Cold Crush vs. Fantastic with Grandmaster Flash, Chief Rocker Starski, Harlem World Crew, at the Harlem World, New York, NY, July 3, 1981

The notorious rap battle that took place on July 3, 1981, was the battle between The Cold Crush Brothers and the Fantastic Five. The rap battle between the two groups spurred over time and can be seen in films like Wild Style (1983) where the groups would go face to face and freestyle before a game of basketball. In this epic battle that took place in 1981, the Fantastic Five took home the win and the grand prize of $1000 cash, but when the cassette tape of the battle hit the Bronx streets, other listeners learned the Cold Crush Brothers brough more intense MC skills, punchlines, and tone to their performance.

Often referred to as the Fantastic Freaks or Fantastic Romantic 5, The Fantastic Five consisted of Grand Wizard Theodore (Theodore Livingston, b. 1963), Dot-A-Rock (Darryl Mason, birthdate unknown, d. 2015), Ruby Dee (Rubin Garcia, birthdate unknown), Master Rob (Robin Strong birthdate unknown), and the Original Kevie Kev (Kevin Strong, birthdate unknown). 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.

Cold Crush Brother’s original lineup consisted of DJ Tony Tone (Angelo King, birthdate unknown), Supreme Easy AD (Adrian Harris, birthdate unknown), DJ Charlie Chase (Carlos Mandes, b. 1959), Grandmaster Caz (Curtis Brown, b. 1960), Almighty KG (Kenneth Pounder, birthdate unknown), JDL (Jerry Dee Lewis, birthdate unknown), and Money Ray (Eric Hoskins, birthdate unknown). Whipper Whip (James Whipper, b. 1962) and Dot-A-Rock 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, Curtis Brown, b. 1961) 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 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. This would lead to a fierce and well-known rivalry with The Fantastic Five.