Oral History Interview with the Cold Crush Brothers, New York, NY, September 29, 1998

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. 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.