Def Jam Names Joie Manda As Label President

by Allen Jacobs

After Irv Gotti's unsuccessful campaign for the position, Joie Manda moves from Warner Urban Music to the house that Russell Simmons built.

Def Jam has announced Joie Manda as the label's president.
In a press release revealing the news, the imprint revealed that Manda will be taking on the lead role at the legendary company. Manda, who previously served as an executive at Warner Bros. Records, acknowledged the big shoes he has to fill, as previous persons to hold the position include Jay-Z, Lyor Cohen and Kevin Liles.
"Running Def Jam is the greatest challenge of my career," said Manda. "The Def Jam artist roster has always been synonymous with the greatest in hip-hop, and I intend to carry that tradition into the future."
"As we look to expand Def Jam and our creative urban music activities even further, there is no one better to lead them than Joie," said Chairman and CEO of Universal Republic and Island Def Jam Barry Weiss. "He has emerged as one of the most respected young executives in today's urban music landscape, possessing all the qualifications and experience that are essential to run Def Jam, the world's most important hip-hop destination."
Irv Gotti previously campaigned for the position, stating that the lack of a president since Hov in 2007 was disrespectful to the culture. "Def Jam, I shouldn’t even comment on it because it makes me angry because there hasn’t been a president of Def Jam since [Jay-Z], really. It’s a terrible thing because it’s so important to the culture and they’re just letting it go away, they ain’t paying no attention to it."