The limited edition Rock The Bells Signature Artist Collection pays homage to Hip Hop legends Roxanne Shante, MC Lyte, Big Daddy Kane, and The Cold Crush Brothers. The collection celebrates these icons through limited edition merch, which is only available for sale from 4/16 through 4/22. In celebration of the launch of the collection, we present The Cold Crush Brothers: The Last Dope Live Group From The First Generation of Hip-Hop. Click here to shop this limited edition collection until 4/22.

On a recent episode of Talib Kweli's People's Party, guest Grandmaster Caz discussed the legacy of the legendary Cold Crush Brothers. "We didn't stay away from the commercialization of Hip-Hop, we were outside of it," he said. "[Graffiti Rock, Flashdance, and endorsements] came after us, that was the next generation. We never had a commercially successful record to push us into the next generation.

We were the best live group, basically the last dope live group from the first generation of Hip-Hop. Once it became necessary to have a hit record, if you didn't have one, you faded into the background. The parameters were changed once the LL COOL J's, Run-DMC's, Kurtis Blow's and WHODINI's came."

The Cold Crush Brothers released several recordings in the early to mid '80s including "The Weekend" on Elite Records, and a string of recordings on Aaron Fuch's Tuff City label. "Punk Rock Rap," "Heartbreakers," and their most celebrated record "Fresh, Wild, Fly & Bold" all kept the group's name alive, but the magic of the group was in their live performances. Their routines which included heavy harmonizing, many times based on already existing pop records separated the group from their contemporaries.

Grandmaster Caz told Rock The Bells that he authored those routines which were influenced by what he heard on the radio. "I listened to a lot of WABC, which was a station in New York that played lots of Pop music," he said. "'Rhinestone Cowboy' by Glen Cambell, 'Georgie Porgy' by Toto, those melodies made their way into our routines."

The Cold Crush Brothers can be seen in Hip-Hop's first film, Wild Style which highlights their real life rivalry with the Fantastic 5. Check out Caz's interview with People's Party above.