Frederick Crute, better known by his stage name Kool DJ Red Alert, was born on November 27, 1956, in New York City and is regarded as one of the pioneers of hip-hop music and culture.[2] His weekly radio program airs on WBLS 107.5 FM from Monday through Saturday at 6 p.m. EST.
One of the earliest DJs to perform with the Universal Zulu Nation, the pioneers of hip hop, was Red Alert. He solicited listeners throughout the Tri-State region to increase the audience for his radio program. Red Alert is credited with breaking in acts and musicians including A Tribe Called Quest, Queen Latifah, and Black Sheep. Red also played a significant part in the 1986-87 The Bridge Wars. In favor of the Bronx-based hip hop ensemble versus MC Shan, Marley Marl, and the Juice Crew, he was the first deejay to break the record South Bronx by Boogie Down Productions on his KISS-FM weekend radio show.
Throughout the history of music videos, Red Alert has made the most guest appearances of any hip-hop artist or celebrity. Red Alert was the first disc jockey to make mix compilation CDs, which eventually came to be known as mixtapes when cassette tapes became popular in the 1970s. On his KISS 98.7 FM station in the middle of the 1980s, he was also the first mix show disc jockey to introduce dancehall to mainstream radio.