@Joeyie @Interscope @DefJamRecords #HipHop – In a surprise announcement, Joie Manda has resigned as President of Def Jam Records to relocate back to Los Angeles. As part of his relocation, he will remain within the Universal Music Group family by joining Interscope Records as President of Urban Music. The announcement was made today by Barry Weiss, President & CEO of UMG’s East Coast Labels, and John Janick, President & COO of Interscope Geffen A&M. Manda will now report to Janick.
Manda was appointed president of Def Jam — the label’s first president since Jay-Z — just over a year ago.
“Despite having to move back to Los Angeles for personal reasons, I am truly grateful to Barry, John and Jimmy Iovine (Chairman & CEO, Interscope Geffen A&M) for this exciting new opportunity,” Manda said in a statement. “I’ve learned a lot from Barry in the last year and am very appreciative of everything he has done for me. I am now looking forward to being part of the Interscope family, a company uniquely positioned for success despite this challenging marketplace.”
“While we understand Joie’s personal reasons for wanting to move back to Los Angeles, we’re thankful for all of his contributions to Def Jam,” Weiss said. “We wish him success in his new role at our sister label.”
“Joie is an important part of the fabric of UMG, and I’m glad we were all able to work together to make this transition possible for him,” said Janick. “I’ve known Joie for some time and I’ve always been impressed by his work ethic and instincts. He’s going to play a big role in the future of Interscope.”
Prior to joining Def Jam, Manda served as head of Urban Music for Warner Bros. Records, where he was involved in the signing of Common, Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group (Wale, Meek Mill), Waka Flocka Flame and Jill Scott, among others. He started at WMG as Executive Vice President of Asylum Records, starting when the label was revived in 2004 and signed Paul Wall and Bun B. Mr. Manda began his career in music as an artist manager.
No plans for a new president were mentioned in the release. Billboard.biz will have more on this story soon.
