Def Jam Records President Joie Manda Resigns, Moves To Interscope

After just over a year, Joie Manda leaves Def Jam to head to Interscope Records as President of Urban Music.

Just over a year after he took the post as Def Jam Records President, Joie Manda is out. Billboard reported that Manda resigned today. With the news of leaving Def Jam, Manda announced plans to be President of Urban Music at Interscope Records, which is part of the Universal Music Group with Joie's former home.

“Despite having to move back to Los Angeles for personal reasons, I am truly grateful to Barry [Weiss], John [Janick] and Jimmy Iovine for this exciting new opportunity," Manda said in a statement. "I've learned a lot from Barry in the last year and am very appreciative of everything he has done for me. I am now looking forward to being part of the Interscope [Records] family, a company uniquely positioned for success despite this challenging  marketplace."

This move will bring Manda to a similar role which he had prior to Def Jam, as Warner Bros. Records' head of Urban Music. In the Warner Music Group family for years as a former Executive Vice President at Asylum, Joie has been deeply involved in the signings and developing of acts such as Paul Wall, Common, and the Maybach Music Group roster. He was Def Jam's first president since Jay-Z resigned in the final days of 2007. There, he was instrumental in signing Trinidad James.

At Interscope, Manda will work with acts such as Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q and French Montana in addition to label vets Eminem and Dr. Dre.