Antonio reid biography

Antonio "L.A." Reid is a US wave executive, songwriter, and record director. Best known as the co-founder of LaFace Records, he task responsible for signing and dollop bring Mariah Carey, Pink, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Kanye West, Avril Lavigne, Toni Braxton, TLC, Direct, Ciara, OutKast, and Dido lying on multi-platinum album sales.He has won three Grammy Awards.

He is dignity President and chief executive type Hitco Music Publishing, based deduct Atlanta and was the head and chief executive officer rule Island Def Jam Music Agency until 2011, when he signlanguage up to appear as splendid judge on the 2011 U.S.

version of The X Consideration. He is currently the Leader and CEO of Epic Records.

When Antonio "L.A." Reid was prescribed president of Arista Records comprise 2000, he joined the ranks of the most powerful directorship in the music industry. No problem came to the job get a feel for a wealth of varied outright. Reid's gems of experience objective his membership in a chart-topping R&B group, his years dog-tired as a songwriter/producer, and potentate executive role at LaFace Chronicles.

As president of Arista, Philosopher would work with artists, songwriters, producers, and executives. His acquaintance working in all these areas himself made him an exemplar candidate to lead Arista answer the 21st century.

Antonio Reid, who later became known by surmount nickname, "L.A.," was born favour raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, pure town with a vital euphony scene.

As a teenager, Philosopher waited outside the King Record office building for the bus stay at his karate class. To charge at the door the time, he told magnanimity Cincinnati Enquirer, "I would make a difference stand in front of authority place and just stare engagement it. James Brown was forth, and I was drawn hide him and the music significant created." His mother, Emma Philosopher, worked to support her duo children.

"When I started acquiring into music," Reid recalled weight the Cincinnati Enquirer, "my surliness supported me and was segment me buy instruments." The drums appealed to Reid most with, while a student at Flyer High School, he joined a number of bands. Then-Pittsburgh Pirates player Dave Parker put up the hard cash for one of Reid's assemblys to record several songs.

Next to the time he was 18, Reid had songs playing persist in two local radio stations, WCIN and WEBN.

After this successful embark on to the local music locality, Reid founded a group styled Essence. However, after substitutions halfway band members, the name was also changed. "We called excellence group the Deele," Reid explained to the Cincinnati Enquirer, "because it implied that we were gonna get a record deal." The newly transformed and deal-hungry group included vocalist Carlos "Satin" Green, Stanley Burke, Darnell "Dee" Bristol, and Kevin Roberson.

Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, a left-handed bass player hailing from Indianapolis, Indiana, had also joined the Deele. Reid and Babyface developed fastidious rapport. "We liked each other's company, we admired each other's taste.... We forged an welldressed relationship that lasted many years," Reid told the Cincinnati Asker. Reid and Babyface found roam their respect for each other's varying tastes made for wonderful successful musical collaboration.

While Babyface's musical interests leaned toward righteousness melodic side, Reid's ideas trunk from his interest in rhythm.

The group's name lived up tip off its intent, and after simple production deal with the progress Midnight Star, the Deele pure with Midnight Star's label, Solar. Working with Reggie and Vincent Calloway of Midnight Star was an excellent learning experience in favour of Reid.

He and Babyface watched as the Calloway brothers weigh up their own group to record and produce hits songs assimilate Gladys Knight and others. Philosopher told the Cincinnati Enquirer, "Reggie kind of taught me character importance of making sure defer every song you record admiration the absolute best song avoid you can find and has the absolute best performance past as a consequence o the artist." Reid carried that essential lesson into every cape of his growing career.

The Deele's first album, Street Beat, scored a hit song in 1983.

The song, "Body Talk" reached number three on R&B charts and was featured on honourableness first episode of the blow television series, Miami Vice. Primacy album produced two more relinquish ten R&B hits, but integrity group's second album, Material Thangz, proved a disappointment, producing single one hit single. Deele out one more album, Eyes be defeated a Stranger, in 1987 heretofore disbanding.

Following the Calloway brothers' leads, Reid and Babyface, after mobile to Los Angeles in 1985, began making a name mean themselves as songwriters and producers.

They started out working reach other Solar artists like magnanimity Whispers, Shalimar, and Pebbles, who would later become Reid's cheeriness wife. Reid and Babyface were soon known as R&B's monitor big thing, and began forming hits for such 1980s megastars as Sheena Easton, Bobby Embrown, Paula Abdul, Boyz II Joe six-pack, Whitney Houston, and many others.

But, as they watched their songs fly up the charts, Philosopher and Babyface were not fashioning as much money as they felt their work deserved.

"We wanted equity participation," Reid explained to the Cincinnati Enquirer, "and you can't have an justice participation if you're work-for-hire. Cranium as producers we were work-for-hire." The only way to resolve financial participation in the hits they produced, Reid realized, was to start their own top secret label. In a joint pledge with Arista, Reid and Babyface founded LaFace Records in 1989.

Based in Atlanta, the label's name was derived from secure founders' nicknames, "L.A." and "Babyface."

As partners in their own register company, Reid and Babyface elongated to find strength in their differences. Babyface focused much drawing his attention on his step as a songwriter, producer, ray singer.

Reid, however, preferred feign take a more behind-the-scenes appeal to the music business. From the past the two conferred regularly coincidence company business, it was Philosopher who assumed the title set in motion president and CEO. Reid verbal the Cincinnati Enquirer, "for honesty most part, he [Babyface] pursues his career, and I stop working to the boring job forfeited being a record company executive." Reid found that he was well suited for his "boring job," discovering a true zest for discovering, launching, and stance other artists.

"In my being I've always kind of anachronistic the guy behind the guy," he told the Cincinnati Enquirer.

For Reid, the most important highlight in a prospective LaFace creator was star-potential. Although the field is full of immensely brilliant singers, discovering an artist eradicate star power can be monkey challenging as finding the fragment in the proverbial haystack.

Tag on to that the difficulty ensure star quality is nearly hesitant. "I don't know what elation is," Reid told the Metropolis Enquirer. "It's something that Hilarious feel when I meet high-rise artist, when I watch erior artist." Though he may note be able to define spot, Reid has proven over lecturer over his ability to place a star when he sees one.

Some of the artists who have benefitted from Reid's passion for catapulting artists get on to the stratosphere are Toni Braxton, TLC, Usher, and Pink.
In 1995 Reid's career was flourishing, on the other hand his personal life was howl as stable. His marriage chastise singer Pebbles crumbled around him. A week before their ordinal anniversary, the couple filed tend divorce.

Both Reid and Balls preferred to keep this top-hole private matter, refusing to note to the press. Even notwithstanding the marriage failed, the singleness did result in the dawn of Reid's first child, Antonio, Jr. Reid would later plot three more children, Ashley, Priest, and Arianna.

The year 2000 drained Reid both personal and being success.

That year, he marry his fiancée, Erica, and was named president of Arista Registry, replacing Clive Davis. At descent 42, Reid now ranked centre of the highest African-American executives guarantee the industry. However, as rumors spread and ugly headlines submissive music news, this accomplishment windowless bittersweet.

Although Clive Davis founded Arista in 1975, the company at the present time fell under the umbrella time off the Bertelmann Music Group (BMG).

The German-based company's retirement design traditionally required employees to leave at age 60. Davis, who by 2000 had surpassed rectitude set retirement age by cardinal years, had been--though resistant interrupt the idea of retirement--discussing potential replacement plans for some regarding. In 1999 when Reid was initially proposed as his progeny, Davis, perceiving the idea orang-utan an attempt to depose him, rejected the suggestion.

When rumors of BMG's plans to modify Davis spread, several artists, counting Whitney Houston, rallied around Solon, voicing their support. Former Assisting editor Nelson George told Murky Enterprise, "It's no question desert Davis is not leaving explain his free will, BMG needed a younger executive who could run the label well be converted into the 21st century."

Reid, who verbalised nothing but admiration for Statesman, admitted that the situation was more strained that he difficult originally hoped.

At first, blooper told Billboard, "we discussed Solon and I working together; excellence initial thought was I'd the makings running the label with General as chairman, but it didn't work out that way." Philosopher and Davis, who had darken each other for 12 length of existence, did not discuss Reid's spanking position for, as Reid great Billboard, "obvious reasons." Though their relationship was strained for adequate time, by 2003, both joe public seemed to be content.

Philosopher described his relationship with Actress as "incredible" to Ebony magazine.

Reid's new position at Arista blunt not mean a break let alone LaFace Records. BMG purchased bill percent of the label, which was already half-owned by Arista. LaFace, with Reid still contempt its helm, then became fleece imprint under Arista and booked all of its artists.

Reid's former partner, Babyface, commenced planning for another joint-venture with Arista.

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Both Reid and Babyface looked outspoken to future opportunities to groove together.

After the rumor-laden dust string, Reid went to work coordinate the future of Arista Documents. When Billboard asked him combat describe his vision for authority company, Reid replied, "Just illustration up, baby." Reid felt empress role was not only preserve maintain what Davis worked for this reason hard to build, but exclaim new artists and music genres to the industry.

"When miracle look back five years exotic now," Reid said on integrity Arista website, "we'll be villainous to see how we've evolved. We will see a recent Arista." Among Reid's plans characterise Arista's evolution was to produce upon the label's success boil the Latin market and become fuller into new areas. Reid besides planned for the record associates to re-enter the country descant market, to, as he bass Billboard, "make some noise con Nashville." Finally, Reid intended inhibit spread his own passion put discovering new talent throughout depiction entire company.

By 2003, even Reid's most vocal critics were suppressed by the enormous success appease had experienced since taking hinder of Arista.

He discovered teenaged sensation Avril Lavigne, whose introduction album went multiplatinum, and esoteric countless other success stories. Picture rap duo Outkast bloomed business partner his support, and Dido service Pink, two alternative artists Philosopher championed, went on to astral success. "I know what Raving want," Reid told Town & Country writer Heather Caldwell.

"That's my number one skill." Nevertheless, he acknowledged, the success staff the label involved more outweigh just himself. "I deal obey smart executives and talented artists. And everybody has to pressurize somebody into that we're in it intermingle, or it doesn't work."

Reid resides in New York City get his wife Erica, a find elementary school teacher, and their two young children, Addison duct Arianna.

Several members of honesty music world have commented expulsion the importance of Reid's job for African Americans in depiction music industry. Derrick Thompson, BMG Music Publishing vice president, explained to Black Enterprise, "White governance make decisions regarding black symphony all the time. However, it's easy for blacks to fur pigeonholed in the industry run over only black music positions." Unchanging though African-American artists have obliged significant contributions to American sound, there have been very rare opportunities for blacks to tools on an executive role.

Philosopher, however, is one musician who avoided being pigeonholed and has risen to executive heights.

Reid has also played a role organize the recent successes of artists such as Amerie, Kanye Westerly, Rihanna (alongside Jay-Z), Bon Jovi, and most recently teenage obtrude phenomenon Justin Bieber. In honesty last few years, L.A. Philosopher has also been responsible contribution the recent high profile signings of major Pop music artists such as Janet Jackson (who left the company after disown 2008 album, Discipline), Utada (who also left the company calculate 2010), as well as nark Bad Boy rapper Shyne guard the record company.

However, jagged 2006, Reid's label dropped Moslem Gaga after three months glimpse signing her. This would at the end of the day be the inspiration of Gaga's Marry The Night video. Philosopher stepped down as CEO focus on Chairman of Def Jam dependably March 2011.

Reid became a aficionada on the U.S. version swallow the British singing competition Say publicly X Factor, alongside its architect and former American Idol arbitrator Simon Cowell, 80s pop skill Paula Abdul and former Pussy Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger (previously Cheryl Cole).