Michelle Cassette Tape
1 OF 1 · NO RESTOCK
Michel'le's self-titled debut on Ruthless Records, released in 1989, is one of the more quietly essential artifacts from the label's peak commercial run. Cassette format, Ruthless imprint, R&B vocal with West Coast production underneath. This is the tape as it sold at retail in 1989, not a later repress.
The context matters here. By 1989, Ruthless had already put N.W.A's "Straight Outta Compton" into circulation and was operating as the center of gravity for West Coast hip-hop and R&B simultaneously. Michel'le was not a side project. Dr. Dre produced the album, and the singles moved. "No More Lies" charted on the Billboard R&B chart, and "Nicety" followed. The full album reached the Top 30 on the Billboard 200 and climbed into the Top 5 on the R&B albums chart. That commercial performance came in the same calendar year the label was fighting for mainstream recognition while distributing through Priority Records. The tape sat in record shops alongside N.W.A product, Eazy-E solo releases, and the full upheaval of rap crossing into pop retail. A Ruthless R&B tape from 1989 is not a footnote to that history. It is a primary-shelf title from the label's most formative year.
The cassette edition that lived in glove compartments, not jewel cases on shelves.
This copy shows the clear shell Ruthless used on their late-1980s tape pressings. The shell is intact. Wear on this copy reads as played but not abused: the label surface has the expected handling scuff from a tape that saw regular use, not shelf storage. The J-card should show the Ruthless logo and production credits. Verify that the Dr. Dre production credits are visible in the liner copy and that the label on the shell face matches the 1989 Ruthless pressing. Check the tape window: the ribbon should sit centered with no slack or bunching at the guide post.
OWNER VERIFY: Confirm pressing year is 1989 Ruthless Records original and not a later reissue, cross-referencing catalog number on the J-card spine.
The cassette edition that lived in glove compartments, not jewel cases on shelves.
Collectors Cabinet
The collectors cabinet at the shop holds whatever did not fit the racks. Magazines, posters, programs, DVDs, promotional odds, miscellanea from 80s that earned its own shelf. Everything here is a single unit, inspected in Las Vegas before listing. If a piece cannot be graded against the in-house scale, it gets a written condition note in the spec sheet below.
INSPECTED IN STORE / 707 E FREMONT, LAS VEGAS
Inspected in Las Vegas on June 2026. Each piece is a single unit, sold as inspected.
KEEP IT CLASSIC
This michelle cassette tape originates from the 80s era[01], represents Ruthless Records[02]'s output, . Each piece in the shop is a single unit, inspected by hand in Las Vegas before listing. The data manifest to the right records the fields on file for this lot; where a field is empty it has been omitted rather than guessed.
INSPECTED IN STORE / 707 E FREMONT, LAS VEGAS
- VENDOR
- Ruthless Records
- ERA
- 80s
Super excited picking this up over the weekend I was a big collector of magazines as a kid but this programme was a no brainer. The official survivor series 89 event programme Thanks as always to the team keepitclassiclv for looking after me
14 days from delivery. Buyer pays return shipping. In-store purchases are exchange or credit only.
Every piece in the shop is a single unit. Once it is gone, it is gone.
707 E Fremont Street, Suite 1170, ground floor, east side of Downtown Container Park.
