L.A. Reid speaks at the release party for his Sing to Me autobiography, February 1, 2016.
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L.A. Reid is out as chairman of Epic Records, Variety and Billboard report. Reid had served as head of the Sony Music label since 2011, having previously served as the chairman and CEO of The Island Def Jam Music Group.
During his nearly six-year stint at Epic, Reid broadened the labels roster, adding artists such as Future, Travis Scott, Fifth Harmony, and DJ Khaled. Epic released a A Tribe Called Quest's final album in 2016, and have scored chart-topping albums from Future, DJ Khaled, Travi$ Scott in the past year. Khaled's newly released single, "I'm The One" — which features Chance the Rapper, Lil Wayne, Justin Bieber and Quavo — is currently No. 1 on the Hot 100.
Reid began his storied career as an executive at LaFace Records, a label he cofounded with Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds in the 1980s. The label, a joint venture with Arista Records, was responsible for launching the careers of Outkast, Usher, TLC, Goodie Mob, and more.
There has been no word yet on who will replace Reid at Epic Records, and Reid has not yet announced his next move.
Representatives for Epic Records and Sony Music were not immediately available for comment.