Flier for “Cold Crusher” at The Riverboat: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A flier for "Cold Crusher" by The Godfather Productions. The flier is in landscape orientation and printed on white paper. It is covered top to bottom in is covered top to bottom in black-and-white text and photographs. The front of the flier is almost entirely dominated by a large photograph of the New York city skyline with the Empire State Building at the center. In the distance is the Hudson River and New York Harbor on the right and the Verrazzano Bridge on the left. In the white band at the top of the flier are the event date, event time, and production information in black text in varying sizes that reads [Memorial Sunday Sun. May 25] at the center, [College Productions / Black Student Union] on the left, and [The Godfather / 10:00 pm – 4] on the right. Printed in white text over the photograph, in a circle around the Empire State Building, is the event title, performance artists and groups, and event information. At the top of the circle is the event title, [COLD CRUSHER], printed in centered, white shadowed text.

Below are two rounded, bullet pointed, columns of performance artists and groups, printed in white text, and framing the side of the Empire State Building. The column on the left includes: [·Spooney[sic] Gee / ·#1 Record “Spoonin Rap” / ·DJ A.J. / ·Harlem’s favorite mixologist / ·Frankie D / ·Brooklyn’s son of fun with his 10,000 watt system / & / Tony G / ·Raps in English or Spanish he’s still death]. The column on the right includes: [·Funky 4+1 MORE / ·The Hotest[sic] rap record in the nation / ·Master D / ·Brooklyn’s backspin on wheels of steel champion / ·Von K / ·Keithy B / Added Attraction for the Ladies / ·Ms. Spinderella / ·The cities[sic] #1 female]. At the bottom of the image is the admission price and event location printed in white text that reads [7.50 Advance] on the left, and [Rescheduled from Easter Sunday / The Riverboat / 34th St & 5th Avenue, N.Y.C. / (In the Empire State Building] at the center.

Printed on either side of the event location are two photographs with white frames. From left to right, the first photograph depicts a crowd on a dance floor, the second photograph depicts a woman dancing closely behind a man, the third photograph depicts a young man dancing solo, and the fourth photograph depicts a man dancing closely behind a woman. In the white frame at the bottom of the flier is ticket purchasing information printed in black text that reads [Tickets on sale in: Bronx · Brooklyn · Queens · Manhattan / Jersey City · Newark / Tickets and Info: (212) 582-1481 or 397-9111. The back of the flier has no text or inscriptions.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: May 25, 1980
• Designed by: Unidentified
• Distributed by: Godfather Productions, American
• Distributed by: College Productions Black Student Union, American
• Subject of: Spoonie Gee, American, born 1963
• Subject of: Kool DJ AJ, American, died 2015
• Subject of: Frankie-D, American
• Subject of: DJ Tony G, American
• Subject of: Funky 4 + 1, American, 1977 - 1983
• Type: fliers (printed matter)
• Medium: ink on paper (fiber product)
• Dimensions: H x W: 7 11/16 × 9 3/4 in. (19.5 × 24.7 cm)
• Place used: Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Design
• Topic: DJs (Musicians)
• Topic: Graphic design
• Topic: Hip-hop (Music)
• Topic: Nightlife
• Topic: Rappers (Musicians)
• Topic: Urban life
• Object number: 2020.38.1.14
• 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: Unknown - Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.