He paved the way for rappers to tour Europe while managing Schoolly D and made Cypress Hill, Kris Kross, The Fugees, Wyclef Jean, and Lauryn Hill household names. He is Chris Schwartz, Co-Founder of Ruffhouse Records, which sold over one hundred million records worldwide throughout the 1990’s.
Chris has a new book out called, Ruffhouse: From the Streets of Philly to the Top of the ’90s Hip Hop Charts, and he sat down with us at The New Wave Cafe in Queen Village to discuss his early days of working with Schoolly D, the mind-boggling success of Ruffhouse Records, and some ups and downs in his personal life, as well as his new book.
Chris didn’t know it at the time, but he and Schoolly D set the blueprint for Gangsta Rap with the release of P.S.K. and paved the way for hip-hop artists to tour throughout Europe. Schoolly was the first U.S. rap act to tour Europe.
He also walks us through the uniqueness of Cypress Hill’s sound and the movie that jump-started their ascension into rap history. Chris talks about not liking Kris Kross’ mega-hit Jump at first and how Rosie Perez actually introduced Kris Kross to the world through a television appearance.
Chris reminisces about first seeing The Fugees and, ironically, not really noticing Lauryn Hill when he first saw the band perform.
This interview also covers the inspiration for the Ruffhouse name, how German music served as the foundation for many hip-hop classics, substance abuse, the end of the Ruffhouse label, and what Chris is up to these days.
This is an interview that any Philadelphian or music fan has to hear.
LINKS:
Chris Schwartz: Twitter/Instagram/Amazon/Barnes & Noble