Chuck D Def Jam President

Public Enemy rapper Chuck D has thrown his hat into the ring to succeed Jay-Z as the president of Def Jam. As an artist under Def Jam from 1987 to 1998, the “conscious rapper” gave the label some of the biggest hits.
“After 10 years looking on the collapsing of the record industry, and upon hearing the news of Jay-Z stepping down from Def Jam, I would throw my name into the hat of somebody who understands how the hell Universal should establish the name-brands they acquire with stockholders money,” Chuck D told AllHipHop.com.
“So instead of me running for politics, this is an easier run into the world of influential culture,” he said. “I’m in Los Angeles, Atlanta and New York on the regular as well as I [thoroughly understand] the international picture. There would be some seismic changes, and I would be a little Huey Long-ish at it. If folks are clueless about this parallel that’s precisely the problem.”
Chuck D offered the following plan of attack if appointed Def Jam President:
1) Being ahead of the technology curve; preparing for a thinned out industry; and managing budget efficient acts is very noteworthy of my resume which is simple. I told these cats the online revolution was coming and they needed big adjustments. They relied on lawyers, courts, and accountants only to now look upward at Apple, etc.
2) Their cost factors didn’t fit the times, I come from a world where the $50,000 investments resulted into 6 – 7 figures. Now it’s a business where 7 figures are invested to make 6.
3) I would run it like sports. These artists would be busting their tails on tour and on the stage to gain a fan. They would be coached on how to do their thing right. Braintrust will be high, and subcontracting to the right contributors will be comparable of the efficiency of these labels like Jazz and catalog departments. You cannot have people working, that haven’t the slightest clue of what they are in the middle of.
4) Any criminal mindedness in artistry, and management would have sit this one out, go their own way. It’s like bad apples the long run ain’t got nothing to do with entertainment. You can’t mix the stage and off stage parodies.


On January 2nd 2008, Markus wrote:
Chuck D would be a pretty good choice. He has been pretty innovative. Check out the work he has done on his new web venture with DMC.