Cold Chillin'

Founding

Cold Chillin’ Records was founded in New York in 1986 by artist manager Tyrone Williams and was run by Len Fichtelberg. It operated as a producer-and-crew label, and most of its artists were members of the Juice Crew, a loose collective built around producer Marley Marl of Queensbridge, Queens. Marl’s production gave the label a consistent sound, and his circle of rappers supplied most of its catalog through the late 1980s.

Rise

In 1988 Cold Chillin’ signed a five-year distribution agreement with Warner Bros. Records, which brought its records to national retail. Big Daddy Kane’s debut “Long Live the Kane,” released on June 21, 1988 and produced by Marley Marl, reached number 116 on the Billboard 200 and number 5 on the R&B albums chart and was certified gold. The 45 King also contributed production, and Spin placed the album at number 20 on its 1989 list of the greatest albums of all time. Biz Markie’s “Goin’ Off” came out the same year. His second album, “The Biz Never Sleeps,” released on October 10, 1989, reached number 66 on the Billboard 200 and number 9 on the R&B albums chart and was certified gold in April 1990. Its single “Just a Friend” reached number 9 on the Hot 100 and number 5 on the rap singles chart. Kool G Rap & DJ Polo’s “Road to the Riches” followed in 1989.

Key releases

The early 1990s brought MC Shan’s “Play It Again, Shan” (1990), The Genius’s “Words from the Genius” (1991), Kool G Rap & DJ Polo’s “Live and Let Die” (1992) and Big Daddy Kane’s “Looks Like a Job For...” (1993). The roster also included Roxanne Shanté, Masta Ace, Grand Daddy I.U., YZ and Kid Capri. The Genius later recorded as GZA with the Wu-Tang Clan. A sub-label, Livin’ Large, released records distributed by Tommy Boy.

Decline and legacy

The Warner Bros. agreement ended in 1993, and from 1995 to 1997 Cold Chillin’ was distributed by Epic Street, a division of Epic Records. By then the Juice Crew era had passed and the label’s output slowed. Cold Chillin’ shut down in 1998. Most of its catalog was bought by LandSpeed Records of Massachusetts, which later became Traffic Entertainment. Len Fichtelberg died on November 4, 2010. The label is remembered as the main outlet for the Juice Crew and for the Marley Marl productions that shaped New York rap in the late 1980s.