Antonio Marquis “L.A.” Reid (born June 7, 1956) is an American record executive, A&R representative, and record producer. He was president and CEO of Arista Records from 2000 to 2004, then chairman and CEO of Island Def Jam Music Group from 2004 to 2011, and Epic Records from 2011 to 2017. In 2017, he co-founded the record label Hitco Entertainment, which was sold to Concord in 2022.
Early in his career, Reid was a musician. He joined the Ohio R&B band Pure Essence in 1973 and later played drums for The Deele in 1981, alongside his future business partner Babyface. Reid also worked as a record producer, programmer, and instrumentalist for various artists. He founded Hitco Music Publishing in 1996 and co-founded LaFace Records with Babyface in 1989. Reid was a judge on the first two seasons of the American version of The X Factor. After that, he focused on releasing Xscape (2014), the second posthumous album by Michael Jackson.
Age
Antonio Marquis Reid was born on June 7, 1956, in Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. He is 70 years old.
Profile Summary
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | L.A. Reid |
| Birth Name | Antonio Marquis Reid |
| Date of Birth | June 7, 1956 (age 70) |
| Place of Birth | Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Education | Harvard Business School (Executive Education) |
| Occupations | Record Executive; A&R Representative; Record Producer; Businessman |
| Years Active | 1973–present |
| Children | 5 |
Spouses
| Spouse | Marriage Details |
|---|---|
| Perri “Pebbles” McKissack | m. 1989; div. 1996 |
| Erica Holton | m. 2000 |
Music Career
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Labels | Hitco; Epic; LaFace; Arista; Def Jam; SOLAR |
| Formerly Of | The Deele; Pure Essence |
| Profession | Record Executive, A&R Representative, Record Producer, Businessman |
| Active Years | 1973–present |
Awards and recognition
On August 30, 2006, L.A. Reid and Babyface were honored as BMI Icons at the 6th annual BMI Urban Awards. By 2006, Reid had won 18 BMI awards. Working with Babyface, he produced and co-wrote many R&B hits, earning over 40 No. 1 singles.
Reid received the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences’ President’s Merit Award at the Grammy salute to Industry Icons on February 9, 2013, the day before the 55th Grammy Awards. He is also a three-time Grammy Award winner. In 2014, he received the Harvard University Alumni Award of Excellence in Media.
In March 2016, Reid received an award from BET Honors for The Business of Entertainment Award.
Career
L.A. Reid started his music career as a drummer. His first recording was with the Cincinnati funk rock band Pure Essence, which released one single in the mid-1970s. The group later appeared on a local FM radio compilation as ‘Essence.’ Reid found more mainstream success as a member of the 1980s R&B band The Deele, best known for their 1988 hit “Two Occasions” from their third album, Eyes of a Stranger. The band had broken up before the single’s success but reunited to promote “Two Occasions” as it climbed the charts with Solar Records. The song reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.
After The Deele broke up, Reid and his bandmate Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds started LaFace in 1989 through a joint venture with Arista Records, funded by Clive Davis. The label quickly became a top choice for popular African-American artists making Black Pop music that appealed to both Urban and Top 40 radio. Reid signed 14-year-old Usher, whose six albums have sold 65 million copies worldwide. Other major acts on the label included Toni Braxton, TLC, and Outkast. Both TLC and Toni Braxton sold over 65 million records each. Based in Atlanta, the label helped grow the city’s music industry.
Philanthropy
In 2006, Reid was recognized for his efforts to bring arts programs to urban youth at the Art for Life Palm Beach fundraiser hosted by Russell Simmons. That year, he also received the UJA-Federation of New York’s Music Visionary Award. He has supported the Taste of Hope event for the City of Hope and the Robin Hood Foundation. In 2008, Reid wrote and co-produced the song “Just Stand Up” for the Stand Up To Cancer TV special, performed by artists such as Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Leona Lewis, LeAnn Rimes, and Carrie Underwood. Proceeds from the single were donated to the Stand Up To Cancer organization. In 2009, Reid received the Spirit of Compassion Award from UNICEF.
Personal life
Reid has a son, Antonio M. Reid, Jr., born in 1978, and a daughter named Ashley from a previous relationship. He married Perri “Pebbles” Reid in 1989, and they had a son, Aaron Alexander, in November 1989. Reid and Pebbles divorced in 1996. In 2000, he married Erica Holton, and they have two children.
A friend gave Reid the nickname “L.A.” because he often wore a Los Angeles Dodgers shirt as a child.
Sexual misconduct allegations and lawsuit
In May 2017, media outlets reported that one of Reid’s female assistants filed a sexual misconduct claim against him. Epic Records executives reportedly did not intervene at the time. Reid left Sony’s Epic Records soon after.
In November 2023, former music executive Drew Dixon, who worked with Reid at Arista Records from 2000 to 2002, filed a sexual assault lawsuit against him in federal court in Manhattan. She alleged that Reid sexually assaulted her twice. The lawsuit, filed under the New York Adult Survivors Act, claimed that Reid’s actions forced Dixon to leave the music industry. Reid settled the case on January 12, 2026, the day the trial was scheduled to start.
Net Worth
His net worth is $300 million.
