Is Lyor Cohen A Culture Vulture? Dame Said It Best!
On the Uncensored Truth Podcast host O’God and Sam Ant let us hear an audio by Lyor Cohen. Is Cohen a culture vulture like Dame Dash suggests?
Who is Lyor Cohen?
Cohen is a music industry executive who has worked in the business for more than 37 years. He got his start by managing rap artists with Rush Productions, then he went on to work for Def Jam. After Cohen left Def Jam he took on a leadership role at Warner Music Group. In 2012, Cohen put in his resignation at Warner and started his own independent label, 300 Entertainment. In 2016, Cohen was named YouTube’s Global Head of Music.
Cohen’s early career
Cohen was born in New York but grew up in Los Angeles. In 1981, he received a degree in global marketing and finance from the University of Miami. In 1984, Cohen promoted a pair of rock and rap shows at the Mix Club in Hollywood which featured rap icons Run -DMC and Whodini. Cohen moved to New York to take a job with Simmon’s Rush Productions later called Rush Artist Management. Cohen has worked with some very great hip hop artist. The list includes, Kurtis Blow, LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Slick Rick DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Eric B. & Rakim, EPMD, Stetsasonic, De La Soul, and A Tribe Called Quest, this is quite an impressive list of rap greats.
Is Cohen a culture vulture ?
A culture vulture is someone who ingests almost everything about said culture (music, arts, fashion etc). Lyor Cohen is a music culture vulture. They in turn use what they have learned to exploit the people in the culture to the fullest extent. In Cohen’s case he allegedly exploits the talent of the hip hop artist for personal gain. Is it safe to say that Dash has a point?
Cohen’s remarks on the Breakfast Club were quite disturbing. Everyone always rags on Dame Dash for being argumentative. In Damon Dash’s book, Culture Vultures, Dash called music executives like Cohen culture vultures. It is clear that Dash was not exaggerating.
In the Breakfast Club interview, Cohen admitted that he knows some of his artists are getting high but it’s their choice. He stated, “Regardless of what my artists do it should not affect me from feeding my family.” In other words, that is the rap artists responsibility to fix their personal issues, not his.
What an awful thing to say about the same people that help you to feed your family.
O’God and Sam Ant feel that Dame Dash’s book Culture Vultures puts Cohen and others on blast, to say the least. It sounds like there is some truth to what Dash is saying. Obviously, Cohen felt some sort of way about Dash calling him out in his book. Cohen would not acknowledge Dash even existed when Charlamagne asked a question, at all.
Who’s Dame Dash? I don’t even know him. You’re bringing his name up. I don’t even know him – Lyor Cohen
Dash may have a point, Cohen sounds very suspect!!!
So Is Cohen A Culture Vulture?
- He shows disregard for the wellbeing of his artists
- His emphasis is on his artists putting food on his table
- His interview on the breakfast club made that clear!
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