Cold Chillin Records: The Juice Crew, Big Daddy Kane, Roxanne Shanté And Biz Markie

Transcript

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[00:00:00]

Intro Theme

Welcome to the Show

Sir Daniel: Greetings and welcome to another episode of Queue Points podcast. I am DJ Sir Daniel.

Jay Ray: And my name is Jay Ray, sometimes known by my governments as Johnnie Ray Kornegay III. And Sir Daniel, I have a question. 'cause this is now the, [00:00:30] this is your hat. You last, last week. You had on like the hat this week. You have on the hat.

Um, what's up with your hat? Game is on, uh, in this

Sir Daniel: two things.

Two things. It's cold. It's Cold Chillin'.

Jay Ray: Hi.

I see what you did there.

Sir Daniel: It's Cold Chillin' down here in the basement, and, uh, I'm in between haircuts.

That's literally it.

Quick Transition

Cold Chillin Records A Groundbreaking Label

Jay Ray: We're about to have a conversation [00:01:00] about a record label that is of a specific time doesn't, that should, but doesn't get talked about a lot. And I think that's like really dope. I'm just ready to lean into just kind of like some nostalgia, a little bit and reminiscing about how dope this label was.

Sir Daniel: You're absolutely right and I'll say it, you know, Cold Chillin' Records a subsidiary of Warner, Warner Brothers Cold Chillin' Records is probably the most, [00:01:30] one of the most, um, groundbreaking and important hip hop labels to have ever been established. Um, and that's saying a lot, because it gave

street rappers Pop popular appeal, it gave them mass appeal and it gave them mass distribution. So we had what you would consider, you know, your street rappers, um, your dope boys, the dope girl, and the crew.

Um, with the heavy gold chains and the door [00:02:00] knockers, they were, they got a good look because they were on distributed by a major label and were able to get some type, some pop success, which we will talk about later on in this episode.

But Cold Chillin' Records definitely in my opinion, is one of the most groundbreaking hip hop labels that have ever been created.

The Founders and Early Days of Cold Chillin

Sir Daniel: And we came upon this topic because we the founder

of Cold Chillin' Records or the co-founder of Cold Chillin' Chillin' Records, [00:02:30] Ty Fly, Ty Williams passed away.

He passed away, um, and he was the patriarch of this record label. Um, started out managing most of the acts that were on this label, including one Roxanne Shante.

Jay Ray: Yep.

Sir Daniel: And, um, yeah, so we definitely want to, to give him props and to just talk about a little bit about the history of this label, just like you put it in the intro.

Jay Ray: Yeah. So, um, [00:03:00] I think jumping into this is interesting, thinking about. Um, Cold Chillin'. Cold Chillin', I think

in 2025 because it is one of those labels that, um, uh, kind of. Phased out in the nineties.

So it is a label that, it's a, it's a brand that we didn't hear a lot of, a lot about and you know, in the, kind of the, by the late nineties. But I [00:03:30] think this is funny, the thing I was most surprised by, I thought I knew, I thought I knew about Cold Chillin', right?

Sir Daniel: We both did.

Jay Ray: right. And it wasn't until researching for this show. So we're about to drop a bomb on all of y'all because I know there are folks listening that don't know this. Marley Marl did not found Cold Chillin'.

Marley Marl was only now only is a, that's a, that's a, that's [00:04:00] a little only, not a strong only.

Sir Daniel: Right.

Jay Ray: Was the in-house producer for the label. That

was his role. He did not found the label, even though my entire childhood, Cold Chillin' was Marley Marl's label, but it was actually of course, Fly Ty and Len Fichtelberg.

Sir Daniel: Fichtelberg which is another funny sidebar

because J, both Jay Ray

Jay Ray: Oh, that's hilarious.

Sir Daniel: into this. Oh, we just knew, we just knew Cold [00:04:30] Chillin' was black, know,

Jay Ray: Black. Black. Black.

Sir Daniel: blackly black on record label. And then when we did, we were like. Wait a minute. There's the white guy. Just like how we were think, we were thinking, you know, Def Jam had Rick Rubin and

Jay Ray: Russell Simmons.

Sir Daniel: Russell Simmons, there's always like a white guy to co-sign

or Yeah.

You know, to co-sign for the loan. I guess for the record label. Um, the only record label possibly that might be completely black owned is [00:05:00] Sugar Hill. I mean, Sylvia Robinson.

Jay Ray: And no limit.

Sir Daniel: And no limit if you wanna Yes. If we go to the To the future.

Jay Ray: To go to the future. But yeah. But that era really Sugar Hill was, was fully black owned. But to this point of like this interesting history, I think, um, of the label, so we mention the mention of Len Berg is actually important in this.

Sir Daniel: Very.

Jay Ray: I, I don't even know how to build. This is like a Lego, I

think is the way we have to [00:05:30] talk about this label.

Transition

The Juice Crew and Their Impact

Jay Ray: and so, Daniel correct me if at any point I'm like veering off, but there are many Roxanne as Shante Biz Markie. Mc Shan are all kind of releasing music on different labels, right? All

produced by Marley Marl,

Sir Daniel: Mm-hmm.

Jay Ray: managed [00:06:00] by Fly Ty, and they are. So you have pop art, which is in Philly. This is gonna be an important story in a minute. And Prism Records, which is headed by one Len Fichtelberg, right?

Sir Daniel: I.

Jay Ray: It's amazing. So these artists are kind of all over the place releasing records and when it came time to for Fly Ty, having the, the vision [00:06:30] to be able, like, no, we need a, a label to our, our imprint to put these people under. Len Fichtelberg and Fly Ty become business partners now.

Meanwhile, prison Prism Records had been in existence since the seventies. Len and and Fly Ty decided that Prism Records was going to fold. Into Cold Chillin'. That's how [00:07:00] close this partnership was. So this label that had already existed, that had already dropped records from some of the members of the Juice crew folded in to, uh, under the, became the Cold Chillin' umbrella, which was led by both Fly Ty and Len. And then under Cold Chillin', you have all of these classic hip hop releases. They end up getting some distri distribution at Warner, and

then they [00:07:30] release all of these amazing hip hop records. And we'll talk about some of those artists in a second. But I think that encapsulates how this, this, this Lego block worked.

Sir Daniel: No, you're absolutely correct. I think just to give, um, perspective of the time, so it made sense because during that time a lot of rappers that were on the come up. A lot of rappers weren't concentrating on doing full length [00:08:00] albums. You know, it was a thing to drop a 12 inch, especially if you were answering a record or, you know, you came up with a dance that was gonna be the new craze, or you needed something to perform.

You know, you, you, you built up enough money to go cut a record and it was a 12 inch,

and so it made sense for most of these. Um, these labels to only print up 12 inches at the time. And I think what we'll find is, is that this, this is where the through line between dance, [00:08:30] music, disco, and um, disco and the like, and the connection to how, um, to hip hop to rap music, you see that through line because Prism, like you said, was a dance label and it featured a lot of black dance artists.

And so where else would a, you know this up and coming. Music, where else? Experimental music at the time. Where else would it land? Where else would it have a home? But on an independent label where you could print up your 12 inches and, you know, [00:09:00] see what you can do at the time and become tried and true.

And then, um, like you said, after a while they, when, um, when Land and Ty got together and got the distribution deal through Warner Brothers, it was like, okay, we were, they wanted to approach and, and I believe Marley Marl said this. They wanted to approach, have an approach in the hip hop game because by that time, um.

Russell Simmons and the whole rush and Def Jam [00:09:30] crew really had a lock on New York as far as a full label with distribution and a, and a, a booming roster of artists at the time. From what we understand though, Russell and the team was like completely gatekeeping at the time. They didn't want. They wanted their artists only to succeed at the time, which, I mean, you make sense.

It's, it's a competitive art, it's a competitive, um, industry. And so there, so that [00:10:00] gave them the determination to say, okay, now, okay, now we're in the game. Because not only do we have. A sickening roster of MCs hailing from Queensbridge and Brooklyn and Long Island. Now we've got major distribution,

So

not only are we gonna have, we're gonna have bigger budgets, but we're gonna get bigger distribution and, and greater looks from like the media and [00:10:30] have more exposure, videos, things of that nature.

So Cold Chillin'. Literally was in the, in the game like, oh, we are here. We about to really come, come through and wreck shop.

Jay Ray: Yeah. It's so interesting that I'm glad you went here because I think so. The, the, the first official release for Cold Chillin' is a like a bomb.

So we've talked about, y'all should go watch our show where we talk about the influence of

Queensbridge. and Marley Marl, because we [00:11:00] talk about Mc, Shan, and the bridge, right? Uh, so. Y'all could go listen to that story. Book it down productions, the bridge is over. Mc Shan, the bridge, da da da. Dis war became a major, major thing. But Mc Shan's down by law, uh, which included the bridge becomes like number one thing. You know what I'm saying? First out the gate,

Sir Daniel: Mm-hmm.

Jay Ray: what I find interesting, sir Daniel [00:11:30] is. Next out of the gate, so in 88 of course you get Big Daddy Kane, which is like an entity all his own,

Sir Daniel: Yes.

Jay Ray: but one artist who. Was singularly unique both in look and in talent that probably couldn't even get a toe in the door in 2025, became a phenomenon, and his [00:12:00] name is Biz Markie

Sir Daniel: He is Biz Markie,

Jay Ray: He's Biz Marque like became a beacon of innovation. just hip hop at the time being who he was. And I think that's just interesting because there could not be an artist like Biz Markie being taken seriously

today.

Sir Daniel: Yeah, Biz really [00:12:30] did, did the groundwork though. Biz as a Juice crew member earned his stripes like Biz. His early days were going on tour with Roxanne Shante and, and just being her human beatbox,

and this is. Like the one record they pressed, well, they pressed up a couple records, but Def, Def Fresh Crew is probably like their, their debut as a team.

And you know, he went on to also [00:13:00] DJ for her and then he would DJ for other people. And then he got from behind the turntables and was not only beatboxing, he was beatboxing with, um, Kane as well, but he was also rhyming with them. And you know, the juice crew is known for their showmanship.

Uh, if you have, if you go to YouTube and, and type in Juice crew, showtime at the Apollo, uh, the Juice Crew Review or something like that, there is, it's a very low quality.

[00:13:30] Um, you could tell it came somebody, um, VHS recorded it off the television. It's a low quality, but you can see the whole juice crew take over the Apollo and everybody has their moment,

um, including. Biz Markie, who had the, the fat rope chains was

Jay Ray: huge like these

Sir Daniel: Huge. And, but, but to, to your point.

Here's where talent. Outshine [00:14:00] everything, to your point. Not a classic beauty,

you know, not classically handsome, but full of, full of personality and stage presence. And then just the talent, the, the, the human beat box.

Was live on stage and he used to do not just like your regular OB boxing, but he would do sound effects and everything and he would, um, just, he just ran the gamut as far as the talent is concerned.

And so, [00:14:30] yes, to your point, that led Biz Markie to becoming one of the more notable figures of the juice crew. And then Absolutely, if I'm not mistaken, absolutely. Going on to have the biggest crossover record out of the whole juice crew roster.

Jay Ray: absolutely. Um, yeah, we'll definitely talk about, uh, uh, just a friend in a, in a, in a minute,

but I, I think, okay. You know what, no, let's do cane first and then we're gonna do [00:15:00] the elephant in the room.

So Biz is going off, so this is 88. You get Biz Markie's, uh, going off, which includes like the vapors and nobody beats the Biz.

And all of these classic, classic records, right? Um, make the music with your mouth Biz, which we included in the, the, the promo for this on Instagram, all of that. But in addition.

Big Daddy Kane A Game Changer

Jay Ray: Big Daddy Kane was like literally a bomb. [00:15:30] So when we look at like rap artists that changed things and the way artists showed up, rock him is one of them.

But two years later, big Daddy Cane becomes another version of that because when long lived, the cane came out. That flow, like the rhymes, the flow, the look, the dancers, it was all like, wow,[00:16:00]

Sir Daniel: Imagine combining the. The sex appeal because LL Cool J was a bonafide, was a bonafide sex symbol in, in 83, 84,

bonafide sex symbol. Then you have, um, then you combine that with the showmanship of. And I can't even, I can't even say hammer because Kane precedes hammer. So the only people imagine, imagine the showmanship [00:16:30] of, uh, Michael Jackson in hip hop form and you combine that and combine that with a Rakim lyrically and flow, and you have Kane.

Kain was just, I mean, we all wanted to be Kane. I know I wanted my high top Faye to be like his, um, I

Jay Ray: Three cuts of your eyebrows try to.

wild out like Jay-Z said.

Sir Daniel: who didn't, who didn't get in trouble for, um, putting them

Jay Ray: I wanted to so bad, but I was scared. Like I [00:17:00] wanted those, like those three cuts in my eyebrow.

Sir Daniel: Listen, I did it one time. It was, oh man, I was so scared to come home from the barbershop and I have got the, um, the lines in my eyebrows. 'cause that was such a Brooklyn thing to do. And the, um. Uh, I did it. I didn't do it all at the same time. 'cause I, I didn't want to kill my mother. 'cause those things would've given her a conniption.

But, you know, the ha the, the half moon, the, but the high top fade, was it the cameo? If you could turn to the side and you have that [00:17:30] profile of a cameo and it was just perfect. You, you were doing something. You, you had the look from, you know, the girls, the guys, everybody was, You know?

Wanting to be like you because we were all wanting to look like the cane, the silk suits, the, the, the, the, the, the gold chains.

All of that. All of that good stuff. The smoothness. I mean, just perfect, just perfection coming out the gate. Ain't no half stepping. I mean, for that to

[00:18:00] be.

Jay Ray: uh,

Sir Daniel: That wasn't his first record because he put out records on Prism.

But for your, for your major distribution, your debut on a major distribution, you can't get no better ain't no half stepping.

Jay Ray: Cold Chillin' was killing it. So, okay. Elephant in the room. So we've now talked about Mc Shan, we've talked about Biz Markie, we've talked about Big Daddy Kane, as we all know.

Roxanne Shante The Queen of the Juice Crew

Jay Ray: The story of the juice crew, the genesis, the the, the, the Queen [00:18:30] of the juice crew, the person by which everyone. Falls like exists because of is that woman right there.

Roxanne Shante, we've now talked about three releases. Before we get to and there's more releases. Um, but I do want, I think it's just a good time to lift up that the one, well technically two, 'cause Cold Chillin' kind of merged into living large, but the first release from Shante [00:19:00] came a couple, a couple years after the label started, which is

surprising to some people.

Sir Daniel: well, I think so. What people have to understand is, and it's so funny that we brought up

Han and we brought up Kane and Biz Kane, also DJ for Shante. So Kane got

Jay Ray: was, everybody's working for Shante.

Sir Daniel: You know what I'm saying? She literally, literally put them on her back, put them on tour with her. [00:19:30] Um, gave them the, the stage exposure, all of the things to get them to build up their stage personas, to get to the point to where when everybody starts signing their deals, you got a record deal and you're able to get out there and be a menace on the stage.

But like you, to your point, Jay, Ray, so Shawnee been in the game since 84.

Um, answering, answering the, um.

The Roxanne Roxanne record, like you said, that record got [00:20:00] picked up by Pop Art, which is a Philly label, and, um, was distributed, distributed through them. Um, she released a couple, she released the Queen of Rocks and runaway on pop art, and then that was it.

And so then. Fast forward. So fast forward to that. That's when they get the deal with Warner Brothers, because I can't think of another label. No, she wasn't on any other labels that I can [00:20:30] remember. I don't have any records that, aside from pop art, it was pop art and then Cold Chillin'

and so she, when she got to Cold Chillin' though, still immediately still no album.

Still no album. She, she released a couple 12 inches, which were her biggest 12 inches to date.

She released Gong Girl, which '

Jay Ray: cause have a nice and have a nice day too. I think

was one

Sir Daniel: so Gong Girl was picked up by the color soundtrack, which was major. It appeared on that. And just like you said, [00:21:00] have a nice day. Uh, which was written by Kane, um, became her biggest 12

Jay Ray: K was writing for everybody,

Sir Daniel: same way. They had, they had, um, Marley producing for everybody. Kane was writing for everybody. It was just, but that's what you did that was that in-house, that Motown. Records kind of feel everything was kept in-house to give it that organic feel.

And so yes. So those, those 12 inches came out in 87 [00:21:30] respectively,

Jay Ray: Mm-hmm.

Sir Daniel: and still no full length album from Roxanne Shante until 1989 when we got bad sister.

And so, and even prior to that, I'll tell you, I'll take that back one more. 12 inch was released. Your, your favorite 12 inch was released before the

Jay Ray: Did they do whack it? They brought, they put whack it out.

Sir Daniel: wack it was a 12 inch because it was an answer to Supersonic because JJ FAD and, and Roxanne Shante had established a, a, [00:22:00] a a, a dis war, uh, beef on wax.

And so wack it was released. There was a, there's a video for Wack It.

Jay Ray: I remember the video and I remember being so disappointed. So in all fairness, y'all, I hate. it like,

love you Shawnee. Don't like whack it

Sir Daniel: but I think to to in in her defense. hop has evolved at this point.

Jay Ray: very much so.

Sir Daniel: We have people, so we've [00:22:30] got some other, and then we have other women in the game who have surpassed her in the sense that they've put out full length albums and those full length out, full length albums are acclaimed and have gone gold and platinum.

So here she is like, okay, wait a minute. I kind of, you know. Started this whole thing and and birth all of you MCs basically,

Jay Ray: birth to all of these MCs.

Sir Daniel: And here I am, I need to go ahead [00:23:00] and put out an album because y'all thinking it's sweet. Y'all think that I can't put out an album. But Shante has famously said that she did not have the discipline to be in the studio.

She had, she didn't have the desire to be in the studio, and she did, if you realize and pay attention to her career. In the beginning, her whole life was touring. She literally grew up on the road and performing, um, battling people like everything [00:23:30] was done on stage. This was not the time where things were put on wax a halt all the time.

Everything was done on stage. That's why a lot of her rhymes were off the top of her head because they weren't necessarily written down and put down on, um, tape. Excuse me. They were done off the top of her head. So they finally got her in the studio, corralled her in the studio and put out bad sister,

which unfortunately did not perform.

It underperformed, um, [00:24:00] mostly I think because, and here's a correlation, I I saw correlation between her and Cardi B in this sense was that this album contained at least four singles that had already been released two years prior. And then they remixed them, trying to make them sound newer. And I don't think that really appealed to people because it, again, you know, this is a Salt-N-Pepa world.

This is an MC Lyte world, you know, and here she comes. They're like, oh, isn't that the girl [00:24:30] that you know, that this the UTFO back in the day? They're not, people are not giving her respect, which is kind of what led up to the Big Mama record. And you need to check out that episode of Queue Points.

So you can get, so you can get put up on, um, why the Big Mama record came to be and why it was so significant.

But yeah, you're absolutely right. Um, oh, let's not forget, she did do a, she's on the only female rapper to have a record with

Jay Ray: with Rick James, Yeah. Loosy's [00:25:00]

Sir Daniel: Rap, which was, um, released on the Warner Brothers label. That probably wouldn't have happened if they weren't signed to Warner Brothers.

Jay Ray: Yeah. Yeah. Um, thanks for that. 'cause I think that's one of the pieces in the Cold Chillin' history that if you just glance at it on the surface, it's like, why does, why did this happen? Like, how is this possible? But your explanation makes perfect sense. Um, as we. Transition [00:25:30] into, uh, another, I think important hallmark of, of of, of Cold Chillin' and their releases.

Quick Transition

Kool G. Rap and DJ Polo Innovators of Mafioso Rap

Jay Ray: I wanted to go back and make sure that we don't miss the fact that co uh, Kool G. Rap and DJ Polos Roll to the Riches is groundbreaking in, when we talk about the nineties, did we talk about like mafioso rap?

Sir Daniel: Mm-hmm.

Jay Ray: You know what I'm saying, G Rap, like G [00:26:00] Rapp was doing that thing and, and I will never forget being, so this, that album comes out in 89 2, it's one of the 89

releases. And, um, and hearing just G rap's cadence, um, was so crazy to me. Um. You know, realizing that it, it would be lots of pots of gold and it was just like the way his voice and his cadence and the lisp,

Sir Daniel: The heaviest lisp.[00:26:30]

Jay Ray: the heaviest lisp, but it was so hard to me

Sir Daniel: But he did not, he did not miss a beat. He would, the, the rhymes in the delivery was crazy.

Jay Ray: when I was nine years old.

Sir Daniel: Oh, there was a rope. Think, look, look, for those of you who don't know, think about Mike Tyson rapping,

Jay Ray: with a deeper voice.

Sir Daniel: with a deeper voice and like a crazy vocabulary.

Jay Ray: absolutely.

Sir Daniel: that.

Jay Ray: Um,

and

Sir Daniel: we go, before we go for, I'm sorry.

[00:27:00] Um, I know we talked about Shante being the lone female member of the juice crew. That's not completely correct. We also have so famously Mcw Debbie d

Jay Ray: Oh, Debbie D was on Cold Chillin'?

Sir Daniel: Of the us of, of girls from Bee Street, um, which featured Queen Lisa Lee and um,

Jay Ray: Oh, uh, uh, oh. Uh, from, uh, the, uh, uh, the funky

four, uh,

Sir Daniel: Yes, I almost said ply po. It's not ply po, it's Shy Rock.

So Sha Rock, [00:27:30] Lisa Lee and MC Debbie D were the US Girls

The Juice Crew Female Members

Sir Daniel: . MC Debbie D was a founding member of the Juice crew. And then we also had Glamorous who, um, who did a, um, her 12 inch "Good To Go" and it's on, that is on Prism as well. So Glamorous was in the mix for a minute. So yes. And she's featured on the, the Apollo special with the whole Juice crew. So shout out to Glamorous and to MC Debbie D, you know, the other, um, female Oh, and Madame, [00:28:00] Madame Star who came along.

Jay Ray: No, I wanted to, um.

The Legendary Posse Cut The Symphony

Jay Ray: Highlight before we talk about  Biz Markie and just a friend and kind of the phenomenon of that and what came after. I think it's the what came

after that's really important, but, um, I want to, to lift up probably the earliest version that I can recall of like a [00:28:30] dope crew posse.

Cut the symphony.

Sir Daniel: Hmm.

Jay Ray: From Marley Marls in Control. Volume one featuring, of course, master Ace, big Daddy Kane. Kool G. Rap. Craig G, who am I missing? Am I missing? No, I think that's it. Big Daddy Kane, Craig, G Master, ACE. Cool. G Rap. That's all that's on that record?

Sir Daniel: Yes.

Jay Ray: Yeah, that cut[00:29:00]

Sir Daniel: Hmm.

Jay Ray: and the video. C combined was legendary.

'cause all of these I MCs have different styles and they all laced that joint. The symphony is crazy.

Sir Daniel: I don't care who's first or

Jay Ray: How last,

Sir Daniel: but y whatever y'all put down,

Jay Ray: if you're going to be on.

Sir Daniel: Can I say for that? Honestly, I love the beat that was at the beginning of the video, that boom, [00:29:30] boom, boom. I thought that was, I thought that beat was crazy. And

Jay Ray: And how they all entered.

Sir Daniel: Yes, the, the cowboy motif. Absolutely. And that beat sidebar, that beat was, um, used by Nas and Foxy Brown in firm, one of the firm records or something like that, back in, um, further along in the future.

But anyway, you're absolutely right. Um. That is the posse cut to kill all posse [00:30:00] cuts. That is a, that was a moment in time that has never been able to be replicated.

Um, yes, there are other people that have done posse cuts. You know, you got your native tongues with buddy. Um, I'm trying to think of who else,

Jay Ray: There's a, there's, there's several. There's.

Sir Daniel: but there's several posse cuts. But I say that to say it's still, there was just something still. Uh, bare bones about the beat,

but I [00:30:30] think what really kill what carries that record is everybody's delivery.

Everybody's delivery, and they were really saying something.

Jay Ray: Yeah,

you hear them?

Sir Daniel: down as probably the best posse.

Cut in in all history.

Jay Ray: I agree with you. It is a posse cut that just never gets old, like, um.

Sir Daniel: Shout out to Qua.

Jay Ray: capital a rap, it'll stay with you for a while. I, it won't go away.

Sir Daniel: It won't go away, [00:31:00] but shout out to Shaniqua in on, on IG reminding me about the Juice Crew. All Stars Record, which is absolutely correct. Juice Crew. All Yes. Juice Crew, all Stars. Oh my goodness. Was was their first posse cut.

And you know what, that had that featured, um, Kane. Shante tragedy. Who sound, who's

Jay Ray: out to tragedy, right?

Sir Daniel: who looks like, who sounds like a baby on that record.

But yeah, that, um, Han but that was one of their early [00:31:30] posse cuts, but I'm sorry, the, um,

Jay Ray: The symphony.

Sir Daniel: the symphony that really took the cake, that really took the cake.

Jay Ray: classic joint.

Biz Markie Had Crossover Success with Just a Friend

Jay Ray: Um, so we've established that Cold Chillin' was groundbreaking, right?

Like the records, these weren't just, uh, records, these weren't just throwaway albums. Like the, the stuff that was coming out was like quality. It had the distribution because of the, the, the Warner Brothers piece. And [00:32:00] this culminate not culminates because there's releases after, but. By 1991 Biz is doing the diabolical album. 'cause Biz by that point, is known for being like the, the, the court jester of hip hop. Right. He

Sir Daniel: They called him the clown prince of hip hop.

Jay Ray: the, yes. The Clown Prince of hip hop. Yes. And we get a classic song called Just a Friend, which MTV could [00:32:30] not stop playing. Ooh. And it became a crossover pop Success in 91 for like rap hip hop crossovers was just like a big year. But one of those was Biz Marke and just a friend. That song was everywhere.

Sir Daniel: Think about it. Nine. We talking about 91. That was hammer's, hammer's era.

So for Biz Markie. Who, like we said in the beginning looks like Biz Markie doesn't really necessarily dance. He does the bi,

Jay Ray: [00:33:00] he does

Sir Daniel: does have a dance named after him. There's not a lot of rappers that don't, that have a dance named after him.

The Biz Markie was a a, a classic hip hop move, but for him to come along and like battle somebody, like a mc, hammers the hammers and the tone lows and the vanilla ices for spots on the charts is major. And to your point. MTV I'll never forget, I knew that record was huge when he showed up on Club MTVs, uh, on the, the, the, the, the [00:33:30] spring break edition.

You, you talking about all those white girls down there in Daytona with the, with the frozen hair and the neon bathing suits, just dancing along to, you got what I need and, and to this day, I know that that's a crossover hit because Jay Ray, you could play that. Um, at a wedding full of white people and they will go off.

That is their jam. They love that song.

Jay Ray: And it's a singalong [00:34:00] song.

Sir Daniel: is, it's a sing long song. Yes. Biz Markie is a bonafide crossover pop sensation at this point.

Jay Ray: So that's a true thing.

But what happens when you're a bonafide pop sensation and now hip hop has gone from novelty to, people are paying attention now because it's like

Sir Daniel: Money being

Jay Ray: there's more money being made and people are like, oh, there's a lot of money and da da da do.

The Impact of Sampling Lawsuits on Hip Hop

Jay Ray: So Biz Markie, he drops a record in [00:34:30] in 1992, which you cannot. Which you couldn't find then for a very specific reason. So, in fact, I wanna pull this 'cause I forgot the song. So, Biz Markie in 90, uh, in 92, was going to drop his, um, uh, uh, what was it? Was it the, I need It was 90, 91 was, I Need a Haircut. Okay. 91, uh, was gonna drop this record. So, um, then wait a minute. Was just a friend 90.

Doesn't [00:35:00] matter. Y'all could, y'all could correct all of those pieces, but anyway, I need a haircut. So what happened was back in the olden days, y'all rappers. Hip hop was really innovative because producers, which a lot of times were DJs, but producers were either interpolating or doing a whole lot of chops, right?

So much chopping that you would just be [00:35:30] amazed about like, oh, that song is that song. Like, oh, that's amazing. Right. Sample. It wa it wasn't, it wasn't, it didn't have a name the way it has now, right? It was just, you know, hey, they, they was chopping, you know what I mean? So, on the 12th track, I'm on the Wikipedia on the 12th track alone.

Again, Gilbert O Sullivan sued. Um, bi Marque 'cause Biz [00:36:00] Markie produced this record, um, because that song sampled alone again, naturally. Now, the fallout of this was huge because what we do now with samples is all samples have to be cleared.

Like you gotta go through a process, you gotta do the whole thing. That is literally because. Of the outcome of this lawsuit. So this record, I Need a haircut, never even got off the ground because [00:36:30] it got yanked, um, because of this huge lawsuit, um, off of this song alone again, which basically sparked what we do now as it comes to sampling in terms of sample clearances.

Sir Daniel: Um. Lou Reed got really vocal

about A Tribe Called Quest sampling, um, walk on the wall wild side. And so I'm pretty certain that was a [00:37:00] dog whistle to other artists to start listening and paying attention to these records now, whereas they never, you know, hip hop was just a fad to them. They weren't really paying any attention.

Then next thing you know, all these guys, these guys are making a lot of money. They're making millions of dollars. And so the, the lawyers are getting called and they're like, well, if they're making this off of this record, then that means I need to get a percentage because I wrote that song.

And so here we, so [00:37:30] it, then it becomes, like you said, a liability to the labels.

Then you have a sample clearance, the creation of the sample clearance department.

Jay Ray: Yes. And uh, so much so that business next album was called All.

Samples Cleared. All of them samples got cleared.

Cold Chillin Records Legacy in Hip Hop

Jay Ray: But, um, all that to say is this label Cold Chillin', uh, led by Fly Ty, um, and with the in-house producer of [00:38:00] one Marley Marl. One of the most important producers in all of hip hop history created really did move a sound forward and give us amazing, legendary artists. And this label deserves its shine. So we

wanted lift up fly, Fly Tys, work, and be like, you did good, bro.

Sir Daniel: Um, yes.

You were very instrumental in, in creating and introducing the world to to, to hip hop. [00:38:30] Pioneers and icons. I mean, a legend and icon doesn't even go far enough to describe these people

because they really, they literally birth the whole nation of MCs.

And so, yes, so we raise your name, Fly Ty.

Jay Ray: Indeed.

Sir Daniel: Tyrone Williams, we would raise your name and Mr. Fichtelberg Fichtelberg.

Jay Ray: Yeah.

Sir Daniel: we thank you as well. We thank you for bankrolling. I [00:39:00] don't on what y'all

Jay Ray: I don't know what y'all is the, it was the

seventies

Sir Daniel: kind of y Yeah. So, but we thank you.

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Cold Chillin Had the Flyest Logo

Sir Daniel: please, you know, dig deeper and find out more about Cold Chillin' and, oh, we almost, um, forgot they had the coolest logo.

That logo looks so dope on everything. On jackets, on hoodies. Matter of fact, I think when we get off, I'm about to order me a Cold Chillin' t-shirt or

Jay Ray: [00:39:30] Absolutely. I was thinking the exact same thing. I'm like, yo, I need a Cold Chillin' t-shirt. And you know what, this is one of those logos that also is, uh, it communicates right to people like who you are, like your

values. Here's what y'all need to do. So if you can see our faces and hear our voices.

Closing Remarks and Farewell

Jay Ray: Um, thank y'all so much for always rocking with us. Subscribe wherever you are. So if you're on substack or ig, or or YouTubes or the Facebooks, wherever you at, subscribe, tell your friends, family, colleagues.

If you [00:40:00] love Queue Points, chances are they will love Queue Points too. We appreciate you. Visit our website@queuepoints.com. Um, visit us on Substack. Um, but we appreciate y'all so much and we love y'all.

Sir Daniel: We absolutely do, and it's like I always say in this life, you have a choice. You can either pick up the needle or you could let the record play. I am DJ Sir Daniel,

Jay Ray: My name is Jay Ray, y'all.

Sir Daniel: and this has been Queue Points podcast, dropping the needle on black music history. We will see you on the next go round. [00:40:30] Peace and we Cold Chillin'.

Yeah,

Jay Ray: Peace y'all.

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