Chris
Lighty
has ended hisrelationship with Lyor Cohen, the CEO of Def Jam, and has taken
Violater Records/Management to Loud Records. After an 11 year
relationship, it is rumored that Lighty was forced to leave Def
Jam due to a lack of big releases, and that Def Jam opted to not
renew his distribution deal when it was up in January. Lighty
claims just the opposite, claiming it was a strategic move to
keep his label young and fresh. In January, Lighty entered into
a relationship with the CEO of Artists Management Group, Michael
Ovitz. He heads up AMG’s urban entertainment division.