Cara Lewis
Cara Lewis is an American talent agent. A "dominant force in hip hop" since her career began in the 1980s, she is the founder and CEO of the Cara Lewis Group.
Career
Lewis, who was born and raised in The Bronx. She began her career in the music industry answering phones at the talent agency Norby Waters Associates in 1980. She was mentored by Waters, who mainly represented Black artists such as the Commodores and The Jackson 5. Lewis signed and helped to develop Run-DMC.LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, and Lisa Lisa over eight years at the agency. She also signed Eric B. & Rakim, who name-checked her in their 1986 single "Paid in Full."In 1988, she was hired as an agent at William Morris Agency. Over the course of her 23-year tenure at WMA, which later merged with Endeavor Talent Agency to become WME, she represented artists including Public Enemy, Tupac Shakur, Run-DMC, Eminem, 50 Cent, Nas, Kanye West, Beastie Boys, Rihanna, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, The Roots, Common, and Ludacris, establishing "an unusual influence in the worlds of hip-hop and R&B on the strength of her extensive client roster." She left William Morris in 2011 and joined CAA in 2012.
In 2016, Lewis launched the Cara Lewis Group, where her focus broadened to include branding, sponsorship, and live‑event strategy. Eminem, The Roots, Scott, Badu, and Ludacris, among others, followed her from CAA to CLG. CLG later signed Travis Scott, Khalid, Don Toliver, Bryson Tiller, Vic Mensa, and Ice Spice, among others.