A Christmas Day Special 1981, Charlie Chase, Tony Tone, Cold Crush Four 4, Romantic Fantastic 5, Busy Bee, others, Harlem World, December 25, 1981

Party flyers were a staple in the early years of Hip-Hop and hard-copy invitations were the main medium for communicating information and promoting an event. The flyers symbolized many key appearances, acts, conventions, DJ performances, and contests in the Hip-Hop scene. Many flyers were created by local graffiti artists such as Buddy Esquire and Phase 2. The flyers were often presented by Hip-Hop promoters, DJs, and MCs who hosted the parties. Money was given to the artist to draw creative art and graphics for about $40-$60 for approximately 1,000 party flyers. The parks’ open public spaces have provided the perfect venues for park jams, impromptu dance-offs, DJ battles, and rap battles that established the sound, fashion, art, and message of Hip-Hop. Most of the Hip-Hop parties were a space for positivity where many of the Hip-Hop community could escape the realities of racism that included police brutality, drug abuse, and gang violence in their surrounding communities.

Known as the Harlem World Cultural and Entertainment Complex everyone called it “The World.” Located at 116th and Malcolm X Boulevard (Lenox Avenue), from 1978 to 1985, it was the home of legendary Disco. Harlem World was a three-story club with a lighted dance floor, chandeliers, wall-to-wall gold shag carpeting, mirrored walls, and a one-of-a-kind, one-hundred-foot lightning bolt-shaped bar.  Chuck Foster was the co-owner of the Harlem World and was known as one of the men that were responsible for building Harlem World before becoming an owner. Harlem World hosted some of Rap music’s most historic M.C. battles and many of Rap’s earliest lyricists who birthed the idea to put Rap music on records were found at Harlem World. Anyone who was important came to perform at Harlem World such as Busy Bee, Love Bug Starski, Grand Master Flash & the Furious, Fantastic Romantic, Lady Smiley, Cold Crush, L. A. Sunshine, Treacherous Three, Doug E. Fresh, and Kool Moe Dee.

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 DotA-Rock (Darryl Mason) were original members, but 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. Soon, the group brought in Grandmaster Caz (formerly DJ Casanova Fly) who is known to be one of the top 50 MCs of all Time, and an inductee into the Technics DJ Hall of Fame and the Bronx Walk of Fame. 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 built 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 Hip-Hop superiority.

Often referred to as the Fantastic Freaks or Fantastic Romantic 5. The Fantastic Five consisted of Grand Wizard Theodore (Theodore Livingston), Dot-A-Rock (Darryl Mason), Ruby Dee (Rubin Garcia), Master Rob (Robin Strong) and the Original Kevie Kev (Kevin Strong). Known for their single, "Can I Get A Soul Clap" (1980) The group also appeared in the film Wild Style (1982) and recorded a song in 1994 with the Cold Crush Brothers and Terminator X which appeared on Terminator X's album, Super Bad.

Known for his comedic rhymes, old school MC, Busy Bee/Chief Rocker Busy Bee/Busy Bee Starski (David Parker, b. 1962) gained a large following from MC rap battles in the Bronx, Staten Island, Brooklyn, and New Jersey. Busy Bee, who was known for his fashion sense, was a member of the Cassanova Gang who were admired for their dress style. When he became a famous local DJ, his fashion sense also added to his popularity. He was called “Busy Bee Starski” because he was known to switch from one rap group to the next and his peers said his rhyming style was like Love Bug Starski. Busy Bee worked with several of New York’s best Hip-Hop DJs, including Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Busy Bee’s legacy as an expert jive-rapper with humorous and crowd-motivating rhymes made an impact on the early years of Hip-Hop.