[2][3] Early in his career he was a musician, joining the Ohio R&B bands Pure Essence in 1973, and The Deele (with future business partner Babyface) in 1981 as a drummer.

[4][5] Reid appeared as a judge on the first two seasons of the U.S. version of the television show The X Factor,[6][7][8] after which he focused on the release of Xscape (2014)—the second posthumous album by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson.

[9] Reid has won three Grammy Awards, including as a songwriter for his work on Boyz II Men's "End of the Road".

[10] His life is documented in his 2016 memoir Sing to Me: My Story of Making Music, Finding Magic, and Searching for Who's Next, which also made the New York Times bestseller list.

[11] L.A. Reid began his music career as a drummer, with his first appearance on record being with the Cincinnati funk rock outfit Pure Essence.

They later appeared on local FM rock radio station WEBN's second annual LP compilation, but the group was renamed 'Essence'.

Reid would experience more mainstream success when he became a member of the 1980s R&B band The Deele, best known for their 1988 hit "Two Occasions", a song on their third album Eyes of a Stranger.

The band had broken up before the success of the single, then reunited to promote "Two Occasions" as it rose up the charts under Dick Griffey's Solar Records.

[13] The label soon became one of the premier destinations for popular African-American entertainers who created Black Pop music that was easily accessible to both Urban and Top 40 radio formats.

In 1997, Reid attended the Harvard Business School six-week Advanced Management Program, in preparation to become CEO of Arista Records.

[citation needed] Following the merger of Sony and BMG, L.A. Reid was released from his contract at Arista in 2004 and became the chairman and CEO of The Island Def Jam Music Group in February 2004.

[citation needed] Reid also played a role in the successes of artists such as Kanye West, Rihanna, Bon Jovi, and Justin Bieber and was credited for the musical comeback of Jennifer Lopez with her 2011 album Love?.

[citation needed] Reid announced in December 2012 that he would not return for the third season in 2013 and was replaced by former judge of The X Factor UK, Kelly Rowland.

[22] One of the projects that Reid embarked on following his stint on The X Factor, was remaking Michael Jackson songs after his death with the album Xscape, released May 2014.

[29] While at Epic, Reid established the label as a hub for hip-hop acts such as Future, Travis Scott, DJ Khaled, and had significant success with pop artists including Meghan Trainor and Fifth Harmony.

[30][31] Reid is the co-author (with Joel Selvin) of The New York Times bestseller[32] Sing to Me: My Story of Making Music, Finding Magic, and Searching for Who's Next.

[34] In response Reid stated: "I'm proud of my track record promoting, supporting and uplifting women at every company I've ever run.

"[35][36][37] In 2018, Reid became founder and co-chairman of Hitco Entertainment, LLC with Charles Goldstuck, the former Chairman and CEO of TouchTunes Interactive Networks.

[45] Songwriter Delacey, who has written for the likes of Halsey and Zara Larsson, joined the Hitco roster as a solo artist releasing "My Man," in March 2019.

[46] Also in March, Jennifer Lopez premiered the single "Medicine" featuring French Montana, her first release with Reid's Hitco Entertainment label.

[56] In 2008, Reid wrote and co-produced the song "Just Stand Up" for the television special Stand Up To Cancer, which was performed by artists including 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.

[68] The lawsuit, which was filed under the New York Adult Survivors Act, charged that Reid's misconduct forced Dixon out of the music business.