A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing, promotion, and enforcement of copyright for sound recordings and music videos, while also conducting talent scouting and development of new artists, and maintaining contracts with recording artists and their managers. The term "record label" derives from the circular label in the center of a vinyl record which prominently displays the manufacturer's name, along with other information. Within the mainstream music industry, recording artists have traditionally been reliant upon record labels to broaden their consumer base, market their albums, and be both promoted and heard on music streaming services, radio, and television. Record labels also provide publicists, who assist performers in gaining positive media coverage, and arrange for their merchandise to be available via stores and other media outlets.
Ruffhouse Records is an American record label founded in 1989 by Chris Schwartz and Joe Nicolo as a joint venture with Columbia Records. In 1999, Schwartz and Nicolo closed the label, and Schwartz and Kevon Glickman continued with RuffNation Records. Ruffhouse's artist roster at the time of its original closing included The Fugees, Cypress Hill, Kris Kross, Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, and Leela James.
Kris Kross followed Nicolo to his new label. Artists also included Ced, The Co-Defendants, and GOAT. Joe became “Joe the Butcher” around 1982 when editing tape for the late producer Ray Monahan, who said: “You need a nickname. The way you chop up tape, let’s call you ‘Joe the Butcher.’”
Kris Kross was an American hip hop duo formed in the early 1990s that consisted of Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly and Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith. The duo was discovered by Jermaine Dupri in 1991 and hit worldwide status the following year with their smash hit debut single, "Jump", which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and was certified double platinum as a single. They went on to release three studio albums, with their debut album Totally Krossed Out topping the US Billboard 200, and their following albums, Da Bomb and Young, Rich & Dangerous making it into the Top 20. The duo were also noted for their signature fashion style of wearing their clothes backwards. Chris Kelly died of a drug overdose in 2013.
Joe said, “Perfect, because my father literally was ‘Joe the butcher.’” In fact, since Studio 4 moved to suburban Conshohocken in 1994, it has been located across the street from what was Joe Sr.’s butcher shop for 35 years.
Joe and Schoolly D-manager Chris Schwartz started Ruffhouse Records in 1986 to capitalize on the wealth of rap talent from the Philly area. In the late '80s Joe produced, engineered or mixed (for other labels) Schoolly, the 7A3, Steady B, Blackmale, Roxanne Shante and many others, establishing his rap rep.
After foundering under an onerous distribution deal with Enigma Records in 1987 and 1988, Ruffhouse came to fruition when distribution was switched to Columbia. The label’s first release was Cheba’s The Piper in 1990, and their first hit was Tim Dog’s Fuck Compton (with Joe mixing) which topped the rap charts in 1991 and fueled the East/West rap wars.
Enigma Records was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s.
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded in 1887, evolving from the American Graphophone Company, the successor to the Volta Graphophone Company. Columbia is the oldest surviving brand name in the recorded sound business, and the second major company to produce records. From 1961 to 1990, Columbia recordings were released outside North America under the name CBS Records to avoid confusion with EMI's Columbia Graphophone Company. Columbia is one of Sony Music's four flagship record labels, alongside former longtime rival RCA Records, as well as Arista Records and Epic Records.
The label came into its own with the release of the first Cypress Hill album, a double-platinum slice of THC-soaked L.A. Latino rap, exec-produced and mixed by Joe. One of Ruffhouse’s biggest hits came in 1992 when a pair of Atlanta 12-year-olds under the wing of Jermaine Dupri [see entry] (with Joe and Phil engineering and mixing, and Joe exec-producing), released the quadruple-platinum Totally Krossed Out (No. 1).
Atlanta is the capital of, and the most populous city in, the U.S. state of Georgia. With an estimated 2017 population of 486,290, it is also the 38th most-populous city in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, home to 5.8 million people and the ninth-largest metropolitan area in the nation. Atlanta is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia. A small portion of the city extends eastward into neighboring DeKalb County.
The label’s other commercial and critical cow has been the Fugees, whose The Score went 7 X's-platinum in 1996; solo releases from Fugees Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill (6 Million), and Pras have all succeeded as well. Ruffhouse Records went on to sell over 100 million records worldwide. Joe has 9 Grammy wins and in April 2003 was given the Hero's Award from the Grammy organization.
Joe has since gone on to moviemaking and now has several films under his belt including Shade starring Sly Stallone and Jamie Foxx, and One Part Sugar starring Danny DeVito.
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Related Research Articles
Fugees was an American hip hop group who rose to fame in the early 1990s. Their repertoire included elements of hip hop, soul and Caribbean music, particularly reggae. The members of the group were rapper/singer/producer Wyclef Jean, rapper/singer/producer Lauryn Hill, and rapper/producer Pras Michel. Deriving their name from a shortening of the word "refugees", Jean is Haitian while Hill and Michel are American.
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer and record executive. He was born in Asheville, North Carolina and was raised in Atlanta. He has worked with and produced for Kris Kross, Mariah Carey, Usher, Jay-Z, Nelly, Monica, Migos, Da Brat, Xscape, Janet Jackson, TLC, Aretha Franklin, Ludacris, Alicia Keys, and Bow Wow.
The Score is the second and final studio album by the hip hop trio Fugees, released worldwide February 13, 1996 on Columbia Records. The album features a wide range of samples and instrumentation, with many aspects of alternative hip hop that would come to dominate the hip hop music scene in the mid-late 1990s. The Score's production was handled mostly by the Fugees themselves, Jerry Duplessis and Warren Riker, with additional production from Salaam Remi, John Forté, Diamond D, Warren Riker and Shawn King. The album's guest raps are from Outsidaz members Rah Digga, Young Zee and Pacewon, as well as Omega, John Forté, and Diamond D. Most versions of the album feature four bonus tracks, including three remixes of "Fu-Gee-La", and a short acoustic Wyclef Jean solo track entitled "Mista Mista".
Ghetto Supastar is the debut solo studio album by former Fugees member and American rapper Pras. The album was released on October 6, 1998, a week after the release of the third single, Blue Angels.
The Goats were an American alternative hip hop trio from Philadelphia. Its members were rappers Oatie Kato, Madd, and Swayzack. The group recorded on Columbia Records / Ruffhouse Records.
The Butcher Bros. are an American production team made up of brothers Phil and Joe Nicolo, originally based out of Philadelphia. Together and individually, the brothers have produced albums for a wide variety of bands, including Urge Overkill, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Amy Grant, Cypress Hill, Nine Inch Nails, Dog Eat Dog, Anthrax and Luscious Jackson. While Joe Nicolo was the original "butcher" he later paired briefly with his brother as Butcher Bros. Joe continues today as Joe the Butcher.
The brothers began their music careers as teenagers, fixing speakers and rewiring amplifiers at a local drive-in movie theater. After earning a B.S. in Science from Temple University, Phil returned to Philadelphia and the brothers founded the Studio 4 recording studio. Using the name "Butcher Bros.", a reference to their father's trade, they quickly established themselves in many genres of music production. Sometimes they would work together and other times, individually.
Street Cinema is the first and only album by the American hip hop group Sporty Thievz.
Salaam Remi is an American record producer known for his association with Nas, Amy Winehouse, Fugees, Fergie, Estelle, Black Thought, and Miguel, and for his reggae-tinged approach to production.
Home is the debut album by Spearhead, released in 1994 under the Capitol Records label. It includes thirteen tracks. It was produced by Joe "The Butcher" Nicolo at Studio 4 in Philly. "Hole in the Bucket" was released as a single, which became an MTV Buzz Bin song and won a Clio Award.
Comedy Central Records is a record label based in New York and owned by Viacom. The label specializes in stand-up comedy albums and is distributed by Alternative Distribution Alliance, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Totally Krossed Out is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Kris Kross. It was produced and largely written by Jermaine Dupri and released on March 31, 1992, by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records. After developing a musical concept for the duo, Dupri spent two years writing and producing the album.
Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis is a Haitian musical composer and record producer. His first major success was as producer for The Fugees' 1996 album The Score. He also played the bass guitar with The Fugees, and group member Wyclef Jean is his cousin.
"Warm It Up" was the second single released from Kris Kross' debut album, Totally Krossed Out. Produced and written by Jermaine Dupri, "Warm It Up" was released as the follow-up to the duo's multi-platinum chart topping hit, "Jump" on June 4, 1992. The song became the second consecutive top 15 hit released from the album, reaching 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #4 in Canada, as well as their second consecutive single to reach #1 on the Rap charts. "Warm It Up" was certified gold on August 8, 1992. In 1993 Kids Incorporated covered "Warm It Up" in the Season 9 episode "Secret Admirer".
Todd Ray, known professionally as T-Ray, is an American former music producer. His career has logged a lengthy discography, which includes artists Jack Johnson, Nas, Funkdoobiest, The Whooliganz, Mick Jagger, House of Pain, Non Phixion, Bo$$, The Beastie Boys, G. Love & Special Sauce, Cypress Hill, MC Serch, Santana, 311, Audioslave, Artifacts, and Ozomatli. He has won two Grammys for his work with Ozomatli.
Jerome Foster, better known as Knobody, is an American music producer and A&R. Knobody has produced records across different genres including soul, R&B, hip hop and rock for several multi-platinum artists including Jay-Z, Ne-Yo, Akon, The Game, Big Pun, Mýa and R.E.M. Knobody worked as an A&R at SRC Records/Universal. Due to the enormous success Akon experienced following the release of his debut album, Knobody was recognized as a World Top 10 A&R. He is not to be confused with Bay Area rapper/producer and Hieroglyphics crew affiliate who also goes by the name Knobody.
Kevon Glickman is an American music producer and entertainment lawyer responsible for facilitating the careers of platinum artists The Fugees, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Cypress Hill, Kris Kross, Flo Rida, Rick Ross, Trina, among many others. Glickman is currently principal at Offit Kurman, attorneys at law and talent manager/digital mobile distributor for Blingnot Media, LLC.[1] Among many other accolades, Glickman is noted for the highest selling hip hop album of all time, Fugees' "The Score".
[Ricky Lascaze] is an American Hip-Hop DJ and producer from Brooklyn, New York who records under the name DJ Ezasscul. For a brief period of time he was a member of the rap group Supreme & Eaze with, Missouri rapper, Supreme Sol. DJ Ezasscul is also founder of the independent label Jazzy Peace Records.
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Andy Kravitz
| background = Musician Producer Music Film
| birth_date = June 24, 1966
| birth_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| origin =
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