Died On This Date (November 1, 2008) Shakir Stewart / Def Jam Exec VP
themusicsover Shakir Stewart
April 12, 1974 – November 1, 2008
Shakir Stewart was a successful record company executive who was, most recently, Sr. VP of Island Def Jam Music Group as well as Executive VP of Def Jam. In Stewart’s first job out of college, he signed Beyonce to a publishing deal as a staffer at Hitco Music Publishing. From there he became an A&R consultant for LaFace Records, a label owned by Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds and Antonio “L.A.” Reid. He brought Ciara to the label. He later moved to the Def Jam family where he signed or oversaw such acts as Young Jeezy, Nas, LL Cool J and Rick Ross. He quickly moved up the ranks within the company. Shakir Stewart took his own life with a gun on November 1, 2008. He was 34 years old.
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Born in Poland, a young (and not yet called) Leonard Chess moved with his family to Chicago in 1928. Leonard and his brother Phil got into the music business by way of the Macomba Lounge, a popular Black club they took over in 1946. Shortly thereafter, Leonard began working with a local jazz and black label called Aristocrat Records. He and his brother eventually took it over and began changing its focus to the down and dirty sound of the blues they had fallen in love with. By the time they were done, they had made seminal records with the likes of