CEO of Violator Records Chris Lighty speaks during the Power 105.1 Power Music Summit at the Manhattan Center on April 16, 2005 in New York. (Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images)
Phil Zelner, Chris Lighty, Rapper “50 Cent”, aka Curtis Jackson and Thomas Butkiewicz attend the debut of the new “Power By 50 Cent” fragrance at Avenue on June 23, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
Simone Smith, LL Cool J and Violator Records/Management CEO, Chris Lighty attend the Audi’s TDI Clean Diesel Technology dinner at the Audi Forum on May 12, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Audi of Amer)
Chris Lighty speaks at the debut of the new “Power By 50 Cent” fragrance at Avenue on June 23, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
Executives of Violater Managament Mona Scott and Chris Lighty, and Former CEO of Electra Records Sylvia Rhone attend Vibe Magazine’s Fourth Annual Quincy Jones Achievement Awards at the Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers on June 17, 2004 in New York City. (Photo by Thos Robinson/Getty Images)
Violator CEO Chris Lighty at the ‘Violator The Album V2.0′ album release party at the Hudson Hotel in New York City. 7/12/01 Photo by Scott Gries/ImageDirect
Artist Manager Chris Lighty arrives at the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network’s Fifth Annual Action Awards at Capitale on February 25, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)
Violator Records/Management CEO, Chris Lighty, Warner Music Group Chairman/CEO, Lyor Cohen and Andre Harrell attend the Audi’s TDI Clean Diesel Technology dinner at the Audi Forum on May 12, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Audi of Amer)
(l to r) Eric Micks, Red Cafe, Cee-Lo of Goodie Mob, Chris Lighty, Jojo Pellegrino, and DJ Kay Slay at the ‘Violator The Album V2.0′ album release party at the Hudson Hotel in New York City. 7/12/01 Photo by Scott Gries/ImageDirect
Movie producer/director Brett Ratner and music executive Chris Lighty pose for a photo following a book discussion of James Toback’s book “Jim: The Author’s Self-Centered Memoir On The Great Jim Brown” at Borders Books & Music, Columbus Circle on July 30, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
President of Urban Music at Virgin Records Blue Williams, CEO of Violator Records Chris Lighty, and producer Robert Clestin speak during the Power 105.1 Power Music Summit at the Manhattan Center on April 16, 2005 in New York. (Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images)
From Ebony.com: [Yesterday] morning “Baby” Chris Lighty was found dead outside his Riverdale, Bronx apartment from an apparent self-inflicted gun wound. The news comes as a tremendous shock to those in what’s left of the post-hip-hop urban record industry that Lighty helped to build.
He began his career back in the 80′s rolling with Kool DJ Red Alert, carrying his crates of vinyl to club parties and acting as enforcer for the DJ and their crew, the ‘Violators,’ when the parties turned violent. When he performed as a DJ himself, it was as ‘Baby Chris’ because despite being tall, his cherub-y, handsome face always seemed like it to belonged to a teenager. Lighty later managed many of the Native Tongues acts, including A Tribe Called Quest.
Like a lot of young hip hop executives, Lighty learned the record industry fundamentals at Def Jam Records under the leadership of Russell Simons and Lyor Cohen, but real success and influence came as a result of his entrepreneurship; he and Mona Scott’s Violator Management, and then Violator Records, worked with innovators like Missy Elliot and Busta Rhymes and later brokered multi-million dollar endorsement deals for 50 Cent.
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