Shakir Stewart Promoted To Executive VP of Def Jam

Nearly six months after Jay-Z's Christmas Eve announcement that he would be resigning from his post as President of Def Jam Records, the overall leadership position appears to be filled. After speculation that Def Jam was courting everyone from Ludacris to Luda's partner Chaka Zulu to Jermaine Dupri to even former Jay-Z partner Dame Dash, the label has announced that Shakir Stewart is the new Executive Vice President of Def Jam.

Stewart is credited as one of the foremost people responsible for Young Jeezy's and Rick Ross' signing and development, as he has been an executive with the label in the capacity of senior VP of A&R in recent years. He has been with the label since 2004. Prior, Stewart worked as Senior Vice President of Hitco Publishing, where he was instrumental in signing Beyonce. Now Stewart, who began his career at LaFace, will work under L.A. Reid in advancing the overall brand and label success of Def Jam as it falls within the parent company of Island Def Jam Music Group.

The bold young management style that Shakir has established at Def Jam is one of the major reasons behind the labels success today, said Reid in a label press release. From his solid roots in music publishing, he has grown to master the world of Hip Hop and urban music.

Stewart will be balancing time between Atlanta and New York.