In the late '80s, the Nicolo Brothers and Schoolly D’s manager, Chris Schwartz, co-founded Ruffhouse Records records, a label venture that would produce smash hits by Kris Kross, Cypress Hill, The Fugees, and Lauryn Hill on the way to selling north of 130 million records worldwide. In the 1970s, the Nicolo brothers learned the ropes of engineering by recording local bands and singer-songwriters in a small studio they built in the attic of their parents’ small, suburban Pennsylvania home.īy the 1980s, the brothers had moved to Philadelphia, built their homebase-Studio 4-and began working on landmark records by Marley Marl’s Juice Crew and Philly’s first generation of rap stars like Schoolly D, Steady B, Cool C, and Three Times Dope.
Photos courtesy of Joe 'The Butcher' Nicolo.Īlongside his twin brother Phil, Joe “The Butcher” Nicolo has enjoyed a 40-year-plus career as a producer, engineer, and record executive.
