Who Is Chris Lighty?: 10 Things You Might Not Know

Chris “Baby Chris” Lighty was an instrumental figure in the growth and advancement of hip-hop music, business and culture. His death comes as a shock to all who knew him because he accomplished so much his relatively short life. Here are 10 things you probably didn’t know courtesy of The Big Payback by Dan Charnas.

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10. Chris Lighty grew up in the Caste Hill section of the South Bronx with three brothers and two sisters. He attended Samuel Gompers vocational high school. His mother was a secretary and his father was an FBI agent.

9. Lighty had the nickname “Baby Chris” for his good looks and to distinguish himself from his friend Chris Ali, who was older.

8. Chris and his friend Darryl were given the nickname “The Violators” by DJ Red Alert because they would go to clubs and steal the prettiest girls from their boyfriends.

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7. Lighty began his career carrying records for DJ Red Alert and became the road manager for Boogie Down Productions and tour manager for Jungle Brothers. He oversaw the signing of The Jungle Brothers to Warner Bros. Records for 1.6 Million in 1989.