SIDEBAR - NEW YORK CITY 1980S OVERVIEW

By the 1980s the record business in New York City was cocooned in the major labels' midtown Manhattan skyscraper offices, where receptionists were instructed to refuse tapes from artists who did not already have industry connections via a lawyer, a manager, or an accountant. Small labels such as Tommy Boy, Profile, and Def Jam set up offices in more accessible locations, and through their doors walked an army of rappers accompanied by posses of friends, bodyguards, and producers. Charlie Gillett