The deal also marks a decisive victory for Universal and Antonio Reid, the chairman of the corporation's Island Def Jam Music Group, who had been working feverishly to secure Jay-Z as an executive and prevent him from lining up with the rival Warner Music Group, whose United States unit is run by the former Island Def Jam chief Lyor Cohen. Universal would hand Jay-Z, who has little corporate experience, the vacant position as chief of one of its biggest divisions, granting him authority over everything from album production to marketing strategies, and an artist roster that includes acts like LL Cool J and Ludacris. The pact, reached early today, puts Def Jam, the venerable hip-hop label, in the hands of one of rap's biggest-selling artists. Ending months of protracted negotiations, the rap megastar Jay-Z has agreed to take a job as president of Vivendi Universal's Def Jam Recordings label, according to executives briefed on the deal.
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