Damion Young

Damion Young (born October 19, 1975), better known by his stage name Damizza, is an American radio executive, record producer, artist and author best known for his work with Emmis Broadcasting. He was the Senior Director of programming from 1997 to 2004 at the Emmis-owned Power 106 in Los Angeles, and spent considerable time at Hot 97, their New York flagship station. Damizza is also a record executive working with artists such as Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Migos, Nate Dogg, Eminem and Mariah Carey, with whom he made his production debut on the remix of her hit "I Still Believe" in 1998.

Young's career started at the radio station KHTY in his home town of Santa Barbara, California at the age of 12, making him one of the youngest program directors in history. He quickly became a pioneer of the alternative rock format, breaking artists such as Hootie & the Blowfish, Collective Soul & Garbage, by the age of 17. In February 1997 he moved to KPWR in Los Angeles. As music director he led the fledgling station to No. 1 status, along the way breaking artists such as Eminem and Jay-Z, and reuniting rap legends Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg for the 2001 album. In February 1999 he was named the fourth most powerful person in hip-hop by The Source. Young rose quickly to Senior Director of Programming and Artist Relations, forging friendships with numerous hip-hop artists and other entertainers. He was also dispatched to Power's sister station Hot 97 in New York in an effort to smooth relations between the station and several artists and record companies in the wake of the February 2001 shootout between the entourages of rappers Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown in front of the station’s offices. He was also called in to settle a disagreement Jay-Z had with the station shortly after competitor Power 105 came on the air.

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