The Cold Crush Brothers
The Cold Crush Brothers formed in 1978 within the Bronx borough of New York City. DJ Tony Tone began his career as a member of The Brothers Disco alongside DJ Breakout and DJ Baron. He later joined forces with DJ Charlie Chase after Flash disbanded from the Furious Five. Easy AD left his partner Donald D to join this new group. The original lineup included Supreme Easy A.D., Whipper Whip, Mr. Tee, and Dot-A-Rock. This early configuration would eventually shift as members departed for other crews.
Joey Robinson heard Big Bank Hank rapping to a Cold Crush Brothers tape while working at a pizzeria in New Jersey. Robinson was forming a group called the Sugar Hill Gang and asked Hank if he wanted to join. Hank accepted despite not being an MC himself. He then took Grandmaster Caz's rhymes and used them without any agreement from Caz. These lyrics landed on the song Rapper's Delight by the Sugar Hill Gang. The track became a huge hit in 1979 and reached the Top 40 charts. Caz never received credit or compensation for the words he contributed.
A fierce rivalry developed between the groups leading to a lyrical battle on the 3rd of July 1981. The grand prize for the event was $1000 cash. The Fantastic Romantic Five won the official battle against the Cold Crush Brothers. Grandmaster Caz stated that the Cold Crush Brothers won the war regardless of the result. Tapes of their performance began circulating through street networks immediately after the event. People listening to these tapes clearly believed the Cold Crush Brothers had won. This perception established them as one of the strongest underground hip-hop crews of all time.
The group appeared in the 1982 movie Wild Style depicting Hip Hop Culture. They featured in scenes including a face-off against the Fantastic Five on a basketball court. Another scene showed the Battle at the Dixie Club where they demonstrated their emceeing prowess. A year after the film release, the brothers took hip-hop abroad with tour dates in Japan and Europe. They brought 25 MCs, DJs, breakers, and bombers to Tokyo in 1983. This marked one of the earliest foreign markets for hip-hop outside of La Belle France. Linguistic and cultural barriers existed but the tour proved successful.
Their first single Weekend released on Elite Records came out in the fall of 1982. It was a party record describing everyday working people experiences from Monday to Friday. The second single Punk Rock Rap arrived in the fall of 1983 on Epic Records licensed by UK CBS Associated records. This track fused hip-hop and rock breaking the color barrier in the genre. Their most successful single Fresh Wild Fly Bold released in 1984 sold 16000 units in its first week. A distribution dispute between Tuff City Records and Profile Records hindered sales potential reaching gold status. They secured a CBS record deal through the Tuff City Label making them the first crew to do so.
Rapper Jay-Z referenced the group in his 2001 single Izzo H.O.V.A regarding industry exploitation. He noted label owners hate him and raised the status quo up while mentioning what they did to the Cold Crush. Money Ray died on the 3rd of October 2002 after years with the group. At the Dixie from Wild Style ranked at number 77 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop in 2008. DJ Tony Crush received induction into the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture on the 24th of September 2016. That date marked the day the museum officially opened its doors to the public.
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Common questions
When and where did the Cold Crush Brothers form?
The Cold Crush Brothers formed in 1978 within the Bronx borough of New York City. The original lineup included Supreme Easy A.D., Whipper Whip, Mr. Tee, and Dot-A-Rock.
How did Grandmaster Caz lose credit for his rhymes on Rapper's Delight?
Big Bank Hank took Grandmaster Caz's rhymes without any agreement from Caz to use them on the song Rapper's Delight by the Sugar Hill Gang. Caz never received credit or compensation for the words he contributed despite the track reaching the Top 40 charts in 1979.
Who won the lyrical battle between the Cold Crush Brothers and the Fantastic Romantic Five on the 3rd of July 1981?
The Fantastic Romantic Five won the official battle against the Cold Crush Brothers with a grand prize of $1000 cash. Grandmaster Caz stated that the Cold Crush Brothers won the war regardless of the result and tapes of their performance established them as one of the strongest underground hip-hop crews of all time.
What happened during the Cold Crush Brothers tour of Japan and Europe in 1983?
The group brought 25 MCs, DJs, breakers, and bombers to Tokyo in 1983 marking one of the earliest foreign markets for hip-hop outside of La Belle France. The tour proved successful despite existing linguistic and cultural barriers.
Which record label deal did the Cold Crush Brothers secure after releasing Fresh Wild Fly Bold in 1984?
A distribution dispute between Tuff City Records and Profile Records hindered sales potential for their most successful single Fresh Wild Fly Bold which sold 16000 units in its first week. They secured a CBS record deal through the Tuff City Label making them the first crew to do so.
When was DJ Tony Crush inducted into the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture?
DJ Tony Crush received induction into the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture on the 24th of September 2016. That date marked the day the museum officially opened its doors to the public.