Kevin Lyles is out at Def Jam!

[Mark A. Carey]

According to published sources and confirmation from an IDJ employee, President Kevin Lyles has been terminated from Def Jam.

Apparently he has been working without a contract, which expired some 2 months ago. He was not offered a new one.

Any ideas how this will affect Baltimore, if any way? Def Jam has always had a strong presence in this area, however, several employee friends of mine were recently laid off as well. It was inevitable that LA Reid was going to clear house- we just didnt know when!

[DEFDANJA]

Ahhhhhh sh*t! Ya know what? I think Russell really needs to come back and put Def Jam on his back. I know LA Reid isn't gonna uphold the Def Jam legacy, nor is anyone else, including most of the artists on there because they're floppin' all over the place. I think that if Russ came and re-established the Def Jam m.o. that has repeatedly made them great (the 'f**k radio- make them come to us' theory)- they'd be right back on.

Def Jam wasn't built on trying to play catch up with everybody else, it was what everybody else wanted to be. Luda and LL are doin' their thing cause they do it naturally, but what have more contrived radio reaches done for Joe Budden, Meth, or Ghostface? I think if Def Jam had one artist that could shift gears, it'd be their time to run shit again. Just like they did with LL, and with P.E., and with DMX, etc. etc.

Def Jam, much like Bad Boy, needs a hero right now. And if it can't be the roster, it betta be somebody runnin' it. K Liles (big up) did his thing and he had his years, but Lyor broke out, and now LA's in. If Russell was ever needed to come back to that office, it's now.