Brain Rot: Hip Hop Family Tree, The Cold Crush Brothers

• [Ed Piskor]

  About 4:25 in (pay no attention to the date of the vid, this scene from the comic takes place in 1980):
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNQSS8w5ZP8

• [Maggie Koerth-Baker]

  Ed, this whole series is flipping amazing. Great work! 

  • [Ed Piskor]

     This means a ton coming from you, Maggie. Thanks!

    • [Maggie Koerth-Baker]

      Out of curiosity, where are you getting all this information from? Bootlegs and previously published history/interviews? Or have you been interviewing some of these people directly, too? 

      • [Ed Piskor]

         Had the opportunity to do some interviews, and more to come, but, mostly gleaning info from every documentary, book, and published interview I can get my hands on.

        • [Maggie Koerth-Baker]

          That is super cool. I’d really been curious about your process on this. This is going to be some seriously interesting journalism when it’s done. 

• [Chang Terhune]

  These comics are the high point of my day, any day, but especially Tuesday!  Keep ‘em coming, man!!!

• [Slowermo]

  I just started buying shoes where I can’t feel every rock. That one would have hit home.

• [chris jimson]

  Isn’t this from one of those “Live Convention bee-bop’s” LPs?

  • [Ed Piskor]

     Not sure. I’d love to know, though.

• [cubby96]

  Really great.  Can’t wait for a chance to buy the eventual book.

  A minor nit – in the recording you linked, I think they rhymed damp with stamp, not chance.  I think the line is “when it comes to cash, you ain’t got a stamp” as in not even a food stamp.  Doesn’t really detract from the piece, and I really respect your sharing the source. 

  I’m jealous that I didn’t get to witness this part of hip hop history, and appreciate the lesson.  All those Beastie Boys lyrics that reference this stuff make so much more sense now.  Thanks for the context.

  • [Ed Piskor]

     You might be right, Cubby. I like your version better, anyhow. I’ll probably amend this for the book

• [penguinchris]

  I’m not a huge hip hop fan but I love stuff like this, the light-hearted wordplay (despite the relative nastiness of the insults, it’s done in the spirit of fun).

• [DJBudSonic]

  “So you wanna play the Dozens…?”  Love it -once again you made my day with your hip-hop time machine

• [Ed Piskor]

  By the way, the Cold Crush Brothers are still doing their thing, with great style. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VDIt0dH2mc

• [Tim Maughan]

  I’m fairly confident this is the best thing ever. 

• [MrJM]

  Daaaaaaaaaamn.