JDL and Tony Tone, Cold Crush Brothers: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black and white photograph of Cold Crush Brothers members, JDL and DJ Tony Tone.

They are standing in the center of the image against a dark background. JDL is on the left wearing a short leather coat, jeans, and black fingerless gloves. He is making a gesture with his proper right hand, holding his middle finger down with his thumb and his other fingers out. Tony Tone is on the right wearing a fur coat with darker colored lapels and cuffs over a Fair Isle sweater. He stands with his proper left thumb tucked into his jeans pocket and his head tilted slightly towards JDL. Both men look directly at the camera. They stand in a dark interior room, with strands of small lights strung across the ceiling and walls. In the bottom right corner of the image, a table with an ashtray is visible.

On the verso is an adhesive label with the Eyejammie.com logo and [Title: JDL and Tony Tone, Cold Crush Brothers / Photographer: Harry Allen] printed in black text.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: early 1980s
• Photograph by: Harry Allen, American, born 1964
• Subject of: JDL, American, born 1961
• Subject of: Angelo T. King, American, born 1959
• Subject of: The Cold Crush Brothers, American, founded 1978
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 15 7/8 × 19 13/16 in. (40.4 × 50.4 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 12 × 17 7/8 in. (30.5 × 45.4 cm)
• Place captured: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Fashion
• Topic: Gesture
• Topic: Hip-hop (Music)
• Topic: Musicians
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Rappers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2015.132.42
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Harry Allen Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.