The Business Influencers * Listed in No Specific Order of Importance
"DJ Vlad" Lyubovny
An ex computer programmer turned disc jockey, DJ Vlad, (aka "The Butcher") has turned VladTV.com into one of the most reputable hip hop-centric sites online. The site most notoriously helped reveal Rick Ross' past...
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Aaron "TechN9ne" Yates
A former member of the Black Mafia, Tech N9ne has long been one of hip hop's most unique artists. His bizarre subject matter may have made him one of genre's permanent outsiders, but he's utilized that status to develop one...
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Alfred Liggins III
The man who aggressively turned Radio One into a media powerhouse, Liggins guides one of the nation's largest radio broadcasting companies and the largest radio broadcasting company that primarily targets African-American...
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Antonio "L.A." Reid
L.A. Reid heads one of the most powerful, respected and iconic brands in hip hop. As chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Island/Def Jam, Reid is captain of hip hop's most storied ship and he guides some of the industry's...
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Aston "Funkmaster Flex" Taylor, Jr.
Funkmaster Flex is more than just the voice of New York City hip hop radio, he's quite possibly the most respected hip hop radio DJ in the country. Flex has built a reputation for landing exclusive interviews with the biggest names in the industry...
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Calvin "Snoop Dogg" Broadus
Snoop Dogg, undoubtedly one of the most recognizable hip hop stars in the world, continued to expand his considerable presence over the past year. The iconic West Coast rapper appeared on Katy Perry's #1 hit "California Gurls," and...
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Clifford "T.I." Harris, Jr.
In what can best be described as an up-and-down year, T.I. has been one of the most talked-about personalities in hip hop recently. The rapper spent most of late 2009/early 2010 incarcerated following a federal weapons conviction,...
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Cortez Bryant
When Lil Wayne stepped down as President of Young Money Entertainment in 2007, he tapped Bryant to head the then-fledging imprint. As Young Money President, Bryant has presided over the label's tremendous growth...
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Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson
Cocky and controversial, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson is always one of hip hop's most entertaining personalities. More than that, 'Fiddy,' over the course of his career, has shown a business savvy and a knack or self-promotion...
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Datwon Thomas
As editor-in-chief of GlobalGrind, Datwon Thomas manages one of the top-tier hip hop sites online. The former EIC of XXL, Thomas has helped push GlobalGrind beyond its hip hop demographic and into the larger stratosphere of popular...
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Debra Lee
As CEO of BET Networks, Debra Lee oversees one of the most influential and recognized institutions in urban entertainment. This year BET's award shows, in particular the 2010 BET Awards and the 2010 BET Hip Hop Awards,...
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Doug Morris
Doug Morris, as chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, has headed what many consider to be one of the most powerful entities in the music industry. Under Morris' direction, UMG has become the world's largest music...
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Elliott Wilson
Elliott Wilson has turned RapRadar.com into the web's top sites for hip hop music and culture. Less gossip-oriented than many of its contemporaries, the site is guided by the venerable Wilson, who has been a constant fixture...
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Fred Mwangaguhunga
Fred Mwangaguhunga's MediaTakeOut.com is quite possibly the most controversial urban website online. But under Mwangaguhunga's vision and leadership, the popular gossip site is has become the go-to online resource...
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J Prince
A businessman and humanitarian, J Prince has worked for 20 years to elevate Houston’s hip hop scene. The CEO & founder of Rap-A-Lot Records has remained a pivotal figure in bringing Texas-based hip hop to the masses...
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Jermaine Dupri
The man who's been crafting monster hits for almost 20 years in the industry, Jermaine Dupri's reputation speaks for itself. He's produced or mentored some of the biggest selling acts in hip hop and continues to outwork his...
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Julia Beverly
Ozone Magazine is the South's most respected hip hop publication. Driving the publication's success if Julia Beverly, who founded Ozone when she was only 20 years old. She grew the initially-photo heavy magazine into one...
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Kanye West
There are few figures in 2000s hip hop culture that have been as artistically and culturally influential as Kanye West. Musically, the emergence of artists like Drake and Kid Cudi is evidence of Kanye West's ongoing influence on a younger...
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Lee "Q" O'Denat
Any hip hop head that knows how to access the web is most likely familiar with WorldStarHipHop.com. The site was the brainchild of founder Lee "Q" O'Denat, and he has remained at the forefront of hip hop's web revolution...
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Marshall "Eminem" Mathers
Eminem once again ascended to the pinnacle of hip-hop in 2010, scoring a monster hit with his seventh solo album, Recovery. With two singles reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and the album sales of 2.86 million...
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Michael Rapino
Live Nation is the world's largest concert promotion and ticketing company, and a large part of it's ongoing success is due to the business acumen of Chief Executive Officer Michael Rapino. Rapino has guided Live Nation...
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Pharrell Williams
Pharrell is not only one of the most respected artists and producers in hip hop, but he has maintained his high visibility through a series of shrewd artistic moves and savvy business ventures over the past year. The producer...
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Sean "Diddy" Combs
He started out humble enough to cater to the stars – be it the neighborhood paper boy (whom he persuaded to hand down a popular route for a percentage of his earnings); burgeoning pop-rock stars the Fine Young Cannibals and R B singer...
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Stephen Hill
As Executive Vice President of Entertainment and Music Programming for Black Entertainment Television, Stephen Hill is the guiding force behind one of the pillars of African American pop culture. BET is the primary source of music...
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Wasalu "Lupe Fiasco" Jaco
Lupe Fiasco has managed to maintain one of the most loyal fanbases in hip-hop. Earlier this fall, when his third LP, Lasers, was met with another delay, fans gathered a petition with over 28,000 signatures to demand that Atlantic...
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"Fab 5 Freddy" Brathwaite
Fab 5 Freddy has been an influencer of hip hop culture since it's very beginnings. As one of the first grafitti artists to obtain fame, Freddy helped push hip hop into the national consciousness in the late 70s and early 80s via party...
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Abu Thiam
Despite his age, Abu Thiam has already forged a career in the music industry that many gray-haired executives would envy. Before being named to his current position as Vice President of Def Jam, Thiam, as the co-CEO of Konvict...
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Andre "Dr. Dre" Young
With his long-awaited Detox album still among the most highly anticipated releases in popular music, Dr. Dre status as hip hop's most beloved and respected producer remains intact. For almost any other artist in hip hop, an eleven...
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Antwan "Big Boi" Patton
Big Boi has been the more active member of Outkast since his former group's extended hiatus. This year was no different, with the southern rap superstar releasing new music and traveling the country for concerts...
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Aubrey "Drake" Graham
Drake has proven to be the breakout star on Young Money Entertainment roster. After his well-recieved 2009 mixtape "So Far Gone" helped launch his celebrity, Drake’s first studio album, Thank Me Later, debuted at number one on the...
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Chris "Ludacris" Bridges
As one of the few early 2000s superstars that has proved to have staying power, Ludacris managed to turn a relatively-quiet 2010 into another banner year for his musical career and business ventures. The Atlanta emcee...
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Corentin "Frenchy" Villemeur
Serving as the general manager for, not only one of the most popular hip hop sites online, but also a site that bears the name of one of rap music's biggest stars, is no simple task. For Corentin "Frenchy" Villemeur, general manager...
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Craig Kallman
One of the few remaining music execs that actually has a background in music-making, (he even DJed the Big Beat Records Relaunch Party), Craig Kallman remains a guiding force in the industry as Chairman and CEO of Atlantic...
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Dana "Queen Latifah" Owens
Queen Latifah's long been one of hip hop's most versatile and successful personalities. This year, she continued to maintain high visibility as a pitchwoman for CoverGirl cosmetics and Jenny Craig, and as a voiceover star...
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DeAndre "Soulja Boy" Way
Youth often belies wisdom. In the case of rapper/producer/writer Soulja Boy, youth – and youthful antics – completely distort his wisdom. Granted, the 20-year-old who has more than 100 tattoos admittedly has room to grow. But...
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Devyne Stephens
Devyne Stephens has long been the secret weapon behind Konvict Muzik. The credited with discovering and signing Akon, has helped the superstar turn the label into one of the strongest in the industry. Stephens has used his success...
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Eskay
NahRight.com has remained one of the most respected hip hop sites online by not compromising its credibility for salacious headlines. Eskay has become one of the web's most revered names in urban blogging. He even briefly...
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Harvey Levin
TMZ has become the foremost authority in celebrity gossip and scandal, and that's all due to the vision of Harry Levin. The website has been around for a number of years, but in the past year, Levin has guided his brand in such...
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Jeff Mazzacano
Jeff Mazzacano is publisher for VIBE Magazine, one of hip hop's most iconic media sources. Coming from a background extensive in magazine advertising, having successfully lead ad sales for Vibe, Giant, Russell...
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Jimmy Iovine
Interscope Records was founded as a small alt-rock label in the late 1980s. It was the determination and vision of it's founder, Jimmy Iovine, that led to the label becoming a hip hop powerhouse and industry standard-bearer...
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Julie Greenwald
Julie Greenwald, Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of an of industry powerhouse, Atlantic Records Group, is one of the industry's most influential executives. Having developed artists like DMX, Jay-Z and LL Cool J from her days...
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Kevin Liles
Kevin Liles is an accomplished entrepreneur, executive and one of the industry's most respected veterans. Formerly president of Def Jam Records and Warner Music Group, Liles is now CEO of KWL/Def Jam Enterprises, a music...
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Lyor Cohen
A force in the music industry for over two decades, Lyor Cohen is a hip hop executive who's overseen the ascension of some of rap's biggest names. Chairman/CEO, Warner Music Group, Cohen made his first industry strides...
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Marve Frazier
Bossip.com is the boldest and most fearless site for urban gossip online. Headed by the mysterious Marve Frazier, the website has become synonymous with salacious news and frank gossip that speaks to the African American...
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Oshea "Ice Cube" Jackson
Ice Cube remains a respected veteran recording artist in the hip hop industry, but his legacy extends far beyond his pioneering work with N.W.A. and his incendiary solo recordings. Cube is one of hip hop's most versatile...
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Russell Simmons
"The Godfather of Hip Hop" For anyone else, a title such as this would sound hyperbolic. But for Russell Simmons, even 'Godfather' may be an understatement. The man who put hip hop on the global map, Simmons began launch...
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Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter
Artist, mogul and icon, Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter has been hip hop's alpha male for the better part of a decade, and he continues to be the industry's ultimate taste-maker, power player and trendsetter. On December 11, 2009, Jay-Z...
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Sylvia Rhone
A true industry veteran, Sylvia Rhone is a force in the music business who's earned her success over 30+ years of experience. As president of Universal/Motown, she leads a giant powerhouse. Starting in music in 1974, Rhone...
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Terius "The-Dream" Nash
Terius Youngdell Nash, better known as 'The-Dream,' is one of music's most successful singer songwriter and producers. Releasing a chart-topping album in 2009 Love Vs. Money, which debuted #2 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, and...
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