1. LA Reid co-founded the record label Hitco Entertainment in the latter year, which was sold to Concord in 2022.
31 Facts About LA Reid
1. 2.
LA Reid has an extended musical career serving as a record producer, programmer, and instrumentalist for various recording artists.
3.
LA Reid founded Hitco Music Publishing in 1996, and co-founded LaFace Records with Babyface in 1989.
4.
LA Reid has won three Grammy Awards, including as a songwriter for his work on Boyz II Men's "End of the Road".
5.
LA Reid's life is documented in his 2016 memoir Sing to Me: My Story of Making Music, Finding Magic, and Searching for Who's Next, which made the New York Times bestseller list.
6.
LA Reid began his music career as a drummer, with his first appearance on record being with the Cincinnati funk rock outfit Pure Essence.
7.
LA Reid signed 14-year-old Usher to the label, whose six album releases have sold 65 million units worldwide.
8.
LA Reid formed the Hitco Publishing Group in 1996, as a joint venture with Windswept Music.
9.
In 2000, LaFace was merged into Arista Records with LA Reid being promoted to president and CEO of Arista Records.
10.
In 1997, LA Reid attended the Harvard Business School six-week Advanced Management Program, in preparation to become CEO of Arista Records.
11.
LA Reid was released from his contract at Arista in 2004 and became the chairman and CEO of The Island Def Jam Music Group in February 2004.
12.
LA Reid is noted for bringing Mariah Carey's career back to prominence with her multi-platinum 2005 album The Emancipation of Mimi after her career had stalled from 2001 to 2003 with less than stellar sales and general lack of public interest for her two previous projects, Glitter and Charmbracelet.
13.
In early 2011, LA Reid became a judge on The X Factor USA for the first season, alongside creator and former American Idol judge Simon Cowell, pop star and dancer Paula Abdul and former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger, who replaced British recording artist Cheryl Cole.
14.
LA Reid was assigned the Boys category throughout the competition, aided by friend and singer Rihanna at the Judges' Houses stage of the competition in The Hamptons.
15.
In July 2011, LA Reid became the chairman and CEO of Epic Records.
16.
In 2012, LA Reid returned for the second season of The X Factor USA' along with Simon Cowell, while Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul were axed from the panel, along with Season 1 host Steve Jones.
17.
LA Reid announced in December 2012 that he would not return for the third season in 2013 and was replaced by former judge of The X Factor UK, Kelly Rowland.
18.
One of the projects that LA Reid embarked on following his stint on The X Factor, was remaking Michael Jackson songs after his death with the album Xscape, released May 2014.
19.
In 2016, LA Reid published the memoir Sing to Me: My Story of Making Music, Finding Magic, and Searching for Who's Next.
20.
Under LA Reid, Epic had four albums debut at No 1: Future, DJ Khaled, Travis Scott, and the final album from A Tribe Called Quest.
21.
LA Reid is the co-author of The New York Times bestseller Sing to Me: My Story of Making Music, Finding Magic, and Searching for Who's Next.
22.
In 2018, LA Reid became founder and co-chairman of Hitco Entertainment, LLC with Charles Goldstuck, the former Chairman and CEO of TouchTunes Interactive Networks.
23.
LA Reid was honored with the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences' President's Merit Award at the Grammy salute to Industry Icons celebration on February 9,2013, the day prior to the 55th Grammy Awards.
24.
In 2014, LA Reid received the Harvard University Alumni Award of Excellence in Media.
25.
In March 2016, LA Reid, received an award from BET Honors for The Business of Entertainment Award.
26.
In 2006, LA Reid was noted for his philanthropic efforts to bring arts programs to urban youth at the Art for Life Palm Beach fundraiser hosted by Russell Simmons.
27.
LA Reid has been involved with the Taste of Hope event for the City of Hope organization and the Robin Hood Foundation.
28.
In 2008, Reid wrote and co-produced the song "Just Stand Up" for the television special Stand Up To Cancer, which was performed by artists including Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Mary J Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Leona Lewis, LeAnn Rimes, and Carrie Underwood.
29.
In 2009, LA Reid received the Spirit of Compassion Award from UNICEF.
30.
LA Reid married Perri "Pebbles" Reid in 1989; the two had a son, Aaron Alexander, in November 1989.
31.
The lawsuit, which was filed under the New York Adult Survivors Act, charged that LA Reid's misconduct forced Dixon out of the music business.