Rumors swirled that the pair had a falling out, but Lighty took to his blog to clear the air. 
 
 
 
 In his final blog post on his website, ChrisLighty.com, he wrote that he was "BUSY TRYING TO STAY AHEAD OF THE RAT RACE WE CALL HIP HOP." 
 
 
 
 Lighty said allegations that he and his brother were attacked by a member of 50 Cent's crew were simply ridiculous. 
 
 
 
 The June 23, 2010 post, titled "chaos and mayhem . . . hip hop," continued with an eerie message, apparently aimed at twisted stories involving his clients. 
 
 
 
 "YOU HAVE SEEN THE SENSELESS LOSSES THAT WE HAVE HAD IN HIP HOP ... THE CHAOS AND MAYHEM WILL DESTROY HIP HOP." 
 
 
 
 Lighty, who was born Darrel Lighty, was raised with five siblings by a single mother in the projects. He had his big break in the late 1980s, when Russell Simmons offered him a gig to work for his management company. 
 
 
 
 His career quickly catapulted after Lighty founded Violator Management, which merged last year with Primary Wave Talent Management to create Primary Violator. 
 
 
 
 In 2008, he was named one of Crain's 40 under 40. 
 
 
 
 "When you're growing up in the Reagan era, you really learn the value of a food stamp — and you never want to go back there," he told Crain's. 
 
 
 
 "On the entrepreneurial side, this is one of the biggest losses in hip hop," said Datwon Thomas, executive editor of Vibe magazine. 
 
 
 
 Lighty had one arrest on his record, a pinch for weapons possession, a law enforcement source said. 
 
 
 
 As news of his sudden death spread Thursday, some of the industry's brightest stars took to Twitter to share their condolences. 
 
 
 
 "In shock," tweeted Sean (Diddy) Combs. "R.I.P. Chris Lighty." 
 
 
 
 "Rest peacefully Chris Lighty, my prayers go out to family and loved ones! Dear God please have mercy," tweeted songstress Rihanna. 
 
 
 
 "R.I.P. CHRIS LIGHTY THE MAN THAT SAVED MY LIFE," Bronx rapper Fat Joe posted on Twitter. "I Would Be Nothing Without YOU!!! My Kids Appreciate YOU God Bless Chris Lighty." 
 
 
 
 Nick Cannon posted: "I'm devastated right now. I can't believe my big brother Chris Lighty is gone . . . He was a pioneer, a mentor, and a great friend." 
 
 
 
 Outside Lighty's home, some stars showed up to help finish removing boxes Lighty was packing to take away from the house. 
 
 
 
 Deejay Funkmaster Flex and rapper Busta Rhymes were seen outside helping load two UHaul trucks parked on the street. 
 
 
 
 "I am utterly, utterly devastated," said hip-hop activist Harry Allen. "It feels unfair to us. He was our wealth. Chris was like the fruition of all that could be. He was loved." 
 
 
 
 With Michael J. Feeney, Anita M. Samuels and Kerry Wills 
 
 
 
 jkemp@nydailynews.com ||||| A hip-hop mogul who managed Sean "Diddy" Combs, 50 Cent and Mariah Carey was found dead in his New York City apartment Thursday in an apparent suicide, police said. 
 
 FILE - This Feb. 28, 2007 file photo shows hip-hop mogul Chris Lighty in his office in New York. Lightly died of an apparent gunshot wound on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012 at his home in the Bronx borough of... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - This Feb. 28, 2007 file photo shows hip-hop mogul Chris Lighty in his office in New York. Lightly died of an apparent gunshot wound on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012 at his home in the Bronx borough of... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - This Feb. 28, 2007 file photo shows hip-hop mogul Chris Lighty in his office in New York. Lightly died of an apparent gunshot wound on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012 at his home in the Bronx borough of... (Associated Press) 
 
 Chris Lighty, 44, was discovered at his home in the Bronx with a gunshot wound to the head, and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. 
 
 No note was recovered, but a 9 mm handgun was found at the scene and there was no sign of forced entry, said Paul Browne, chief spokesman for the New York Police Department. 
 
 The medical examiner's office will determine a cause of death, but authorities say the shooting appears to be self-inflicted. 
 
 Lighty was behind some of rap's leading figures, helping them not only attain hit records but also lucrative careers outside of music. He had been a part of the scene for decades, working with pioneers like LL Cool J before starting his own management company, Violator. But Lighty had been having recent financial and personal troubles. 
 
 Twitter was abuzz with condolences on his death just hours after the body was found at about 11:30 a.m. 
 
 "R.I.P. Chris Lighty," Fat Joe posted on his account. "The man that saved my life!" 
 
 Diddy wrote: "In shock." 
 
 Rihanna posted: "Rest peacefully Chris Lighty, my prayers go out to family and loved ones! Dear God please have mercy." 
 
 And Mary J. Blige wrote: "U never know what can send a person over the edge or make them want 2 keep living. take it easy on people." 
 
 50 Cent said in a statement issued through his publicist that he was deeply saddened by the loss: 
 
 "Chris has been an important part of my business and personal growth for a decade. He was a good friend and advisor who helped me develop as an artist and businessman. My prayers are with his family. He will be greatly missed." 
 
 Lighty was raised by his mother in the Bronx, one of six children. He ran with a group called The Violators, the inspiration for the name of his management company, according to the company website. He was a player in the hip-hop game since he was a kid DJ. He rose through the ranks at Rush Management (Simmons' first company) before eventually founding Violator Management in the late 1990s. (Mona Scott and James Cruz are partners). 
 
 "Today, we lost a hip-hop hero and one of its greatest architects," Simmons tweeted. 
 
 Lighty's roster ranged from Academy Award-winners Three 6 Mafia to maverick Missy Elliott to up-and-comer Papoose and perpetual star Carey. He made it his mission not so much to make musical superstars, but rather multifaceted entertainers who could be marketed in an array of ways: a sneaker deal here, a soft drink partnership there, a movie role down the road. 
 
 In a 2007 interview with The Associated Press, Lighty talked about creating opportunities for his stars _ a Chapstick deal for LL Cool J, known for licking his lips, a vitamin supplement deal for 50 Cent. 
 
 "As music sales go down because kids are stealing it off the Internet and trading it and iPod sales continue to rise, you can't rely on just the income that you would make off of being an artist," he said at the time. 
 
 Lighty is survived by his two children. He and his wife, Veronica, had been in the process of divorcing. The case was still listed as active, but electronic records show an agreement to end it was filed in June. 
 
 He was also having financial trouble. City National Bank sued Lighty, whose given name is Darrell, in April, saying he had overdrawn his account by $53,584 and then refused to pay the balance. The case was still pending. 
 
 He also owed more than $330,000 in state and federal taxes, according to legal filings. His tax problems were much steeper a year ago, but he cleared away millions of dollars in earlier IRS liens last October, after selling his Manhattan apartment for $5.6 million. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press Writers Jennifer Peltz, David B. Caruso and Mesfin Fekadu contributed to this report.
– Hip-hop lost a huge figure today, even if he's not a household name. Manager Chris Lighty apparently shot himself at his Brooklyn apartment after an argument with his ex-wife, reports the Daily News. The 44-year-old had managed the likes of 50 Cent, Sean "Diddy" Combs, and Mariah Carey, though he was apparently in deep debt to the IRS, police sources tell the newspaper. Before starting his own company, Violator, he had worked with LL Cool J and other hip-hop pioneers. The AP rounds up reaction from big names in the industry, including 50 Cent: "Chris has been an important part of my business and personal growth for a decade," he wrote in a statement. "He was a good friend and advisor who helped me develop as an artist and businessman." Fat Joe tweeted: "R.I.P. Chris Lighty. The man that saved my life!" As did Rihanna: "Rest peacefully Chris Lighty, my prayers go out to family and loved ones! Dear God please have mercy."