Prism Records
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| Prism Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent company | Traffic Entertainment Group |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Status | Defunct |
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin |  USA |
| Location | New York City, New York |
Prism Records was an American record label formed in 1978 by Len Fichtelberg. It was originally an independent label, focusing on the New York R&B and disco music scene of the day. When Cold Chillin' Records was formed in 1986, it was initially distributed by Prism, but label head Tyrone Williams and Fichtelberg decided to merge their companies, and the Prism name was phased out in favor of the new name. In 1987, Cold Chillin' signed a 5-year distribution deal with Warner Bros. Records. The first two Cold Chillin' releases through Warner Bros. (which, incidentally, were the second and third overall Cold Chillin' albums to be released) had the legend "A Prism Records Production" written on them.
As Warner Bros.'s premier hip-hop-based subsidiary label, Cold Chillin' released many classic records in the late 1980s and early 1990s from such notable acts as Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, Kool G. Rap, GZA, Roxanne Shanté, and Marley Marl.
As the 1990s progressed though, the label began to flounder. Its deal with Warner Bros. ended, and it began having its records released through Epic Records. Cold Chillin', however, continued to lose steam, and folded in 1998. Today the namesake is still used on its reissues and the catalog and trademark, save for the recordings of Big Daddy Kane and Kool G. Rap's 4,5,6, are now owned by LandSpeed Records, a division of Traffic Entertainment Group.
There is no connection between the Prism Records of this article and the Prism Records bootleg CD manufacturer of 1994–1998, known for Dream Theater and Rush releases.