As one of the founding executives at Def Jam — helping to cultivate the careers of Jay Z, Kanye West, Run DMC, DMX and more — Lyor Cohen is used to brokering successful deals, and while his latest venture has been kept under wraps, the native New Yorker can at least count two strong companies as allies.

Cohen’s upcoming music-based business, said to be a talent managment company and record label, will be backed by Google Inc. and distributed through Warner Music, reports Billboard.biz.  The music vet made a surprising exit from Warner Music last September, and teams with the label’s  former president Todd Moscowitz, and former executive VP Kevin Liles, for his new venture.

The trio is expected to make an official announcement about their collaboration in the coming weeks.

Google, for its part, is looking to expand its stake as an influence in the entertainment industry. The search engine giant, which generates $14.89 billion in revenue and owns YouTube, is also planning to launch a music subscription program to rival Spotify.

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