In Case You Missed It: Cold Chillin' Comp Has Got What You Need

Here's a fun one that went under the radar a week or so ago: a new compilation highlighting the early works of rap label Cold Chillin' Records.

Cold Chillin', which thrived in the late '80s and early '90s, was the home for an informal group of Queens-based artists known as The Juice Crew. Known for their "answer records" and propensity for rapping about "beefs" with rival artists, the Cold Chillin' roster was comprised of hitmakers like producer Marley Marl, battle rapper MC Shan, Kool G Rap and DJ Polo and - perhaps most famously, rapper/beatboxer Biz Markie, whose comical, somewhat off-key single "Just a Friend" became the label's biggest hit.

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Top 4: The Best of Cold Chillin' Records includes cuts from those four artists, from album spanning from 1987 to 1992, including Kool G Rap and DJ Polo's somewhat controversial gangsta album Live and Let Die, which original CC distributor Warner Bros. refused to distribute in the wake of Ice-T's "Cop Killer" scandal.

This new compilation, distributed by Traffic Entertainment Group (who've also done some great expansions of these Cold Chillin' classics), is available now and yours to order after the jump.

Various Artists, Top 4: The Best of Cold Chillin' Records (Traffic Entertainment Group TEG-77518-2, 2012)

Jane, Stop This Crazy Thing - MC Shan
The Bridge - MC Shan
Down by Law - MC Shan
Pickin' Boogers - Biz Markie
Vapors - Biz Markie
Make the Music with Your Mouth Biz - Biz Markie
Droppin' Science - Marley Marl featuring Craig G.
Duck Alert - Marley Marl featuring Craig G.
Wack Itt - Marley Marl featuring Roxanne Shanté
I Pioneered This - MC Shan
Juice Crew Law - MC Shan
Just a Friend - Biz Markie
Spring Again - Biz Markie
On the Run - Kool G Rap and DJ Polo
Ill Street Blues - Kool G Rap and DJ Polo

Tracks 1-3 from Down by Law (Cold Chillin' 25676, 1987)
Tracks 4-6 from Goin' Off (Cold Chillin' 25675, 1988)
Tracks 7-9 from In Control, Volume 1 (Cold Chillin' 25783, 1988)
Tracks 10-11 from Born to Be Wild (Cold Chillin' 25797, 1989)
Tracks 12-13 from The Biz Never Sleeps (Cold Chillin' 26003, 1989)
Tracks 14-15 from Live and Let Die (Cold Chillin' CC 5001, 1992)

Mike Duquette

Mike Duquette (Founder) was fascinated with catalog music ever since he was a teenager. A 2009 graduate of Seton Hall University with a B.A. in journalism, Mike paired his profession with his passion through The Second Disc, one of the first sites to focus on all reissue labels great and small. His passion for reissues turned into a career, holding positions at Legacy Recordings and Rhino Records and contributing to Allmusic, Discogs, City Pages, Ultimate Classic Rock and Mondo Records, for whom he penned liner notes for his favorite piece of music: John Williams' Oscar-winning score to 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.' Born and raised in New Jersey, Mike lives in Astoria, Queens with his wife, a cat named Ravioli, twin daughters and a large yet tasteful collection of music.

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