Arguably the most acclaimed artist in hip-hop was on the 15th most important hip-hop record label of all time.

#15 Ruffhouse Records

Ruffhouse Records is another one of those record labels where few outside the music industry knew the label, but EVERYBODY knew its artists. Ruffhouse was founded in 1989 by Chris Schwartz and Joe “The Butcher” Nicolo who got his nickname due to his skills at chopping up tracks. Even before he helped found the label, Nicolo showed his chops by working with legends like DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. It was with them that he won his first Grammy. It would be the first of many. In fact, one of Ruffhouse’s releases would go on to garner five Grammys by itself. Though Ruffhouse is long gone as a label, its legacy lives on through its artists, which included The Fugees, Cypress Hill, Wyclef Jean, Kris Kross, Lauryn Hill and many others. Here are some of their key releases (Sony, who owns the catalog, does not allow playlists):

Previously: #20 Rakwus Records, #19 Loud Records, #18 Select Records and #17 Fresh Records, #16 Rap-A-Lot Records