Living in the Bronx wasn’t ideal from the late 1970s through the early 1980s. Although DJ Tony Tone, a member of the Cold Crush Brothers, helped change this by advocating for the spread of hip-hop, he positively impacted his community through industry-changing songs and the creation of an eye-opening movie. DJ Tony Tone later furthered his legacy by performing at the 11th Trinity International Hip-Hop Festival in 2013 and the 14th in 2019.
“I loved hip hop, I live hop, and I will die hip hop.” -DJ Tony Tone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6CqS0SHOaM
In 1978, DJ Tony Tone and pioneer DJ Charlie Chase decided to create a hip-hop crew called the Cold Crush Brothers. The original group featured the 2 founders, A.D., Grandmaster Caz, the breaker Almighty Kay Gee, and the rapper J.D.L. In January 1982, the Cold Crush Brothers released their first single “The Weekend.” This was one of the first hip-hop songs released through a record company and talked about the struggles of their daily lives and the joy that the weekend brought. The message of this song made the song enjoyable due to its relatability. In November 1982, Tony Tone worked with producer Charlie Ahearn to create the movie Wild Style to depict the true beauty that filled the hip-hop world in the Bronx, which was critical to the growth of hip-hop because this gave artists of the Bronx a more giant spotlight.
Due to the International spread of hip-hop because of the film’s popularity, the cast went on a world tour. The Cold Crush Brothers were the second hip-hop group to expand to foreign markets, resulting in a record deal with CBS Records. It was the first hip-hop group to work with a major record company.
Following the Cold Crush Brothers’ world tour in 1983, they dropped their two most impactful songs “Punk Rap Rock” and “Fresh, Wild, Fly and Bold.” Punk Rap Rock was impactful as it created a new style of hip-hop influenced by rock, helping to diversify its audience. The most important aspect of the song is that the Cold Crush Brothers don’t talk about money but boast about how awesome they were. This was crucial to hip-hop culture because this influenced those to not do it just for the money.
Over 2 decades after Tony Tone’s mainstream fame, in 2008, VH1 named “At the Dixie” the 77th greatest hip-hop song. This honor was integral to the Cold Crush Brothers’ contributions to the early development of hip-hop. Years later, DJ Tony Tone continued to spread his love for Hip Hop at the 11th Trinity International Hip Hop Festival in 2013, where he performed DJ showcase. In 2019, DJ Tony Tone returned to the 14th one to host a DJ and Producer panel.
On September 24th, 2016, DJ Tony Tone was inducted into the Smithsonian Museum of African American history. The display for him featured a variety of his DJ equipment and posters from hip-hop gatherings. Furthermore, DJ Tony Tone’s exhibit was fundamental to honor him because he made the Bronx a more peaceful and hopeful place.
