Who Was Chris Lighty?
The music business legend built many powerful careers.
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Chris Lighty - Powerhouse music executive Chris Lighty passed away on Aug. 30, 2012 after reportedly suffering a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The 44-year-old was the man behind some of hip hop's biggest stars, helping them achieve hit records and lucrative business deals. As the music world still mourns a year later, we reflect on the mega-manager's life. (Photo: AP Photo/Jim Cooper, file)
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Promising Beginnings - Born in the Bronx in 1968, Chris was brought up by a single mom. A self-made businessman, he did not attend college, but managed to work his way from the bottom to the top. (Photo: Johnny Nunez/Getty Images)
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Moving On Up - Lighty went on to become a mentee of Russell Simmons, becoming an employee of Rush Management. He eventually branched off to found Violator Management in the 1990s, which would become one of the most powerful managment firms in the music world. (Photo: Ray Tamarra/Getty Images)
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View From the Top - At the helm of Violator, the music executive brought in billions of dollars of revenue. He is responsible for brokering multimillon-dollar deals for major music celebrities and releasing two hit-compilation albums for his label, Violator: The Album, Vol. 1 and Violator: The Album, Vol. 2. (Photo: Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
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Expanding Hip Hop - Chris, along with Jay Z, was one of the earliest entrepreneurs to take hip hop from being respected as just a music culture to a business arena with limitless opportunity in the '90s. (Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
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Well Respected - A key music executive, Chris built Violator to be a potent force in connecting major brands with ripe artists for excellent business opportunities. He was a good friend of music entrepreneur and businessman Sean "Diddy" Combs. (Photo: Shareif Ziyadat/FilmMagic)
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Making History - The 44-year-old brokered the biggest business deal in hip hop history, advising 50 Cent to become a partner in Vitamin Water before it was bought by Coca-Cola. When the company was sold, 50 cashed out his ownership for $100 million and Lighty received an undisclosed sum. (Photo: Denise Truscello/WireImage)
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High Notes - The Violator founder had a major influence on pop songstress Mariah Carey's career, including the business advice he gave to her on her various ventures. To this day, she is one of the wealthiest singers to maintain career longevity. (Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images For BET)
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Making Hit Music - Busta Rhymes, once managed by Violator, was a close friend of Lighty. He had a top 10 hit song, "What It Is" with Kelis, on the firm's 2001 Violator: The Album V2.0, and was spotted at the music executive's house the day after the tragedy.(Photo: John Ricard/BET)
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A Quest for Rhymes - Lighty put together the deal between A Tribe Called Quest and Sprite, bringing the hip hop group major endorsement money. He was also a member of the Native Tongues crew and rose up the ranks with Tribe's members back in the day. (Photo: Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
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Making A Name On the Road - The music business pioneer credited some of his early experience to touring with the Jungle Brothers. (Photo: Courtesy of Gee Street Records)
Photo By Photo: Courtesy of Gee Street Records
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Closing the Gap - Chris played a significant part in shaping LL Cool J's career. He's the reason LL was able to rap "How Easy Is This?" in a Gap commercial, fortifying another rap star's endorsement potential. (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
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Down With BDP - The business maven had strong roots in hip hop's early beginnings. He was down with KRS-One's Boogie Down Productions and was always with D-Nice, KRS and the late La Rock. (Photo: Jive Records)
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Work It - Lighty and rapper Missy Elliot were also very close, as he managed the celeb's career and positioned her as a triumphant music force. (Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images)
