Pat Chin of VP records sits down with XLR8R

Three generations of the Chin family are now represented at VP Records, the New York City-based reggae powerhouse founded by Patricia Chin and her late husband Vincent (a.k.a. “Randy”) in 1979. While her sons Christopher and Randy took over most operations from their parents some years ago, Ms. Chin–known affectionately by VP staff and artists as Miss Pat–is still a daily, grandmotherly presence at the company’s headquarters, overseeing aspects like the Riddim Driven clothing line.

2008 marks Chin’s 50th year in the record industry. It’s also been three decades since she and Vincent left Jamaica, West Indies (where they had run Kingston record shop Randy’s and the famed Studio 17) for the similarly named (but less tumultuous) Jamaica, Queens. In that time, VP has grown from a distributor and record store to an artist-friendly label responsible for launching Sean Paul, Beenie Man, and Mavado onto the world stage. And now, with its acquisition of Greensleeves Records (formerly VP’s largest competitor), the label that touts itself as “miles ahead in reggae music” may actually be the only game in town when it comes to giving reggae, dancehall, and soca artists a worldwide platform. XLR8R recently visited Miss Pat at VP headquarters for a discussion about her family, reggae’s place in the new digital marketplace, and whether the label’s new monopoly-like dominance is a good thing.
XLR8R: How many people from the family are now involved in VP?

Patricia Chin: My three kids are involved, which is my two sons and my daughter [Angela Chung] and also my stepson [Clive Chin], and maybe about five grandkids. My sister had a branch in Florida but she’s closed it about a year now.

Clive’s career as a producer predates VP, but how did everyone else find his or her niche within the company?

Joel, Clive’s son, is on the production side, and my daughter does retail and distribution [in Florida]. My granddaughter Stephanie is helping me with Riddim Driven, our clothing line. The rest are just seeing what they like best. My 15-year-old grandson is into fashion, and he’s the one I bounce things off of regarding clothes. He knows all about what’s going on, what colors people are wearing. Sometimes he comes in to [VP’s retail store in Queens] on the weekend and arranges the clothing displays for me.

The full article available at XLR8R.com