*On November 5, BMG Books will publish Goin’ Off: The Story of the Juice Crew & Cold Chillin’ Records by Ben Merlis.
The book, which is part of the RPM Series that focuses on record labels, is part narrative and part oral history, assembled from exclusive interviews with over thirty recording artists and industry veterans.
With a foreword written by producer/DJ/Stones Throw label owner Peanut Butter Wolf, and several dozen classic and unpublished photographs, Goin’ Off captures the spirit and energy of the time just before Hip-Hop was a household word.
Amidst Hip-Hop’s initial explosion throughout New York’s boroughs and surrounding towns, a new generation emerged – the first to be raised on the genre. In the center of it all was a collective known as the Juice Crew, led by the charismatic radio personality Mr. Magic, whose Rap Attack was the first program of its kind on a commercial station. His DJ/engineer Marley Marl pioneered production techniques that defined the Golden Era of Hip-Hop, and formed the basis of Cold Chillin’ Records, founded in 1986 by Len Fichtelberg and manager/radio producer Tyrone “Fly Ty” Williams.
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Goin’ Off chronicles the rise and fall of the label and its partnership with Warner Bros. Records, and follows the careers of its recording artists. Roxanne Shanté was a 14-year-old battle rapper who spawned the diss record, MC Shan engaged in a legendary cross-borough feud with KRS-One, Kool G Rap was a foundational participant in what the media dubbed “gangsta rap,” Big Daddy Kane’s quick-witted lyricism changed the way people rhyme, the collegiate Masta Ace sought to uplift his community during the height of the crack epidemic, The Genius (aka GZA) co-founded the rap dynasty Wu-Tang Clan, and the enigmatic Biz Markie had the world singing along to his platinum-selling anthem “Just a Friend.”
Plagued by corporate censorship in the wake of the “Cop Killer” controversy and a landmark sample-related lawsuit just as Hip-Hop was entering the mainstream conscience in the 1990s, Cold Chillin’ folded, leaving behind a legacy shrouded in controversy and a catalog that directly influenced multiple generations of rap artists, including Nas, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Biggie Smalls and Kendrick Lamar.
Source: ‘Goin’ Off: The Story of the Juice Crew & Cold Chillin’ Records’ Out on BMG Book Nov. 5
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