The Cold Crush Brothers
Encyclopedia
The Cold Crush Brothers is a hip hop
group that formed in 1979 in the Bronx, New York City
, New York
, alongside other early hip hop acts.
(formerly DJ Casanova Fly), Almighty Kay Gee and Jerry Dee Lewis Money Ray (Eric Hoskins) would be added to the group in the late 1980s.
The Cold Crush Brothers were especially known for their memorable routines which included harmonies, melodies and stage-stomping performances. The Cold Crush Brothers set the standard for emceeing. They became known as "the Rolling Stones of hip hop". Because of the attention they began to attract, many groups would try to battle them to gain street credibility and for hip hop supremacy. This would lead to a fierce and well known rivalry with The Fantastic Five, culminating in a lyrical battle between the groups on July 3, 1981. The grand prize was $1000 cash. The Fantastic Five won the battle.
The Cold Crush Brothers began to release records commercially. The first single was "Weekend" on Elite Records. It was a party and dance record that described ways to have fun on the weekends. The second single was "Punk Rock Rap" on Tuff City Records
and distributed by CBS
. This was the first time an independent hip hop label and a major record company worked together. "Punk Rock Rap" was the first recording to fuse hip hop and rock together. The phrase, "Oh My God!" was sampled on Doug E. Fresh
and the Get Fresh Crew's 1985 single, "The Show". The most successful Cold Crush single to date is "Fresh, Wild, Fly & Bold", released in 1984, which sold 16,000 units in its first week of release. A distribution dispute between Tuff City Records and Profile Records
hindered the sales of the single with the most potential of reaching gold status. In 1988 they released Troopers, an album on the infamous B-Boy Records
label which contained the singles "Feel the Horns/We Can Do This" and "The Bronx". This album was once extremely difficult to acquire, but it has recently been repackaged & re-released on B-boy/Traffic Records.
The Cold Crush Brothers toured all five boroughs of New York City and as far as Boston before commercially-released records. Their popularity was strengthened by the sale of their live performances that were recorded on cassette by Tape Master (Elvis Moreno). These shows were taped and distributed worldwide via word-of-mouth promotion. The Cold Crush Brothers were featured in the 1982 movie Wild Style
, the seminal work depicting hip hop culture. In the movie, the Cold Crush was featured in a number of scenes, most notable was that featuring the Brothers' face off against their arch-nemesis, the Fantastic Five. A year after the movie was released, the Cold Crush Brothers took hip hop abroad with tour dates in Japan and Europe.
The Cold Crush Brothers became involved in one of hip hop's most historic moments when Joey Robinson, son of Sugar Hill Records
founder Sylvia Robinson, happened to hear part-time club bouncer and former manager of Cold Crush member Grandmaster Caz Big Bank Hank
rapping to a tape of Caz while working at a pizzeria in New Jersey. Robinson informed Hank that he was forming a group called the Sugar Hill Gang and asked if Hank would like to join. Hank accepted, although he was not an MC
. Hank went to Grandmaster Caz and asked him for some rhymes. Caz laid his rhyme books on the bed and said, "Take whatever you want," with the understanding that Hank would compensate Caz at a later time. Caz's lyrics landed in a song by the Sugar Hill Gang called "Rapper's Delight
". The song became a huge hit in 1979 and was the first hip hop single to land on the Top 40 charts. Caz never received any credit or compensation for the rhymes that he contributed.
Another memorable moment of contribution of The Cold Crush Brothers was that they started the earliest foreign markets. The Cold Crush Brothers took 25 MCs, DJs, breakers, and bombers to Tokyo, Japan
in 1983. This was one of the earliest foreign markets for hip hop other than La Belle, France. Although they had linguistic and cultural barriers, the Wild Style tour was a big success. Right after this, the Cold Crush Brothers were able to gain a CBS records, through the Tuff City Label. They were the first crew to do so.
's 2001 single "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
" uses the Cold Crush Brothers as an example of the music industry's exploitation of artists: "Industry shady; it need to be taken over / Label owners hate me; I'm raisin' the status quo up / I'm overchargin' niggaz for what they did to the Cold Crush / Pay us like you owe us for all the years that you hoed us."
In October 2002, member Money Ray died. The group still performs across the United States.
In 2008, the Wild Style single "Cold Crush Bros. at the Dixie" ranked number 77 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
group that formed in 1979 in the Bronx, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, alongside other early hip hop acts.
Formation
The group's original lineup consisted of the founder, Original DJ Tony Tone, Easy A.D., DJ Charlie Chase, Whipper Whip, Mr. Tee, and Dot-A-Rock. Eventually, Whipper Whip and Dot-A-Rock left and joined the Fantastic Five, which they considered to be a more established group at the time. The Fantastic Five was originally the "L" Brothers, which consisted of DJ Mean Gene, DJ Cordio, DJ Grand Wizard Theodore, MC Smiley, Master Rob, the Original Kevie Kev and Busy Bee Starski.1980s
Tony Tone, Supreme Easy A.D. and Charlie Chase brought in Grandmaster CazGrandmaster Caz
Curtis Fisher , better known by his stage name Grandmaster Caz or Cassanova Fly is an American "Old Skool" rapper, MC, and DJ...
(formerly DJ Casanova Fly), Almighty Kay Gee and Jerry Dee Lewis Money Ray (Eric Hoskins) would be added to the group in the late 1980s.
The Cold Crush Brothers were especially known for their memorable routines which included harmonies, melodies and stage-stomping performances. The Cold Crush Brothers set the standard for emceeing. They became known as "the Rolling Stones of hip hop". Because of the attention they began to attract, many groups would try to battle them to gain street credibility and for hip hop supremacy. This would lead to a fierce and well known rivalry with The Fantastic Five, culminating in a lyrical battle between the groups on July 3, 1981. The grand prize was $1000 cash. The Fantastic Five won the battle.
The Cold Crush Brothers began to release records commercially. The first single was "Weekend" on Elite Records. It was a party and dance record that described ways to have fun on the weekends. The second single was "Punk Rock Rap" on Tuff City Records
Tuff City Records
Tuff City Records is a New York-based record label founded by journalist Aaron Fuchs in 1981. Initially concentrating on hip hop music, the label's roster expanded to include doo-wop, dancehall, and hip hop-jazz fusion, and releases included reissues of music from as far back as the 1940s.Fuchs was...
and distributed by CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. This was the first time an independent hip hop label and a major record company worked together. "Punk Rock Rap" was the first recording to fuse hip hop and rock together. The phrase, "Oh My God!" was sampled on Doug E. Fresh
Doug E. Fresh
Douglas E. Davis , better known by the stage name Doug E. Fresh, is an American rapper, record producer, and beat boxer, also known as the Human Beat Box...
and the Get Fresh Crew's 1985 single, "The Show". The most successful Cold Crush single to date is "Fresh, Wild, Fly & Bold", released in 1984, which sold 16,000 units in its first week of release. A distribution dispute between Tuff City Records and Profile Records
Profile Records
Profile Records was a record label that specialized in many types of urban-oriented music, such as hip hop, active until 1996..- History :In 1980, at 23 years old, after working briefly for MCA, Cory Robbins was looking to start a record label. He invited his songwriter friend Steve Plotnicki to be...
hindered the sales of the single with the most potential of reaching gold status. In 1988 they released Troopers, an album on the infamous B-Boy Records
B-Boy Records
B-Boy Records was an important independent hip hop record label formed by Jack Allen and Bill Kamarra in 1986, and situated at 132nd Street and Cypress Avenue in the Bronx, New York City. Its most notable signing was Boogie Down Productions...
label which contained the singles "Feel the Horns/We Can Do This" and "The Bronx". This album was once extremely difficult to acquire, but it has recently been repackaged & re-released on B-boy/Traffic Records.
The Cold Crush Brothers toured all five boroughs of New York City and as far as Boston before commercially-released records. Their popularity was strengthened by the sale of their live performances that were recorded on cassette by Tape Master (Elvis Moreno). These shows were taped and distributed worldwide via word-of-mouth promotion. The Cold Crush Brothers were featured in the 1982 movie Wild Style
Wild Style
Wild Style is a 1983 hip hop film produced by Charlie Ahearn. Released theatrically in 1983 by First Run Features and later re-released for home video by Rhino Home Video, it is regarded as the first hip hop motion picture...
, the seminal work depicting hip hop culture. In the movie, the Cold Crush was featured in a number of scenes, most notable was that featuring the Brothers' face off against their arch-nemesis, the Fantastic Five. A year after the movie was released, the Cold Crush Brothers took hip hop abroad with tour dates in Japan and Europe.
The Cold Crush Brothers became involved in one of hip hop's most historic moments when Joey Robinson, son of Sugar Hill Records
Sugar Hill Records (rap)
Sugar Hill Records was the name of a rap music record label that was founded in 1979 by husband and wife Joe and Sylvia Robinson with Milton Malden and financial funding of Morris Levy, the owner of Roulette Records.-History:...
founder Sylvia Robinson, happened to hear part-time club bouncer and former manager of Cold Crush member Grandmaster Caz Big Bank Hank
Big Bank Hank
Big Bank Hank is an American old school rapper. Also known as Imp the Dimp, he is a member of The Sugarhill Gang, the first hip hop act to have a hit single, "Rapper's Delight"....
rapping to a tape of Caz while working at a pizzeria in New Jersey. Robinson informed Hank that he was forming a group called the Sugar Hill Gang and asked if Hank would like to join. Hank accepted, although he was not an MC
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
. Hank went to Grandmaster Caz and asked him for some rhymes. Caz laid his rhyme books on the bed and said, "Take whatever you want," with the understanding that Hank would compensate Caz at a later time. Caz's lyrics landed in a song by the Sugar Hill Gang called "Rapper's Delight
Rapper's Delight
"Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 single by American hip hop trio The Sugarhill Gang. While it was not the first single to feature rapping, it is generally considered to be the song that first popularized hip hop in the United States and around the world. The song's opening lyric "I said a hip hop, a...
". The song became a huge hit in 1979 and was the first hip hop single to land on the Top 40 charts. Caz never received any credit or compensation for the rhymes that he contributed.
Another memorable moment of contribution of The Cold Crush Brothers was that they started the earliest foreign markets. The Cold Crush Brothers took 25 MCs, DJs, breakers, and bombers to Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
in 1983. This was one of the earliest foreign markets for hip hop other than La Belle, France. Although they had linguistic and cultural barriers, the Wild Style tour was a big success. Right after this, the Cold Crush Brothers were able to gain a CBS records, through the Tuff City Label. They were the first crew to do so.
Recent
Rapper Jay-ZJay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
's 2001 single "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
"Izzo " is a single released by Jay-Z from his sixth album The Blueprint. It is among his most popular singles. This was the second song released off The Blueprint, after the diss track "Takeover", but the lead single from it. The song reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S...
" uses the Cold Crush Brothers as an example of the music industry's exploitation of artists: "Industry shady; it need to be taken over / Label owners hate me; I'm raisin' the status quo up / I'm overchargin' niggaz for what they did to the Cold Crush / Pay us like you owe us for all the years that you hoed us."
In October 2002, member Money Ray died. The group still performs across the United States.
In 2008, the Wild Style single "Cold Crush Bros. at the Dixie" ranked number 77 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop
External links
- Cold Crush Brothers (requires Flash)
- Discography