Shakir Stewart: What Shakes a Soul? | A Visual Biography

Black Americana spotlights topics that touch our community or relate to public figures from our community. Shakir Stewart was one of the most influential music executives of his generation and continues to be shrouded in mystery. We hope this episode brings some clarity. Please enjoy. Certain euphemisms were used to accommodate the YouTube community guidelines and some quotes were abridged for brevity, but the veracity of the statement otherwise remains in tact. Keep up with the culture by visiting www.blackamericanamedia.com and be sure to sign up for our newsletter. You can also follow us at TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. Shop our Amazon storefront at https://www.amazon.com/shop/blackamer... Serious Inquiries Only: [email protected] Cash App: $BlackAmericana Chapters Intro--00:00-1:01 Early Life--1:02-4:23 Early Heartbreak--4:24-5:17 Early Disappointment--5:18-7:33 Meeting L.A. Reid--7:34-8:43 Signing Beyonce--8:44-9:19 Emergence as an Executive and His Persona--9:20-11:14 Puffy Daddy-Kim Porter Incident--11:15-14:39 Breakthroughs with Beyonce, Usher, and Ciara--14:40-16:27 Fatherhood and Def Jam Beginnings--16:28-19:45 Signing Young Jeezy--19:46-26:35 Signing Rick Ross--26:36-27:05 Work with Rihanna, Kanye West, and The-Dream--27:06-28:17 Becoming a Father Again and Home Life--28:18-29:09 Insecurities--29:10-29:47 L.A. Reid's Identity Crisis--29:48-31:29 Jay-Z Leaves Def Jam--31:30-32:36 2008: The Year It All Changes--32:37-33:19 Hire as EVP of Def Jam--33:20-34:33 Signs of a Spiral--34:34-43:57 The Last Weekend--43:58-48:40 Police Findings--48:41-49:26 Memorials--49:27-51:20 Response from the Industry--51:21-55:53 Examining Shakir's Legacy--55:54-56:35 Outro--56:36-57:08 Sources: Adversity for Sale: Ya Gotta Believe by Jay “Jeezy” Jenkins with Benjamin Meadows-Ingram “After Writing Nearly 20 Years of Hits, The-Dream Is Ready to Be a Little Selfish” by Elena Bergeron—GQ (December 20, 2022) “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: The 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Executives of All Time” by A.D. Amorosi, Jem Aswad, Janee Bolden, Matt Diehl, Thania Garcia, Todd Gilchrist, Emanuel Okusanya, Jayson Rodriguez, Yousef Srour—Variety (August 2, 2023) “Death of a Salesman” by Linda Hobbs—Vibe magazine (December 2009 issue) “Def Jam Executive Shakir Stewart Commits -------”—Pitchfork (November 3, 2008) “Def Jam’s surprise boss” by Samantha Marshall—Crain’s New York Business (July 23, 2008) “Hitco Music Expands Its Roster” by Irv Lichtman—Billboard (January 10, 1998) Hurricanes by Rick Ross with Neil Martinez-Belkin “J-Dub Talks Bad Boy Hitmen, Working With Puff Daddy, Aaliyah’s Music Missing From Streaming (Exclusive)”—You Know I Got Soul (June 15, 2020) “Ne-Yo and Chrisette-Michele Honor Shakir Stewart’s Life”—Rolling Out (November 13, 2008) “Real Talk: A Q&A With Sean ‘The Pen’ Garrett” by Erin Carson—American Songwriter (Updated on January 18, 2024) “Remembering Shakir Stewart” by Maurice G. Garland—Ozone #73 (November 2008) “Shakir Stewart 1974-2008”—Billboard (November 15, 2008) “Shakir Stewart—Gone Much to Early”—published under Oaktown Sound on www.geoffreyslive.com “Shakir Stewart Replaces Jay-Z At Def Jam” by Grouchy Greg Watkins—All Hip Hop (June 3, 2008) Sing to Me: My Story of Making Music, Finding Magic, and Searching for Who’s Next by L.A. Reid with Joel Selvin “Spirit of Atlanta”—Billboard (May 20, 2000) “The Billboard Q&A” by Gail Mitchell—Billboard (June 14, 2008) “The Man Behind Hits by Beyonce, Missy Elliot, and More”—Songhero (September 12, 2021) “The Return of Young Jeezy” by Amos Barshad—Grantland (January 31, 2012) “The Rise and Fall of Shakir ‘Shake’ Stewart” by Modele Oyewole—Leave Your Campus (December 11, 2008) “When Street Meets Suite” by Rashaun Hall—Billboard (August 5, 2000) #ShakirStewart #KimPorter #Diddy #Morehouse #Oakland #Atlanta #LAReid #DefJam #Beyonce #JayZ #Usher #YoungJeezy #Jeezy #RickRoss #Ciara