Who is Steve Rifkind? DMX's manager who stood by the rapper is associated with Akon and Wu-Tang Clan
DMX’s manager attempted to clear up numerous reports circulating about the 50-year-old rapper, who is on life support after suffering a heart attack at his home on April 2, 2021. This 59-year-old high-profile manager is also associated with Akon and Wu-Tang Clan.
Steven Rifkind posted a statement on April 10 on Twitter that read, "DMX is still alive but he is on life support," debunking all the rumors about the rapper. It was reported that DMX had been hospitalized and was in critical condition, following a heart attack that was preceded by an apparent drug overdose on April 3. DMX’s manager Nakia Walker said on April 4 that DMX was in a “vegetative state”. According to the latest news, the new round of neurological testing has not indicated any improvement in DMX’s condition. Rifkind says the family is expected to make a statement on April 9, 2021.
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Who is Steve Rifkind?
Born on March 2, 1962, Steve Rifkind is a music entrepreneur, who founded Loud Records and of SRC Records. Apart from DMX, he is associated with big artists like, Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, Akon, David Banner, Asher Roth, Joell Ortiz and Big Pun. He also manages marketing campaigns for companies like T-Mobile, Adidas, SanDisk, Nike, Pepsi, Levi Jeans, and Starter. According to XXL magazine, he is "responsible for breaking in some of hip-hop’s biggest artists in his 25 years in the business".
After selling Loud to Sony in June 1999 and leaving the company in 2002, he started SRC Records, which broke artists like David Banner, Melanie Fiona, Asher Roth, and, most notably, Akon. He left SRC in 2012 because of label politics, but in July 2013, he found a new venture, teaming up with Russell Simmons and film director/producer Brian Robbins for All Def Digital and its offshoot, All Def Music.
The music business is in Rifkind’s blood. His father, Jules Rifkind, and uncle Roy Rifkind operated R&B label Spring Records in the ’70s when it was home to artists like Millie Jackson and the FatBack Band. Jules helped arrange James Brown’s first significant label deal and scored Elvis Presley and Barbra Streisand their first shows in Las Vegas. Millie Jackson, the Fatback Band, and James Brown even visited Rifkind’s bar mitzvah in his hometown of Merrick, Long Island, in March 1975.
Even though Rifkind suffered from dyslexia and nearly got expelled for fighting with his principal, Rifkind graduated from high school, but after only three days at Hofstra University he dropped out to work for his dad at Spring. Rifkind, who was still a teenager in 1979, helped promote the FatBack Band’s 'King Tim III (Personality Jock)' — one of the first hip-hop records ever, predating 'Rapper’s Delight'.
Rifkind eventually became the vice president of promotion at Spring. When he was 24, Rifkind shifted to Los Angeles to manage New Edition for a year before he began promoting indie label Delicious Vinyl. In 2003, Rifkind joined the Universal/Motown Records Group as Vice President.
After being successful in both the '90s and 2000s, treating his companies like family, Rifkind was eventually undermined by corporate interests. Since ADD launched in July 2013, the company hasn’t broken any stars that seem poised to become the next Wu-Tang or Akon. He also sponsors several breast cancer charities, donating the profits from his 'Think Pink Rocks' concerts to breast cancer research and treatment. The first 'Think Pink Rocks' event took place in September 2008 was hosted by Queen Latifah and featured several SRC Records artists. Rifkind holds a net worth of $200 Million.