Lyor Cohen: The Shady Israeli Executive Running YouTube Music & the Global Hip Hop Industry – MintPress News

Lyor Cohen: The Shady Israeli Executive Running YouTube Music & the Global Hip Hop Industry  MintPress News

The son of an Israeli secret agent, Lyor Cohen is the most important man in hip hop. With inordinate influence over the genre, he has made his views on Israel/Palestine clear, and has used his influence to stamp out what he sees as anti-semitism in the industry. He is now head of YouTube Music, and is working with the U.S. State Department on a new program directly modeled on the CIA’s successful Cold War-era attempts to use American artists to help force through color revolutions in targeted countries., hip-hop, rap, Universal Music Group, YouTube Lyor Cohen, YouTube Music, When most people are asked “who controls hip hop?” they are unlikely to think of a 67-year-old Israeli Zionist who comes from a family of Israeli spies and state officials.

But Lyor Cohen is the real deal. The brash, cigar-smoking 6 ft 5 in head of YouTube Music is the undisputed king of rap, and arguably the most important and influential person in the entire music business. Entering his fifth decade in the industry, Cohen began his career as the manager of legendary rap group, Run-DMC, and has launched the career of countless hip hop acts, including LL Cool J, Public Enemy, De La Soul, Slick Rick, A Tribe Called Quest, the Beastie Boys, and DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince