Born Curtis Brown in the Boogie Down Bronx, New York City, in 1960, Grandmaster Caz is a former b-boy and graf writer who graduated to the ranks of the DJ elite in 1974 under the name Casanova Fly with partner, Disco Wiz after witnessing a Kool Herc indoor jam. After Wiz's departure, Caz formed the Mighty Force featuring Whipper Whip & DotaRock, the original Salt & Pepper MCs. Casanova shortened his name to Caz and adopted the title Grandmaster after a lightening fast turntable exhibition at a Bronx hip hop spot.
After Whip & Dot's departure, Caz regrouped to form the Mighty Force Five, then soon began to perform as the Notorious Two with original Mighty Force member JDL. Then joined the Cold Crush Brothers in 1979, after Caz penned Big Bank Hank's lyrics for “Rappers Delight” (inadvertently making Caz Hip Hop's first ghostwriter). Caz's innovative rhyme style and routine writing propelled the Brothers to legendary hip-hop status as one of the most dynamic and imitated groups in hip hop history. The Cold Crush recorded three singles on the Tuff City label, including the hit, "Fresh, Wild, Fly & Bold."
Caz enjoyed a solo career, recording the album "The Grandest of Them All" and in 1986 won The New Music Seminar's MC Battle for World Supremacy. Caz's love and passion for hip hop continued throughout the 90s, first as DJ and host at LA's hottest club, United Nations, and as council member of West Coast Zulu Nations BX contingency. While in LA, Caz did a remake of his famous "Yvette" rhyme for Malcolm McLaren’s New World Famous Supreme Team album and toured with Ice-T and his Rhyme Syndicate.
Caz also performed at the Rapmania Pay per View special in 1991. He appeared and performed in the first hip hop movie, Wild Style, as well as in documentaries Rhyme & Reason, The Freshest Kids, Beef I & II, MTV's Back in the Day, VH1's Hip Hop Babylon, as well as VH1's five part History of Rap documentary. Caz has been voted 11th of the 50 Greatest MCs of all time in Blaze magazine, 10th on Ego Trip's list of the Greatest MCs of all Time, and 6th of the True 50 Greatest MCs of All Time by fellow rap pioneer Kool Moe Dee in his book, There’s a God on the Mic. Caz has been elected to the DMC DJ Hall of Fame; inducted into the Zulu Nation Hall of Fame along with the Cold Crush, and has also received proclamations from the Brooklyn Council Woman's office, the Bronx Borough President, and the City of New York. Director of Entertainment Relations and Co-Founder of the first authentic Hip-Hop clothing brand Sedgwick & Cedar, Caz was recently featured on Ice T's Rap School and VH1's White Rapper Show.
Born February 6, 1963 and raised on the tough streets of the South Bronx, Joe Conzo was at the right place at the right time to intimately capture the birth of hip-hop music and a culture that would forever change the world. Having attended school with some of the pillars of hip hop, such as The Cold Crush Brothers, Conzo became the Crush's exclusive photographer and recorded some of the most candid and exhilarating moments of the pioneering rap group to date. With the help of flyer king Buddy Esquire, Conzo's photos graced party flyers and event posters and acted as the earliest forms of hip hop marketing and promotion. Conzo also shot legendary groups including Treacherous 3, Fearless 4, and Fantastic 5 in famed venues such as The T-Connection, Harlem World, Ecstasy Garage and The Roxy. But Conzo's contribution to urban culture isn't limited only to hip hop.
Being the grandson of the late "Hell Lady of the Bronx" Dr. Evelina Antonetty, Conzo also documented the political and socio-economic conditions that played a great role in the late 70s/early 80s South Bronx. His father, Joe Conzo Sr. acted as confidant and historian of late "King of Latin Music" Tito Puente, allowing his son exclusive access to Latin music luminaries including salsa greats Hector Lavoe, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Johnny Pacheco and Ray Baretto, among others. Today, Conzo is a 14-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department, and works as an EMT. His photographs have appeared on VH1, in the New York Times, VIBE, The Source, Esquire, and Wax Poetics, among others. His work was also featured in the books Hip Hop Immortals, Yes, Yes, Y'all, and displayed at the prestigious Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York. His first book, Born In The Bronx, was published to great acclaim by Rizzoli in 2007; an exhibition of the same name is currently touring the world.
