In The Pocket With David Uosikkinen

Chris Schwartz is the co-founder of RuffHouse Records. He's s a Philadelphia native who has worked with some of the best-selling rap and R&B acts of the 1990s, including Cypress Hill, Kris Kross, the Fugees, and Lauryn Hill. Schwartz grew up in the Philly suburb of Devon, Pennsylvania, where at 17, he decided to drop out of high school and join the U.S. Navy. After four years of military service, Schwartz returned to the Philadelphia Area and played in various local new wave bands. In 1985, the small, Philly-based R&B label Nicetown Records hired Schwartz to do local promotions, and not long after that, he did freelance rap promotions for Delicious Vinyl, Island, and Geffen. Listen to the ITP podcast to hear the rest of the story.