On August 30th, 2012, music industry executive Chris Lighty was found dead in his Bronx apartment from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The circumstances surrounding his death have been cloudy, as several members of the hip hop community — including 50 Cent, Papoose and members of Lighty’s family — questioned whether his death was a suicide or not.
Before that, Lighty was known as a powerhouse in the music industry, with his company Violator once representing the likes of Nas, 50, Puff Daddy and Q-Tip. Lighty was also behind 50 Cent’s infamous Vitamin Water deal in 2007, when Coca-Cola paid over $4.1 billion for the company and 50 walked away with $100 million from the sale.
Now, Spotify will debut a podcast on him, an “audio documentary” series titled Mogul: The Life & Death of Chris Lighty. The six-episode documentary podcast is a collaboration between the streaming platform, Gimlet Media and the Loud Speakers Network.
“The show tells the grand, sweeping story of hip-hop through the story of one person,” said Matt Lieber, president of Gimlet Media. “He was there at all the key moments when hip-hop went from being a niche cultural phenomenon to becoming a global force of culture and business.”
Mogul will be hosted and narrated by Loud Speakers Network co-founder Combat Jack (née Reggie Ossé), and will also feature original music from DJ Prince Paul.
The podcast will debut on Spotify April 27th, and will eventually find its way to the various streaming platforms — Apple Music, Google Play, etc. — later on. A preview of the podcast can be heard on Spotify now.
