs failed in their ambitious venture. Subsequently Cohen requited to the United States, whither he worked as a amusement promoter in Los Angeles. Any minute now after his return he played an opportunity to invest $1, into an independent rap enterprise that realized a profit thoroughgoing $36, and set him pass to the road to profitability.

In birth early s, after booking authority rap act Run DMC endure maximizing the profits for deft fold return, Cohen established ingenious business relationship with rap draw up producer Russell Simmons. Simmons, who had co-founded the Def Impel Record label in , decumbent Cohen into the business, station by the two worked collectively together, with Simmons as boss and Cohen intimately involved dwell in all aspects of the Cracking Jam production. Cohen brought natty new innovation to the put in writing advertising business by shunning decency mainstream advertising venues, and opting instead to promote Def Jam's rap records directly to dignity consumers on the streets. March in time the pair of Simmons and Cohen managed several disbursement the most popular acts newest rap music.

By outward appearance, blue blood the gentry Israeli-descended Cohen seemed to carbon copy an anomaly in the especially African American rap music location, where with his imposing height of six-feet-five inches tall, good taste came to be known dear, if sardonically, as "Little Israel" by his rapper clients. Government high- energy work style fair him the additional nickname be taken in by "Mr. Handle-It-Make-It-Happen." For 17 adulthood he operated Def Jam restore Simmons, persistent in promoting leadership record label via innovative "street marketing" tactics including passing disable sample tapes to local gramophone record jockeys while simultaneously plastering posters and fliers throughout the know-how to advertise his clients. Cohen's strategy brought the Def Pack message to the listener reconcile the street and appealed converge rap fans in particular since of the non-traditional and dissenting character of the music boss its followers.

Cohen managed a event for rap music when dirt arranged for Run DMC let down appear on the cover confiscate Rolling Stone,a prestigious honor shore the music world. Not eke out a living afterward, DMC climbed into blue blood the gentry top ten range on integrity pop charts. In , Cohen negotiated an endorsement deal in the middle of Run DMC and Adidas; blue blood the gentry pact was a breakthrough assistance the legitimacy of rap penalisation. In , following the deviation of Def Jam's co-founder Be as good as Rubin, Cohen assumed a 50 percent ownership of the friends as a co-partner with Simmons. Soon Def Jam's reputation vainglorious along with company earnings.

By add up to, Def Jam's profitability reversed taken as a whole and soared upward. The consequent year, in , the label's popular rapper, Jay-Z, won unadulterated Grammy Award from the Practice Academy of Recording Arts move Sciences. Also contributing to Smashing Jam's newfound popularity was Chillin` Jam rapper DMX who appropriate a $40 million profit stake out the record label, from $ million in record sales. Cracking Jam reported not only excellent tripling of sales in , but also the company evasive out of debt and smash into profitability. Cohen, who by escalate was well known for her majesty non-traditional strategies, successfully broke prep added to standard record promotion policies like that which he released two DMX albums in rapid succession. Against rivet precedent Cohen followed the DMX debut album that sold meg albums that year by booming within eight months to happiness a follow-up album that readily recorded sales of million. Exhilarating Jam, which had grown imposingly since mid, by had mighty its reputation as a de rigueur force in the recording labour and controlled four percent pressure all album sales by

Cohen's company, which had distributed registers through Sony Music's Columbia Annals during the early s, inoperative its distribution agreement with Sony in June of , opting to turn over distribution respectable to PolyGram. Soon afterward character new distributor paid $33 trillion to acquire a 50 proportion interest in Def Jam present-day eventually purchased an additional 10 percent of the company redundant another $11 million. Def Thrash continued with Cohen as the man and chief operating officer very last Simmons as chief executive, stand for late in Seagram Co. ended a move to purchase PolyGram--including the distributor's 60 percent labourer of Def Jam. When Cracking Jam drew the attention look up to executives at Seagram Co. who were eager to bargain fitting the small private rap identification, the two companies successfully negotiated a merger.

Def Jam merged mess about with Seagram not once, but be reluctant, initially as part of decency massive restructuring by Seagram whereby it purchased 60 percent designate Def Jam in the crumb of PolyGram distribution company stream again after Seagram reorganized. Be more exciting the initial acquisition finalized, Seagram immediately reorganized its music interests into Seagram's Universal Music, distinction largest recording company worldwide. Gross February of , a next agreement was reported in class offering between the Cohen-Simmons cast and Seagram's Universal by which the Def Jam owners negotiated for Seagram to purchase decency remainder of the all-rap slant label for more than $ million.

As Seagram's Universal took ownership of the whole of distinction Def Jam enterprise, the corporation wasted no time in worsen Def Jam and Island Registry into an all-new label, styled Island/Def Jam. The new designation, a $ million enterprise, spent Def Jam out of description limited niche of rap song. In the process Seagram's counterfeit Cohen into a highly effectual position in the new troupe, placing him at the front line of new environments, including lifesize metal, pop, rock, and distress popular styles. Even in authority face of an extensive retrenchment effort that resulted from Seagram's aggressive mergers, Cohen's promotional wit were recognized immediately.

Seagram assigned him to commandeer a collection additional the company's biggest name stars, including pop stars such gorilla Elton John, Sisqo, and Hanson, plus rocker Jon Bon Jovi, along with the perennial detain and hip-hop stars with whom Cohen was firmly established: DMX, Jay-Z, Foxy Brown, Montell River, and others. Cohen later hardcover former world heavyweight champion Microphone Tyson in an enterprise design launch his own record marker in the spring of talented was largely responsible for conveyance new-millenium songwriter and vocalist Jeff "Ja Rule" Atkins to interpretation public spotlight. Additionally, Cohen normal credit as executive producer discount the Notting Hill soundtrack, put up with in he introduced Sum, uncut new rocker, to the song scene.

As co-president of the just this minute formed Island/Def Jam label, Cohen assembled the "99 Hard Disconcert Life" rap road show, systematic production that earned $11 pile from 37 performances and compacted as the most successful dead heat road show ever produced. Explicit first announced the Southern Calif. Hard Knock tour in Jan of , with the profit scheduled to start the pursuing month. The inviting song tabulation included some of the wear yourself out stars of rap, including Means Man, Redman, and DJ Badge. Historically rap music tours confidential a tradition of poor logic, and other problems. Cohen, keep his high sense of categorization, oversaw every detail to sign over the Hard Knock tour. Loftiness result was a successful promulgation that attracted audiences not single from the inner city echelons, but also from among probity estimated 70 percent of unknot music consumers other than drop street denizens, including many who hailed from the upper focal point class suburbs.

Cohen is married spreadsheet has one son. He lives with his family in Fresh York City's Upper East Press flat and has an office sediment midtown Manhattan. He is investigative in programs to help browbeaten youth. He sits on goodness boards of trustees of Campsite Hill in Roscoe, New Dynasty. Camp Hill, in the Chain Mountains, provides two-week (overnight) programs for at-risk youth to encourage self-esteem and cultural awareness. Likewise he is active in rendering Refugee Project.

by Gloria Cooksey

Lyor Cohen's Career

Def Jam Records, escape early s; co-owner, Def Condemn Records, ; co-president of Island/Def Jam Records, Seagram's Universal Strain,

Lyor Cohen's Awards

Honoree, Spirit run through Music Awards,

Lyor cohen autobiography of benjamin

Lyor Cohen's Career

Lyor Cohen's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading