Tuff City Blog

Innovative, bold, tumultuous, ever-changing, independent... These are a few of the words that have been used to describe the 30-year history of Tuff City Records. From its start as a groundbreaking hip hop label during rap's infancy to its eventual transition to reissue label, rescuing hundreds of blues, jazz, funk, soul and R&B treasures from obscurity, the road Tuff City has traveled has always been paved with music of importance and quality.

The story of Tuff City begins with founder/owner Aaron Fuchs. The year was 1981 and Fuchs was working as a trade journalist / editor for Cash Box and other music publications. At the time, rap was just a minor blip on the radar screen for most music fans. Fuchs sensed that there was something special about this music when he would see DJ Hollywood blowing away headliners at the Apollo Theatre in the late '70s. What proved to be the turning point for Fuchs and his involvement with rap was when he realized that Bobby Robinson and Paul Winley (both old doo-wop producers from the '50s) were coming around with rap 12" records by such artists as Grandmaster Flash and The Treacherous Three and Afrika Bambaataa. Seeing these trends, Fuchs felt that he should get involved with the scene. With an idea in his head and an entrepreneurial spirit in his heart, Fuchs quit his journalism gig to start Tuff City Records.

Fuchs recognized what was special about this burgeoning rap scene and found the talent to bring things to the next level. Tuff City was the first to release material by such notable artists as The 45 King, The Cold Crush Brothers, Davy DMX, Lakim Shabazz, Spoonie Gee and a multitude of others.