Leather Vest Formerly Owned by DJ Tony Tone

Hip-Hop fashion of the late ’70s and early ’80s included cowboy-flamboyant aesthetic and Rockstar looks. Cold Crush brothers flipped between styles of the Disco era wearing suits and 80s B-Boy-style street wear. Most importantly, the aesthetic of Hip-Hop as a genre highlights the lives of everyday individuals within the Bronx and throughout New York. This emerges in the ’80s Hip-Hop fashion scene with the intersection of street, sport, and luxury fashion.

Cold Crush Brother’s original lineup consisted of DJ Tony Tone (Angelo King), Easy AD (Adrian Harris), DJ Charlie Chase (Carlos Mandes, b. 1959), Grandmaster Caz (Curtis Brown, b. 1960), Almighty KG (Kenneth Pounder), JDL (Jerry Dee Lewis) and Money Ray (Eric Hoskins). Whipper Whip (James Whipper) and Dot-A-Rock (Darryl Mason) were original members. 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. Cold Crush Brother member, DJ Tony Tone came up with the group’s name, saying that “Cold Crush” meant anybody could get crushed, cold crushed, no remorse. The Cold Crush Brothers were known for their remarkable routines which included harmonies, melodies, and stage-stomping performances. The Cold Crush Brothers set the standard for emceeing. They build the reputation as the Rolling Stones of Hip-Hop. Because of the attention they began to attract, many groups would try to battle them to gain rap credibility and for Hip-Hop superiority.