“Anyone steppin’ our way gets crushed…cold crushed.”
- DJ Tony Tone
The Cold Crush Brothers started in 1978 in New York City – or more specifically the Bronx. However to accurately begin this tale we must rewind a little further back to focus on the groups most valuable asset.
Grandmaster Caz, a crucial Cold Crush MC, began his journey into hip-hop way back in 1974 when he witnessed one of the legendary Kool Herc bloc parties. He immediately aspired to be like this legend on the wheels of steel, and took up DJing as well. As time went on, he started to emulate his mentor by playing parties under the moniker Cassanova Fly, which as history dictates was the growing foundation for everything within the genre of hip-hop today.
Soon after Caz went on to team up with another future Cold Crush MC known as JDL (Jerry D Lewis); and together they became “The Notorious 2.” During this period Caz began to further his skills and would occasionally MC along with JDL. This became an important feat in hip-hop history, as he was the first DJ to rhyme and cut simultaneously, and was even inducted into the Technics “DJ Hall Of Fame” in 1999 because of such abilities.
By this point the groundwork for The Cold Crush Brothers had already begun (with JDL) by DJ Charlie Chase and DJ Tony Tone. The collective then approached Caz to audition for the group in 1979. As he recollects “Charlie was tricking me into joining the crew…I didn’t realize it at the time.” Once he was finally assimilated The Cold Crush Brothers were officially born.
The original line up was as follows: The founders - DJ Charlie Chase and DJ Tony Tone. The Cold Crush MC's - Easy A.D, Almighty Kay Gee, Grandmaster Caz, Money Ray and Jerry D Lewis.
After perfecting their routines for over a year they began doing live performances, specializing in numerous lyrical battles that took place during that period. One such historic battle was captured in 1981 and released in 1991 on a disc entitled Afrika Bambaataa Presents: Hip-Hop Funk Dance Classic, Volume 1. This recording, along side their later released All The Way Live in ‘82 album, fully embody the genre before it became the commercial juggernaut in the 90s, or to where it currently resides today.
In their prime the Cold Crush Brothers performed with the likes of Grandmaster Flash, Treacherous 3, New Edition, Kurtis Blow and of course their arch nemesis The Fantastic 5. They were also involved in the first hip-hop beef when their successors The Sugarhill Gang released the song "Rapper's Delight" in 1979, which is widely recognized as the first hip-hop single (along side Fatback Band “King Tim III”). According to the legend, a verse used for it by Henry “Big Bank Hank” Jackson was literally swiped from one of Grandmaster Caz’ own rhymes. This was one in a long line of artists to reap the benefits of the Cold Crush genius, and could have been seen as foreshadowing for the future of their career(s).
“90 percent of the emcees that came from the mid 80s, and early 90s studied the Cold Crush. They studied the old school emcees. Caz, definitely, without question being the lead man and the point man in the equation, was like the prototype for all of the studying that was going on. Some emcees will admit it, and some won’t.”
- Kool Moe Dee
Despite the commercial setbacks of that time (and to follow) they solidified their infamy early on with an appearance in the movie Wild Style (1982), which would later become a hip-hop classic. They battle and perform in the film, which centres on a graffiti artist and the troubles of the South Bronx in the late 70s. As their cameos can attest they may also be exclusively responsible for introducing the “b-boy” look and style to hip-hop culture.
That same year Cold Crush finally had their first official release on wax in the form of a 12” entitled “The Weekend,” which was a party record that bragged about having fun on the weekend. The second single was “Punk Rock Rap” (1983) released on Tuff City and distributed by CBS. This was the first time an independent hip-hop label and a major worked together. For the better or worse of times to come, “Punk Rock Rap” was also the first recording to combine rock and rap together.
“Fresh, Wild, Fly & Bold” (1984) followed and was the most successful Cold Crush single to date, which sold 16,000 units in its first week. The record was filled with huge drum machine breaks, b-boy force, and electro blips. In yet another unfortunate turn for the group, a dispute between Tuff City and Profile for distribution hindered the sales to come, which many believe would have gone gold. The other obstacle was that by the time it was readily available, groups like Run DMC and LL Cool J were making the old school a thing of the past.
In 1986 hip-hop fans started to fully embrace the new era of artists leaving Cold Crush behind, and things inevitably went south. That same year Grandmaster Caz left the crew, and the group subsequently called it quits. Two years later Kay Gee and Tony Tone reformed Cold Crush as a duo, releasing "Troopers"(1988) to little notice. Around that same time Grandmaster Caz dropped two solo albums “The Judge” and “The Hitman” for Tuff City Records. The albums demonstrated that Caz was able to make the shift in rap styles better than any of his contemporaries, but still gained little commercial ground.
Thanks in part to old school revival of 90s era hip-hop, some interest did return and The Cold Crush Brothers reunited to perform once again. In 2002 the group did one of their annual parties for their 22nd Anniversary in New York City. They performed with such artists as Doug E Fresh, Biz Markie, Rakim, KRS One, Big Daddy Kane, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Grand Wizard Theodore. It was almost as if history gave them a swan song, as later that year original member Eric Hoskins (Money Ray) died of Cancer. Since then Cold Crush continue to linger on and perform all across the United States.
Despite having never made a record that lives up to their name, they do have number of influential singles on the record books that paved the way for all of the acts within the genre to follow. Their legacy could be compared to that of the Rolling Stones, as they remain one of the most influential and legendary crews in the history of hip-hop.
Selected Discography:
The Weekend 12” – Elite (1982)
Punk Rock Rap 12” – Tuff City / CBS / Epic (1983)
Wild Style Soundtrack – Animal / Crysalis / ICA Projects (1983 orig. / 2005 reissue)
Fresh, Wild, Fly & Bold 12”– Tuff City / Profile (1984)
All The Way Live In ’82 – Tuff City (1994)
Terminator X – Terminator X & The Godfathers Of Threat (Superbad) - P.R.O. Division (1994) (appearance on the song Stylewild ’94)
Fresh, Wild, Fly & Bold (A Retrospective Collection) – CD - Night Train / Ol’ Skool Flava (1995)
Party People (feat Grand Wizard Theodore) – Tuff City (1996)
Vs. The Fantastic Romantic 5 (LIVE) – Slammin’ (1998)
Troopers – Traffic Entertainment (1988 orig. [on B-Boy Records] / 2006 reissue)
(as a duo only, spearheaded by Kay Gee & Tony Tone)
Grandmaster Caz solo:
The Judge – Tuff City (1987)
The Hitman – Tuff City (1989)
Sources:
Coldcrushbrothers.com
All Music Guide
Wikipedia – The Free Online Encyclopedia
The Rough Guide To Hip-Hop 2nd Edition – Rough Guides – 2005
There’s A GOD On The Mic – Thunders Mouth - 2003
No comments:
Post a Comment